Almost 50 per cent of cancers are due to lifestyle, study finds

No one wants cancer, but a recent US study has found we could cut cancer incidence by close to half by eliminating seven lifestyle choices.

Research released last week by the American Cancer Society (ACS) has found that about 45 per cent of cancer diagnoses were attributable to just seven lifestyle choices as well as cancer-associated infections.

The lifestyle risks are:

• Cigarette smoking
• Secondhand smoke exposure
• Excess body weight
• Alcohol intake
• Unhealthy diet
• Physical inactivity
• Ultraviolet radiation exposure

The eighth contributing factor is cancer-associated infections such as human papillomavirus, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, and Epstein-Barr virus.

The ACS said cancer screening tests can also help prevent thousands of additional cancer cases and deaths.

In Australia, cancer screening is available for breast cancer, cervical cancer and bowel cancer.

The study looked at 30 types of cancer and 18 risk factors that could be changed by lifestyle choices, including things such as smoking and body weight.

Overall, cigarette smoking was the leading risk factor for cancer, contributing to nearly 20 per cent of all cancer cases and 30 per cent of all cancer deaths.

Here’s what to know about the findings:

Smoking

Smoking and being exposed to secondhand smoke doesn’t just cause lung cancer, it also contributes to oral cancers, pancreatic, uterine cervical, kidney, bladder, stomach, colorectum and liver cancers, and acute myeloid leukemia.

Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in Australia and the world.

It’s estimated 11 per cent of the Australian population smoke, which is a vast improvement on historic smoking figures thanks to awareness campaigns.

Government figures show that in the 70s, 43 per cent of men and 33 per cent of women were smokers.

Excess weight

According to the ACS, excess body weight is associated with an increased risk of developing several types of cancer: uterine, esophagus, liver, stomach, kidney, multiple myeloma, pancreas, colorectum, gallbladder, ovary, female breast, and thyroid.

Excess body fat (especially toxic or visceral fat around the waist and vital organs) leads to more chemicals and hormones being released. It may also lead to inflammation. Having inflammation or an excess of these chemicals and hormones can alter how the cells divide, which can increase the risk of cancer.

Alcohol

Drinking alcohol raises your risk of developing head and neck, breast, colorectal, esophageal, liver, stomach and pancreatic cancers.

According to the Cancer Institute NSW, from a cancer prevention perspective, no amount of alcohol consumption is safe. The institute estimates 3200 cancer cases could be prevented each year in Australia if people cut down on their drinking.

Bad diet

High-fat, low-fibre diets may increase the risk of many cancers including bowel, lung, prostate and uterine cancers.

There is also convincing scientific evidence that eating processed meat and red meat increases bowel cancer risk.

Physical inactivity

According to the Cancer Council, doing little or no physical activity is associated with a higher risk of developing certain types of cancer. Physical inactivity is responsible for 12 per cent of colon cancers and 3.2 per cent of breast cancers – and probably contributes to many other cancers.

Being inactive also contributes to weight gain. Being overweight or obese also increases cancer risk.

Let’s get moving folks as physical activity regulates hormones such as insulin-like growth factor and oestrogen and affects the speed that food passes through the bowel, reducing contact with any potential carcinogens.

It can decrease the risk of developing cancer and improve cardiovascular fitness, maintaining bone mineral density and reducing stress.

Ultraviolet radiation exposure

Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world, and the majority of these are through exposure to the sun.

Sun exposure causes 95 per cent of melanomas, the most deadly type of skin cancer.

In Australia, one in eight adults and one in five teenagers are sunburnt on an average summer weekend.

Sun exposure that doesn’t result in burning can still cause damage to skin cells and increase your risk of developing skin cancer. Evidence suggests that regular exposure to UV radiation year after year can also lead to skin cancer.

Would you change your lifestyle knowing about the above findings? Why not share your opinion in the comments section below?

Also read: Cancer death rate drops 25 per cent data shows