Healthy lifestyle may prevent cancer – more evidence
Is it your genes or your lifestyle – that puts you at greater risk of getting cancer.
‘Most cancers are not inevitable. Genes are important, but diet and lifestyle are even more important in most cases,’ says Dr. Ed Giovannucci, a professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH).
In a study published on May 19, 2016, in JAMA Oncology, Dr. Giovannucci and HSPH Research Fellow Dr. Mingyang Song found that 40% of cancer cases and 50% of cancer deaths in the United States could be prevented, if healthy lifestyle was followed.
The researchers examined the lifestyles of about 136,000 white men and women and found that four healthy habits were associated with preventing lung, colon, breast, pancreatic, and kidney cancer.
What were the 4 healthy habits: 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, maintaining a body mass index between 18.5 and 27.5, no smoking, and drinking only in moderation (up to one drink per day for women, two for men).
The study doesn’t prove that a healthy lifestyle prevents cancer, and the study considered only white people.
Dr. Giovannucci, however, says that each healthy habit already has substantial evidence showing an association with cancer prevention.
The message for all of us is, ‘You can lower cancer risk, and it’s never too late to start benefiting from changes,’ says Dr. Giovannucci.
