A new study (view below) from the American Cancer Society reveals that about 40% of cancer cases and half of all cancer deaths in adults over 30 are linked to lifestyle choices we can control, like smoking, diet, and exercise. Smoking is the biggest culprit, responsible for nearly 20% of all cancer cases, while excess weight and alcohol consumption also play significant roles. The research highlights that simple changes in our habits could drastically reduce cancer risks, especially for types like lung and skin cancer. With modifiable factors accounting for nearly all cases of certain cancers, this study emphasizes the urgent need for better health awareness and preventive measures.

According to a recent study by the American Cancer Society, lifestyle decisions, or modifiable risk factors, are responsible for four out of ten cancer incidences and around half of all cancer deaths in persons in the US who are 30 years of age and older.

According to the study published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, these risk factors—which are thought to be things a person can usually control—include smoking, being overweight, drinking alcohol, engaging in physical activity, eating a healthy diet, being exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, and contracting certain infections that can cause cancer reports Amie Dahnke from The Epoch Times.

Smoking is the Top Preventable Risk Factor

As the primary risk factor, cigarette smoking topped the list, accounting for about 20% of all cancer diagnoses and nearly 30% of cancer-related deaths. For men, smoking accounted for 56% of possibly preventable cancer cases, and for women, it made up nearly 40% of cases.

The report’s lead author, Dr. Farhad Islami, stated in a news release that “the number of lung cancer deaths attributable to cigarette smoking in the United States is alarming, despite considerable declines in smoking prevalence during the past few decades.” ”This finding underscores the importance of implementing comprehensive tobacco control policies in each state to promote smoking cessation, as well as heightened efforts to increase screening for early detection of lung cancer when treatment could be more effective.”

Dr. Islami and his colleagues estimated the number of cancer cases and deaths that could be attributable to each potentially modifiable risk factor in the study using data on cancer incidence, mortality, and risk factors. They examined the intricacies of the modifiable risk variables and went through this procedure for thirty different forms of cancer.

For instance, when examining how a person’s diet can affect their chance of developing cancer, researchers examined how much red and processed meat, how many fruits and vegetables, and how much dietary fiber and calcium they ingested.

Excess body weight was shown to be the second most significant modifiable risk factor after cigarette smoke, accounting for 7.6 percent of possibly preventable cancer cases. Alcohol intake came in second at 5.4 percent, UV radiation exposure at 4.6 percent, and physical inactivity at 3.1 percent.

“Interventions to help maintain healthy body weight and diet can also substantially reduce the number of cancer cases and deaths in the country, especially given the increasing incidence of several cancer types associated with excess body weight, particularly in younger individuals,” Dr. Islami said.

Lifestyle Choices Contributed to All Cases of Certain Cancers

The tumors that can be altered by risk factors differ in kind. The highest cases of lung cancer in both men and women that could be linked to these risk factors were seen in skin melanoma and colorectal cancer. The three types of cancer in women that were most related to changeable risk factors were colorectal, endometrial, and breast cancer. Urinary bladder cancer was common in men.

Every case of cervical cancer and Kaposi sarcoma, an HIV-related malignancy, was explained by modifiable risk factors. Additionally, 4.9% of instances of ovarian cancer were caused by modifiable risk factors.

Of the thirty distinct malignancies, 19 had risk factors based on lifestyle which accounted for 50% of cases. These risk factors included:

• 92.2 percent of melanomas
• 94.2 percent of anal cancers
• 89.9 percent of larynx cancers
• 88.2 percent of lung and bronchus cancers
• 87.4 percent of pharynx cancers
• 85.6 percent of tracheal cancers
• 85.4 percent of esophagus cancers
• 83.7 percent of oral cancers

“These findings show there is a continued need to increase equitable access to preventive health care and awareness about preventive measures,” Ahmedin Jemal, a senior author of the study, said in the news release.

“Effective vaccines are available for hepatitis B virus, that causes liver cancer, and HPV, which can cause several cancer types, including cervical, other anogenital, and oropharyngeal cancers. Vaccination at the recommended time can substantially reduce the risk of chronic infection, and consequently, cancers associated with these viruses. HPV vaccination uptake in the United State [sic] is suboptimal.”

Recently, GreatGameInternational reported that Matthew Little from the Epoch Times revealed alarming findings about ultra-processed foods, linking them to cancer, depression, and anxiety. This report underscores the urgent need for healthier food alternatives.

Read the study given below: