Nearly 40% of cancers can be prevented with 3 lifestyle changes, study finds

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“The study reinforces that cancer prevention works, and action is most effective at the population level,” Fink said. 

“Governments and communities play a crucial role by making healthy choices easier, for example, through higher tobacco and alcohol taxes, smoke-free policies, clear health warnings, safer workplaces, cleaner air, and affordable access to vaccination and screening. Individuals can support these by advocating for healthier environments and using available preventive services.”

Reducing the risk

The AIRC offers the following recommendations to minimize cancer risk.

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• Do not smoke, and if you do smoke, seek help to quit.
• Keep alcohol intake as low as possible, as “there is no safe level of alcohol for cancer risk.”
• Aim for a healthy body weight over time with a balanced diet and regular physical activity.
• Move more and sit less, as even small amounts of daily movement help.
• Take advantage of vaccines, especially the HPV vaccination for young people and the hepatitis B vaccination.

Tobacco was linked to 15% of new cancer cases, making it the largest modifiable risk factor. (iStock)

“As a family physician, I try to help my patients understand how important their daily habits are in lowering their future cancer risk,” said Dr. Chris Scuderi, a cancer survivor and Florida-based family physician.

The doctor’s key prevention targets include daily exercise, consistent and restorative sleep, a Mediterranean-style diet, regular doctor’s visits and sufficient rest.

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“Small daily wins add up to make a powerful difference over time,” added Scuderi, who also was not involved in the research. “It’s also essential to stay on top of your routine screenings, which your family physician can help you with.”

Potential limitations

The study did have some limitations. The researchers often used data from around 2012 due to the long delay between exposure and cancer, which means the data may not reflect the most recent behaviors or environments.

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“This is a necessary simplification, because in reality, latency can be longer or shorter depending on the cancer and the exposure,” Fink noted.

A doctor recommended daily exercise, consistent and restorative sleep, a Mediterranean-style diet, regular doctor’s visits and sufficient rest to help reduce risk. (iStock)

Siegel pointed out that cancer types vary by geographic region — for example, stomach cancer is more prominent in Asia — and the relationships between risk factors and cancer prevalence can differ between countries, populations and time periods.

“We rely on the best available data on how common each risk factor is in different countries and how strongly it is linked to cancer, but these data are not perfect and are weaker in some low- and middle-income countries,” Fink said.

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Finally, the study only looked at 30 risk factors with the strongest evidence and global data.

“Our estimate of ‘almost 40% of cancers are preventable’ is very likely conservative,” the researcher added. “Some other suspected causes, such as certain aspects of diet, could not be included because the science or the data are not yet robust enough at a global level.” 

Article source: https://www.foxnews.com/health/nearly-40-cancers-can-prevented-3-lifestyle-changes-study-finds