About 40% of new cancer cases among U.S. adults — and nearly half of all cancer deaths — are linked to lifestyle risk factors including smoking, obesity and alcohol consumption, according to a new study by American Cancer Society.
The study points to the possibility that the daily choices people make can give them some control over their cancer risk. The exact cause of most cancers are unknown and many are outside an individual’s control.
A list of lifestyle risk factors were identified in the study that put people at a greater risk of a cancer diagnosis in their lifetimes. Cigarette smoking was by far the leading risk factor, contributing to nearly 1 in 5 cancer cases and about a third of of all cancer deaths. Excess body weight was next, contributing to nearly 8% of cancer cases, followed by alcohol consumption and excessive sun exposure, each linked to about 5% of cases. Physical inactivity was associated with 3% of cancer cases.
Researchers analyzed a total of 18 risk factors across 30 types of cancers. Other risk factors that contributed to cancer cases at a lesser degree include eating red and processed meat; low consumption of fruits and vegetables; and infections with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and human papillomavirus (HPV), according to researchers. The findings were published Thursday in the journal CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians.
In 2019, these lifestyle factors were linked to nearly 715,000 cancer cases and about 262,000 deaths.
The findings are not exactly new, but they add to mounting research that shows many cancer cases — and as many as half the deaths — can be prevented with lifestyle changes.
“Despite considerable declines in smoking prevalence during the past few decades, the number of lung cancer deaths attributable to cigarette smoking in the United States is alarming. This finding underscores the importance of implementing comprehensive tobacco control policies in each…
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