Many Cancers may be Preventable

According to a new report from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), about one-third of the 12 most common adult cancers may be preventable by making healthy lifestyle choices. The report did not include cancers that could be prevented by not smoking.

Cancer is the second-leading cause of death among Americans, surpassed only by heart disease. Based on projections by the World Health Organization (WHO), cancer deaths will likely continue to rise, with an estimated nine million deaths from cancer in 2015 and 11.4 million deaths from cancer in 2030.

The panel of 23 experts concluded that being physically active, maintaining a healthy weight and eating a nutritious diet may help prevent various types of cancer. In the United States, endometrial cancers, esophageal cancers and cancers of the mouth, pharynx and larynx were found to be the most preventable.

These estimates do not represent an individual person's risk of developing cancer. Instead, they reflect the general population's estimated chance of developing the disease. WCRF/AICR also emphasizes that there is no way to completely eliminate the risk because many factors beyond a person's control (such as family history) may affect cancer risk.

The report also includes recommendations for governments, schools, workplaces media and other organizations to encourage healthy lifestyles. For instance, the panel recommends that schools and workplaces promote walking and bicycling and eliminate unhealthy foods in cafeterias. They also stress the need for food and beverage companies to reduce the cost of healthy products and to stop promoting unhealthy products to children.

For more information about cancer prevention, please visit Natural Standard's Comparative Effectiveness database.

Comments

[Greg C.]

Many people view cancer as something that they have no control over, which it is, but this report reveals some hope. Often when you hear about someone being diagnosed with cancer, it seems like it came from nowhere. Although cancer can't always be linked to one specific factor or cause, at least we know that leading a healthy lifestyle is a good start and could decrease the chances of developing cancer!

[Lara]

I recently read a study that correlated the highest risks for esophageal and gastric adenocarcinoma to be linked to obesity. It seems that nutrition may play a much bigger role in maintaining our health beyond cardiovascular health.

There are still anomalies for some cancer cases, however. For instance, Japan, known for having one of the most healthy cuisines and low body weights, also has one of the highest rates of stomach cancer. When geneticists begin to find more cancer biomarkers is when we can finally say what the main causes and preventions of cancer are.

[stacy marcan]

Another score for healthy lifestyles. With evidence that supports eating fresh, unprocessed foods and getting regular exercise reported almost weekly, it is a wonder to me that a) more people don't make better choices and b) businesses, governments and institutions like schools don't take more steps to promote these behaviors. With the cost of healthcare already staggering, it is hard to imagine how we'll bare the brunt of more and more people who need cancer treatment. On the other hand, I'm sure people tune out to the drumbeat of bad health news. We need to find more tools and innovative ways to help people take steps like educating themselves on how to live healthier, make better food choices, and build moderate exercise into their daily lives.

[DL]

This is great news and offers another reason why leading a healthy lifestyle from an early age is so beneficial and powerful. While it is impossible to escape and avoid every cancer risk factors that we face, as a society we can help minimize these risks by stressing the importance of eating healthily, exercising and not smoking.

[Eliana]

I enjoy reading studies like this because it further plants the idea that we don't need to be a society obsessed with weight-loss pills and drugs for every little symptom, but rather we need to be more focused on being healthy. If we try to maintain good health and balance in all aspects of our lives, we can prevent diseases and infections just by preparing our bodies to fight them!

[brianna]

This is really encouraging news for making better healthy lifestyle changes. Our health depends on what we do every day -- from exercising to eating habits. Hopefully, it will be an incentive to motivate people to minimize bad habits (sedentary lifestyle, smoking, consuming processed food, etc.).

Also, I found the recommendation for local governments, schools and workplaces most helpful. A lot of people are struggling to make the right decisions while their environment is full of ‘bad choices." However, if everyone can all commit and strive toward a better healthy lifestyle, there is still hope yet :)

[PK]

The recommendations from this report may be beneficial for cancer prevention, but it is definitely helpful and effective with the number-one killer, heart disease. So let it be for cancer prevention or heart health, incorporating healthy eating habits and exercise is simply beneficial overall and increases longevity.

[Jonny]

I agree with this article about how healthy lifestyles are associated with fewer cases of cancer. The average American lifestyle has become so polluted, and more people are not taking care of themselves. I have read about associations linking diet and obesity to cancer, so I hope more people are taking note of this. But regardless of cancer, I like to see articles promoting a healthy lifestyle.

[MitchT]

I like how they mentioned the part about vendors lowering prices for healthy foods and about decreasing junk food. It seems like nowadays kids are eating so much junk food, which they get out of the vending machines around school. Not to mention the amount of soda that is dispensed from them. We have to start shaping the minds of our children to make healthy lifestyle choices. I personally think that the vending machines should be taken out of schools or stocked only with healthy choices, but that is my opinion!

[nmh]

This is very encouraging news. As we know, a lot of diseases can be prevented by smart choices. It is important to educate people about make good daily habits; and this study is just another boost needed to remind people that seemingly small choices do make a difference.

[RogueTangent]

Like many other diseases, old habits are hard to change. I feel that people will not change unless something really bad happens. Thus, this report provides encouraging news that these types of cancers may be preventable, but realistically speaking, the majority of people will not change unless they have cancer or know someone who has cancer. I feel that most people will read this article and think "Oh...interesting..." but will not actually go out and actively seek to make changes to their lifestyles.

[Joslyn]

This study is very encouraging; especially with the high stress levels we all experience in today's society. It is always good to know that every small thing one does daily would have a good impact overall, health-wise. People tend to ignore small things (skipping exercise, smoking, eating unhealthy processed fast food) thinking that it’ll have no consequences. This shows that good choices do have their rewards!!!

[John P]

Diet and exercise! Diet and exercise!
I am terrible at buying fresh vegetables (I couldn’t even spell vegetable without the spell checker), and if I do buy them, they usually go bad before I eat them. However, I discovered the miracle of the frozen vegetables found at my local grocer. I buy the frozen chopped medley and the frozen broccoli and the frozen spinach and just keep them in the freezer. They don’t go bad. And they are pretty healthy. On the ingredients list it just says “red peppers, green peppers, onions” or “broccoli” or whatever. They are low in salt, cook quickly, they don’t take any prep time as far as chopping and clean up, and they taste fine. Probably one of the best things (I think) that I’ve done for my diet in the last year. Still working on the exercise bit, though :(

[Nora]

Making healthy choices is important and beneficial to all aspects of ones life, including disease prevention (such as cancer). Most people understand this. However, it is very difficult to break bad habits (especially the ones that people develop when they are young). I recently did a research project about food advertisement that appeal to children, and I discovered that healthy foods are almost never promoted.

[Zack]

I think that many different types of cancer can be prevented because they are influenced/caused by modifiable risk factors. These may include: stress, different chemicals and toxins (pesticides), electromagnetic stress and too much unhealthy processed food. They have a negative impact on the immune system and create too many free radicals in the body. People need to make a conscious decision to lead healthier lives and make better choices.

[Charles Leighton]

Cancer is not the only disease state that is preventable. Maintaining a healthy body weight, staying active and eating properly can prevent a majority of disease states. If we could start making the push from treating disease to preventing disease, it would only be a matter of time before the outrageous healthcare costs that our country incurs annually would start to decline. Once we head down that path, our lives would all be so much simpler.

This study didn't even include the cancers preventable from not smoking cigarettes, which I am sure extends further than just pulmonary cancers based on the amount of toxins that reach systemic circulation contained in cigarettes. I often wonder why people pay money to kill themselves, but the government wouldn't allow that to happen unless they were making money doing so...oh well.