Lifestyle and Cancer

[Guest guest]

Lifestyle blamed for many cancers

Scales

Obesity is a key risk factor for obesity

Simple lifestyle and environmental changes could significantly help to

cut the number of cancer deaths around the world each year, research

suggests.

 

Experts linked more than a third of the seven million cancer deaths

worldwide in 2001 to nine potentially modifiable risk factors.

 

These include poor diet, smoking, alcohol, obesity, lack of exercise

and air pollution.

 

The Harvard University study is published in The Lancet.

 

The researchers calculated that of the seven million deaths from

cancer in 2001, 2.43 million were linked to the nine risk factors.

 

 

MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS

Obesity

Low fruit and vegetable intake

Lack of exercise

Smoking

Alcohol

Unsafe sex

Urban air pollution

Indoor smoke from household use of coal

Contaminated injections

 

The findings were based on a comprehensive review of scientific

studies and other sources such as government reports.

 

The Harvard team and their collaborators also re-analysed some of the

original data from the studies.

 

They concluded that in low and middle-income countries the most

important risk factors were smoking, alcohol use, and low consumption

of fruit and vegetables.

 

In high-income countries, smoking, alcohol use, and obesity played the

leading role.

 

Deaths could be cut

 

Lead researcher Dr Majid Ezzati said that smoking was by far the most

important risk factor for cancer - alone responsible for 21% of cancer

deaths worldwide.

 

He said public health campaigns targeting smoking in the UK had led to

a drop in deaths from lung cancer in the past few decades, and showed

just how effective such campaigns could be.

 

He said: " Primary prevention through lifestyle and environmental

interventions remains the main route for reducing the global cancer

burden.

 

" If implemented, reduction of exposure to well-known behavioural and

environmental risk factors would prevent a substantial proportion of

deaths from cancer. "

 

Dr Kat Arney, of the charity Cancer Research UK, said: " This report is

an impressive demonstration that many cancers, and many deaths from

the disease worldwide, are preventable.

 

" Cancer Research UK estimates that around half of all cancers in the

UK could be prevented by changes to lifestyle. "

 

The charity has launched a Reduce the Risk campaign, encouraging

people to quit smoking, stay in shape, eat and drink healthily, avoid

excessive sun exposure, be body aware and go for screening when invited.