Besides genetic factors, some bad habits such as unhealthy eating, drinking alcohol, being inactive... increase the risk of cancer by 30-50%.
Doctor Tran Vuong Thao Nghi - Head of Oncology Department, Tam Anh General Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City - pointed out the following 10 habits that have a high risk of causing cancer.
Eat a lot of fast food, canned food
Doctor Thao Nghi cited research that showed that, when consuming 50g of processed meat per day, the risk of colorectal cancer increased by 18%. The more quantity consumed over time, the longer it lasts, the higher the risk. Therefore, people should limit processed food, fast food; add green vegetables, fresh fruits…
Eat a lot of sugar, artificial sweeteners
Diets high in sugar or carbohydrates do not directly increase cancer risk. However, a diet with an excess of carbohydrates can cause overweight, obesity, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, blood fat, diabetes often... Overweight, obesity is one of the factors that increase the risk of cancer .
According to the National Cancer Institute (NIH), there are a few animal studies that suggest the sweeteners saccharin, aspartame, sucralose and cyclamate may be a risk factor for cancer. However, there are currently no studies that can directly prove this.
Drink a lot of alcohol
Drinking a lot of alcohol for a long time can increase the risk of cancers such as cancer of the esophagus, stomach, breast, and liver. Dr. Thao Nghi cited research statistics showing that drinking alcohol in the amount of 14g a day or more increases the risk of breast cancer, colon cancer and esophageal cancer by 23%.
Smoke
Nicotine and many other chemicals in tobacco are factors that increase the risk of many cancers such as lung, pancreas, esophagus, bladder, etc.
Smoking is one of the risk factors for cancer. Image: Freepik
Not drinking enough water
Drinking filtered water helps dilute harmful substances in the urine and push them out of the bladder faster, limiting the accumulation of toxic substances that can cause mutations in body cells. Drinking enough water also ensures the organs in the body work properly. Although there is no clear evidence that drinking enough water reduces the risk of bladder cancer, drinking enough 2-2,5 liters of water a day can reduce the risk of bladder infections.
Poor oral hygiene
A study by Tufts University (USA) and a number of units published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in 2018 with more than 7.400 people showed that the group of people with periodontitis has an increased risk of lung cancer and cancer. colorectal cancer was higher in the group of people without periodontitis. However, according to scientists, more in-depth studies are needed to determine this.
Sitting for a long time
The University of Regensburg (Germany) analyzed statistics from 43 observational studies (over 4 million people and over 68.900 cancer cases) published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in 2014. The results showed For every extra 2 hours of sitting every day, the risk of colon, endometrial, and lung cancers increased by 8%, 10%, and 6%, respectively. Sitting for a long time may not be a risk factor, but may be related to other factors such as eating a lot of sweets, canned foods, processed foods, alcoholic drinks ... while watching TV. More in-depth studies are needed to confirm this conclusion.
Doctor Thao Nghi advises, office workers should try to stand up, stretch, move around the desk every 2 hours to help blood circulation better. You can also combine walking, climbing stairs, using a suitable backrest chair, using a standing desk to work ... to limit sitting for too long in one place.
Prolonged stress
Prolonged stress does not directly cause cancer, but is the cause of a series of bad habits for the body such as smoking, loss of control in nutrition, lack of exercise and the use of drinks. alcohol… A combination of prolonged stress and other bad habits can take a toll on both physical and mental health. This can also disrupt self-defense mechanisms, making the body lose its ability to repair cell disorders on its own.
Stress causes a series of bad habits that increase the risk of cancer. Image: Freepik
Stay up late
Staying up late can have adverse effects on health and can also disrupt the body's self-regulating mechanism. Disrupted self-regulatory mechanisms can make the body lose its ability to repair cell disorders, which is a prerequisite for the formation of precancerous lesions. Build and maintain good habits for physical and mental health; Nutrition and daily exercise contribute to reducing cancer risk factors.
Sedentary, playing sports
Regular exercise and sports can help the body fight breast, bowel, bladder, kidney, lung, stomach cancer... Doctor Thao Nghi cited statistics from many studies showing that the risk of cancer Colon cancer risk decreased 27% with regular exercise.
You should maintain exercise at least 3 hours per week, depending on your fitness to adjust the appropriate intensity. For people who often work with computers, sit for a long time, exercise is very important.
Doctor Thao Nghi noted that people with risk factors for cancer need regular health check-ups and cancer screening for early detection and timely treatment.
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