Study Says About 40 Percent of Cancer Cases Could Be Prevented by Avoiding These Risk Factors
Cancer remains one of the biggest health risks worldwide. But as it turns out, up to four in 10 cases could actually be prevented through certain lifestyle changes. A new study from WHO, published in Nature Medicine, examined how risk factors such as smoking, high body mass index, and alcohol use contribute to global cancer rates.
Researchers analyzed global data tracking cancer diagnoses in 2022 and examined how many cases were linked to different risk factors. Their findings showed that out of 18.7 million new cancer cases worldwide, roughly 7.1 million were tied to preventable risk factors. The cancers most commonly linked included lung, stomach, and liver cancers.
The study evaluated 30 different risk factors overall, including:
- Tobacco smoking
- Alcohol consumption
- High body mass index
- Low physical activity levels
- Smokeless tobacco products
- Air pollution
- Infectious diseases
- Over a dozen occupational exposures
Smoking was the leading contributor, contributing to 15 percent of cancer cases worldwide. For men, smoking was linked to about 23 percent of all new cancer diagnoses. Other major contributors included infections, which were responsible for about 10 percent of cases, and alcohol consumption, for about 3 percent.
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"Addressing these preventable causes represents one of the most powerful opportunities to reduce the global cancer burden," says Isabelle Soerjomataram, M.D., Ph.D., medical epidemiologist at WHO, and senior author of the study, per Science Alert.
When you hear about how common cancer is or have witnessed people around you affected by it, it’s easy to throw your hands up and leave it up to chance. But paying attention to your own habits, alongside broader public health efforts, can play a real role in the prevention of certain cancers. Reducing smoking and alcohol intake, maintaining a healthy weight, and staying active are all solid places to start.
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