A Healthy Lifestyle Could Lower Risk Of Cancer

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By the end of 2016, more than half a million Americans could die from cancer and an estimated 1.6 million new cancer cases diagnosed according to a recent report by the American Cancer Society, making cancer the second leading cause of deaths in the United States.

In a study published in the journal JAMA Oncology, researchers claim that they have evidence to show that living a healthy lifestyle can greatly reduce the risk of cancer. An unhealthy lifestyle includes smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, overweight, obesity and lack of regular exercise.

The study was conducted by the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston, where the researchers are looking into the effects of a healthy lifestyle pattern that links death and cancer incidence.

• The study involved consolidated data of more than 130,000 individuals – around 89,571 women and 46,339 men.
• The researchers pointed out that random mutations that occur during stem cell divisions can largely contribute to cancer development.
• The study took note of four basic criteria that defined a healthy lifestyle pattern;
• Never smoking or having quit smoking
• Abstinence from alcohol or drinking 1 drink a day for women and 2 for men.
• Body Mass Index (BMI) of above 18.5 but not over 27.5
• Weekly aerobic exercises – 150 minutes or more of moderate intense activity or vigorous exercise of 75 minutes.

Those who met the criteria were considered low risk, while those who fared beyond it were considered high risk. Those at low risk were 16,531 women and 11,731 men, who were categorized to have a healthy lifestyle pattern, while those at high risk were 73,040 women and 34,608 men.

The results suggested that around 20 to 40 percent of the cases and some 50 percent of cancer mortality had greater chances of being avoided if they were able to modify their lifestyles that fit the low risk group.

Among the most notable cases of cancer identified in the study were 82 percent of lung cancer cases could have been prevented in women and 78 percent in women. 29 percent of women and 20 percent of men could have prevented colorectal cancer.

The risk for women avoiding breast cancer was 4 percent with a healthy lifestyle and 12 percent lower risk of death from breast cancer.

The researchers claimed that these findings can significantly help link the impact of a healthy lifestyle in countering the risks of cancer and would strengthen the call for promoting a healthy lifestyle in cancer prevention.

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