The sad truth about one in three cancer deaths

I hate to be a “Debbie Downer,” but I just came across yet another research paper showing that one in three cancer deaths are a direct result of poor lifestyle choices.

This latest report comes out of Australia. And it states that, among the roughly 44,000 cancer deaths that occurred in 2013, smarter lifestyle choices could have warded off 38 percent of them. (Among Aussies younger than 75, researchers estimate that a whopping 43 percent of cancer deaths in that group were preventable.)

What’s more, a huge portion of the diagnoses themselves were directly attributable to one or more of at least 20 known cancer risk factors — all modifiable with lifestyle changes:

  • Smoking was chief among these, which comes as no surprise. (Roughly two-thirds of the deaths attributable to tobacco were from lung cancer.)
  • Infections, poor diet, and excess weight were responsible for five percent of cancer deaths each.
  • Sedentary lifestyle and excessive sun exposure accounted for .8 percent and 3.2 percent of deaths, respectively.

Another chilling detail? This study also showed that, if people acted on these 20 different modifiable risk factors, it could have prevented 16,700 cancer deaths and 41,200 cancer cases. That’s tens of thousands of lives that could be saved, thanks to a relatively short list of simple changes, like not smoking, eating right, and exercising more.

And it goes without saying that this isn’t just a problem in Australia. One large U.S. cohort study revealed that as many as 40 percent of cancer diagnoses and related deaths might be avoided with these strategies.

But unfortunately, surveys also show that a lot of Americans don’t even know that factors like obesity put you at risk for cancer. Which means that, clearly, more doctors need to be having these conversations with their patients.

Unfortunately, that’s probably not going to happen any time soon. So allow me…

As far as diet is concerned, experts cite low intake of fruit, veggies, and fiber along with high intake of red and processed meat as key risk factors. (I’ve gone into detail about the supposed “dangers” of red meat before so I won’t go into detail on that here. But suffice it to say, that particular claim is bogus. The value of eating more vegetables, on the other hand, is undeniable.)

Earlier, I pointed out how the study identified infections as one of the modifiable lifestyle changes in preventing deaths. Really, the best way to keep infections from upping your cancer risk is to not get them to begin with. The key here is to take preventative measures to keep your immune system humming and ready for action. You can revisit my daily powerhouse immunity protocol here.

I’d also like to address another risk faction mentioned earlier: a sedentary lifestyle. I’m not suggesting that you have to be a gym rat in order to lessen your cancer risk. As I’ve always said, it’s important to just get moving. In my view, some exercise is better than none at all… even if it’s a brisk walk around the neighborhood every night after dinner

Addressing most, even all, of these risk factors is easy enough to do. Addressing most of these risk factors is actually very simple to do. Small changes can add up to big protection—if you focus on being consistent with your healthy choices and behaviors.

In fact, if we simply swapped out that tired old advice with a focus on consistency in healthy behaviors instead, we’d all be better off for it.

Of course, I know it can be easier said than done to implement changes like this into your daily life. That’s why I’ve spent the past few months working on a new, comprehensive online learning protocol that deals specifically with natural ways to fight cancer. This step-by-step guide will give you all the details you or a loved one need to prevent, treat, and even reverse cancer—using simple, drug-free strategies. Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, tomorrow I’ll tell you about some new research on prostate cancer screening that men need to know about.”

 

 

Source:

medscape.com/viewarticle/890498


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