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Non-smoking usually only the beginning One third of cancer cases could be avoided
Just recently, the Federal Ministry of Health and the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced that the number of new cancer diagnoses in Germany has almost doubled. According to health experts, at least a third of cancer cases would be avoidable if each individual were to pay more attention to a healthy lifestyle.
Number of new cancer diagnoses has doubled
According to a recent survey, most Germans are afraid of cancer. Around 70 percent of Germans said they were afraid of having a tumor. The fear for many is certainly not unfounded, because according to recent figures, the number of new cancer diagnoses in this country since 1970 has almost doubled. And although, by reducing your personal cancer risk, many diseases would be preventable, health experts say.
According to health experts, at least one third of all cancers would be preventable if everyone had a healthier lifestyle. To reduce the risk of cancer, it is especially important to avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption as well as obesity. (Image: Syda Productions / fotolia.com) At least one third of cancer cases could be avoided
"At least one third of cancer cases would be avoidable if each one of them more consistently focused on a healthy lifestyle," writes the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in a statement.
According to the experts, the task of politics is to support citizens with suitable social conditions. In the area of tobacco prevention, several such policies have already been implemented in recent years. However, politics is still doing little against other equally avoidable cancer risk factors.
Prevention of obesity and excessive alcohol consumption
"It is time to learn from tobacco control and to translate anti-smoking policies into the prevention of obesity and over-consumption of alcohol," said Manfred James Müller, CEO of the Adiposity Competence Network.
A health-conscious lifestyle can also minimize further cancer risk factors. Among other things, this includes avoiding massive overweight (obesity), which accounts for up to ten percent of all cancer cases.
The consumption of alcohol should also be limited, because this can be triggers of seven different types of cancer, according to experts. According to the DKFZ, an increase in alcohol consumption and a low-fiber and low-protein diet cause around five percent of new cancer cases.
In addition, every person should provide sufficient physical activity, because exercise not only prevents obesity and type 2 diabetes, but also reduces the risk of 13 cancers.
Smoking accounts for 20 percent of all cancer cases
However, it is especially important to give up smoking. "The most significant single avoidable risk factor for cancer is still smoking - it alone accounts for at least 20 percent of all cancers," said Ute Mons, director of the cancer prevention unit and the WHO collaborating center for tobacco control at the DKFZ.
Although several policies have been implemented in tobacco control in recent years, leading to fewer and fewer smokers in Germany, the trend towards non-smoking must be sustainably supported by further tobacco control measures.
According to DKFZ, an important step towards this is the long overdue comprehensive tobacco advertising ban. "Tobacco advertising especially seduces young people to smoke and motivates smokers to continue smoking," explained Reiner Hanewinkel from the Institute for Therapy and Health Research in Kiel. (Ad)