Research has shown that many factors can contribute to cancer, including genetic mutations and lifestyle habits.
An unhealthy lifestyle can cause many types of cancer. One example is sitting too much and eating a diet high in saturated fat could trigger colon cancer.
Scientists from the American Cancer Society suggest that five common unhealthy lifestyle habits can cause most cancers.
The five habits include:
Eating an unhealthy diet
An unhealthy diet can be high in sodium, added sugar, red and processed meat, and calories. It also contains very low levels of fibers, vitamins, minerals.
Many fast-food meals are unhealthy and can contribute to higher cancer risks and obesity.
On the other hand, a healthy diet is full of vegetables, fruits, and healthy fats.
Previous studies have found that the combination of low calcium, fiber, and fruit and vegetable intake and high red and processed meat intake may cause 4.2% of cancers.
For colon cancer, 5.4% are linked to high red meat consumption causes.
In addition, low fruit and vegetable consumption is linked to 17.6% and 17.4% of oral cavity/pharynx and larynx cancers.
Lack of regular exercise
Sitting too much is a big risk factor for cancer.
Research has shown about 2.9% of all cancer cases in the U.S. in 2014 were due to low physical activity.
Among them, uterine cancer and colon cancer are related to a sedentary lifestyle most.
Exercise regularly every week is very important to maintain physical and mental health and achieve healthy aging.
Having an unhealthy body weight
Previous research has shown that obesity could contribute to 13 types of cancer.
The cancers include gallbladder, liver, and kidney/renal cancers.
In the U.S., about 7.8% of cancer cases in 2014 were attributed to excess body fatness.
More research is needed to understand the full impact of the obesity epidemic on the cancer burden.
Drinking alcohol too much
Scientists have found that alcohol is the third major modifiable factor to cancer. It is linked to 6.4% of cancers in women and 4.8% of cancers in men in 2014.
The cancers related to alcohol drinking include oral cavity/pharynx cancers, larynx cancers, liver cancers, esophageal cancers, and colorectal cancers.
Smoking tobacco
Since 1991, cancer mortality rates in the U.S. have decreased by 26%. More than half of the decline is due to reductions in tobacco smoking.
Research has shown that tobacco smoking is the most common cause of cancers diagnosed and cancer death.
Scientists suggest that tobacco control can help prevent more cancer deaths than any other prevention strategy.
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