Healthier Lifestyle Cuts Cancer Risk
Seattle - British and American researchers have finally proven what the medical community has been saying all along; a healthier lifestyle cuts the risk of developing cancer.
In a study based on data collected in the U.S., Britain, China and Brazil, researchers found that by eating a healthy diet, exercising and controlling weight people in high-income countries can cut their risk of cancer by one-third while people in low-income countries cut their risk by one-quarter. This is already assuming people are not smoking, which in itself cuts the risk of cancer by one-third.
Researchers from the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) published their report to encourage people of all societies to live healthier lives in order to cut their cancer risk. They emphasized that it takes very little lifestyle changes to lower the risk of developing many common cancers such as breast, prostate, bowel, lung, pancreatic and kidney cancer.
The report found that a healthier lifestyle prevented 38% of breast cancer cases and 45% of bowel cancer cases in the U.S. In Britain, a healthy lifestyle would prevent 42% of breast cancer cases and 43% of colon cancer cases. Overall, a healthy lifestyle cuts the risk of developing any of the twelve most common cancers by 34% in the U.S. and 39% in the U.K.
A healthy lifestyle includes eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains, exercising for 20-30 minutes at least 4 times a week and watching your weight. The best way to determine if you are overweight is to figure your Body Mass Index (BMI). Calculate your BMI by multiplying your weight in pounds by 703 and then divide that answer by your height in inches, then divide that answer again by your height in inches. A total below 25 means you are a healthy weight but anything above 25 means you may be overweight and should make some changes to your diet to reduce your risk of cancer.
The report also made recommendations to governments, schools and industry to make changes that will promote healthy lifestyles. Such recommendations as adding bicycle lanes to roads, encouraging schools to provide healthier lunches and exercise programs and replacing unhealthy snacks in vending machines with healthy ones are only a few of the ideas given. The U.S. is already one step ahead of this by recently passing the Stimulus Package which included almost one billion dollars to be used toward expanding community prevention programs.
By making a few simple lifestyle changes people around the world can cut their risk of cancer and live healthier lives. Researchers feel that if everyone acts on living healthier now, we can save millions of lives around the world in the generations to come.