A British study looked at 14 lifestyle factors that contribute to cancer: smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, lack of fruits and vegetables in the diet, lack of fibre, eating red and processed meats, eating too much salt, being overweight or obese, lack of physical exercise, exposure to ionizing radiation, exposure to ultraviolet radiation, occupational exposures (eg. asbestos), infections (eg. HPV or human papillomavirus), taking post-menopausal hormone replacement therapy (HRT), and lack of breast feeding.  They found that 45% of all cancers in men and 40% of all cancers in women were caused by lifestyle factors.

Summary of Risk Factors in Men & Women

Risk Factors in Men                                         Cancers Attributed to Risk Factor

• Tobacco                                                    23.0%
• Lack of fruits and vegetables                 6.1%
• Occupational exposure                           4.9%
• Alcohol                                                       4.6%
• Overweight and obesity                          4.1%
• Excessive sun exposure and sun beds  3.5%

Risk Factors in Women                                    Cancers Attributed to Risk Factor

• Tobacco                                                      15.6%
• Overweight and Obesity                           6.9%
• Infections (eg. HPV)                                  3.7%
• Excessive sun exposure and sun beds   3.6%
• Lack of fruits and vegetables                    3.4%
• Alcohol                                                          3.3%

The Take-Away Message

The take-home message is that there are many things that we can all do to prevent cancer because getting cancer isn’t simply due to chance or our genetics.  We have a huge role to play in the *prevention* of getting cancer in the future, so we should all get started today by − at the very least − not smoking, increasing our consumption of fruits and vegetables, making sure that we are not overweight or obese, decrease or eliminate our consumption of alcohol, decrease our exposure to sun and sun beds, decreasing occupational exposures, and decreasing our chances of getting infections such as HPV.

If you’d like to sit down with me to discuss how I can support you in your lifestyle changes to decrease your risk for cancer, CONTACT ME HERE to set up a complimentary 15 min discovery call/meeting and we can get started.

What’s a discovery call/meeting?  It’s where we get to know each other better to ensure that I’m the right practitioner for you and that you have the opportunity to ask your questions about Naturopathic Medicine before we move forward with an initial Naturopathic consultation.

Here are a few more posts on cancer that you might also be interested in:

• IV Vitamin Therapy
• Breast Cancer and Weight Lifting
• How Does Vitamin C Help with Cancer?
• Roasted Salad Towers
• The Power of Berries for Cancer
• The Wonders of Green Tea for Cancer Prevention
• The Benefits of Living a Healthy Lifestyle on Longevity
• Are Red Heads Really at an Increased Risk for Developing Melanoma?

References

• Parkin DM, Boyd L, Darby SC, Mesher D, Sasieni P & Walker LC.  The Fraction of Cancer Attributable to Lifestyle and Environmental Factors in the UK in 2010.  Br J Cancer.  2011; 105(Suppl 2): Si-S81.

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