Do you know, the WHO (World Health Organisation) stated that 30– 50% of cancers could actually be prevented, just like hypertension or diabetes. We will be stating facts that can help us understand how we can prevent this from happening to us.
1. Physical Inactivity, Obesity, Dietary factors and being overweight
Remember the days when we used to come back home sweating after playing football or cricket or just any outdoor games. Yes, That’s not the same now. Security concerns (don’t let us send kids for outdoor play), PUBG fever, and X-BOX gaming have caused increased physical inactivity in adolescents. I fondly remember the effort I had to make to go to the National Medical Library to get a photocopy of an important medical journal, which nowadays is available at the stroke of a finger. W.H.O has mentioned PHYSICAL INACTIVITY as a GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM. “One in four” adults do not meet the W.H.O criteria on physical activity, which results in overweight and obesity. There is a link between being overweight and obesity and many types of cancers such as Esophageal (FOOD PIPE) cancer, colorectal, breast, endometrial, ovarian, stomach and kidney cancers.
FACT CHECK
- Obesity has been estimated to cause 20 – 40% of all cancers.
- A sedentary lifestyle is associated with 5% of cancer deaths.
To know more about how obesity may lead to cancer? Why excess body fat causes cancer and what cancers can be caused by overweight or obesity? Keep a watch on our blogs.
2. DIET
Dietary Fat – Dietary fat intake has not been found to increase the incidence of breast and colon cancers; however, the chances of prostate cancer are shown to increase. But keep in mind that dietary fat intake may subsequently result in obesity, which can result in increased risk of the above-mentioned cancers.
Red Meat – High intake of Red meat results in increased risk of colon cancer. It has been observed that 100gm/day of red meat increases the risk of developing cancer by 17%, and 50 g of processed meat results in an 18% increase in the chances of developing cancer. So, if you like Sausages, salami, Frozen meat, or smoked meat, you should know they are also called processed meat.
Fruits and Vegetables –High intake of fruits and vegetables is associated with a significant reduction in cancer. Research has shown the protective effect of Tomatoes in prostate cancer, and Fibre, fruits, and vegetables are protective against colorectal and breast cancers.
Dairy – Research indicates intake of Low-fat dairy products protects against Breast cancer, especially in Premenopausal women. Calcium intake has also been shown to reduce cancer of the digestive tract, in particular colon and rectal cancer.
High Glycemic Foods (High Sugar foods) – Patients with diabetes have a 2-fold or greater risk of cancer in the Liver, pancreas, breast, colon and endometrial cancers. So one should avoid foods that have high Glycemic index such as orange juice, honey, basmati rice, whole bread, potatoes, white bread and short-grain rice
Omega-3 fatty acids and dietary fish– Studies have shown no benefit with omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, but fish intake has been shown to be cancer protective, especially in the colon and rectal cancers.
3. ALCOHOL
Excess alcohol consumption increases the risk of multiple cancers. It has been estimated that 3.6% of cancers are associated with chronic alcohol drinking. If you are looking for an answer to what happens if I drink one a day or 5 to 6 drinks in a week, then? So it has been clearly stated that even light alcohol consumption of three to six drinks/week has been associated with a small increase in breast cancer in women, along with a moderate increase in Esophageal cancers.
4. INFECTIONS
It is estimated that 17% of all new cancers are due to infections. Viruses increase cancer risk. For example, the HPV virus is known to cause cervical cancers in women, oral cancers and upper food pipe cancers; Hepatitis B and C are known to lead to liver cirrhosis and liver cancer; some bacterial infections, such as H. pylori, can cause stomach cancers. Safeguarding oneself from these infective organisms can help prevent cancer in the future.
5. ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES
If you are staying in India’s most polluted city, that is Gurgaon or New Delhi, then this is what you should be looking at. Such environmental hazards are avoidable, such as Excessive solar radiation or air pollution, Radon gas exposure and arsenic content in drinking water. Skin cancers occur in people who are fair-skinned and are exposed to Solar radiation. Diesel exhaust and particulate matter air pollution have been associated with increased risk of lung cancer.
Long-term exposure to elevated arsenic levels in drinking water is associated with an increased risk of certain cancers, especially Urinary bladder cancers.
6. TOBACCO USE
The most important of all and the most preventable cause of cancer is TOBACCO use, which accounts for 21 % of cancer deaths worldwide.
7. FACT CHECK
Approximately one-Half of all smokers die of Tobacco-related disease
Adult smokers lose an average of 13 years of life due to this addiction.
Smoking can cause cancer of every part and organ of the body and is the strongest of all risk factors for lung cancer.
All the above-listed 5 points are preventable. One can choose all of the above 5 factors which can result in cancer. Avoiding the above-mentioned causative factors can help prevent 20–40% of cancers from happening to you.
WhatsApp