No excuse for half of all cancers
WE already know how to beat cancer, said scientists yesterday.
Simple lifestyle changes that doctors have advised for decades are the key.
A healthy diet, regular exercise and quitting smoking could prevent more than half of all cases, they insist.
One in three cancers are caused by smoking, while a further one if five are caused by obesity.
“More than half of the cancer occurring today is preventable by applying knowledge we already have,” said US professor Graham Colditz, lead researcher of a study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
“Tobacco, obesity and physical inactivity are the causes of cancer.”
The professor, of Washington University, added: “There is much more the world can be doing to prevent cancer. Right now.”
People can reduce the risk of cancer by not smoking, eating a balanced diet
Sarah Williams, of Cancer Research UK said: “People can reduce the risk of cancer by not smoking, eating a balanced diet, keeping to a healthy weight, cutting down on alcohol, being active and enjoying the sun safely.”