Do you know extra weight can add to the risk of developing cancer? Bathing in the sun or extra sun exposure may cause skin cancer! Every tobacco puff has 250 dreadful chemicals leading to 12 and more types of cancers! And regular intake of alcohol brings you closer to death!
Wondered? Well, these are authentic statements and proven results of research.
You might be amazed by the number of chances and risks of this deadly disease in the body. Almost every day the chances of having cancer dramatically increase. A number of research and cancer hospitals in Bangalore use cancer risk to improve the health of many people. However, it’s sad that people are progressing towards death out of ignorance.
It’s imperative to know about the risks causing cancer. It lowers the chances of developing this life-threatening state if we know it earlier. Simple lifestyle changes can also leave a favorable impact.
Take some time out to properly know about the risks. Some preventive steps can prove helpful for you. Here we are sharing all those factors that may enhance the risk of developing cancer. Read till the end!
What are cancer risk factors?
A wide array of factors may give rise to the risk of developing cancer. However, having a risk factor doesn’t evince that the person will get cancer for sure. These are just indications or alerts for the prevention of the disease. Early diagnosis and knowledge of risk factors can save you from future mishaps.
A blend of lifestyle, environment, and genes affect these risks. It’s not possible to detect the exact cause for it, but these risk factors can become the reason for developing the disease in your body.
Many factors such as diet, tobacco intake, obesity, and many others are those that you can avoid easily. However, some factors are unavoidable such as family history, age, race, etc.
One point to underscore here is that having no risk factors will not give you a clean chit of not developing cancer. Also, having more risk factors will not mean you will get the disease. The factors are just for awareness and prevention. A doctor may recommend screenings to know the exact situation.
Studies show that 1 out of 3 cases can be prevented with precautions and early detection of risk factors. By having a healthy weight, diet, and lifestyle, one can beat this monster and become an inspiration for others.
But remember, the complete risk cannot be vanished even by bringing changes in your lifestyle. You can simply lower the risk percentage by opting for healthy habits that may further help you transcend the issue altogether.
Controllable risk factors
Many lifestyle choices can reduce the risk of having cancer. Here are the controllable risk factors you must know!
- Eating Habits
For years, we have studied and heard about the importance of a balanced diet. It limits the risk of cancer.
Talking about your diet, there’s no single food that can prevent or become a cause of the emergence of cancer. Your whole diet makes an impact.
High-fiber food is good to reduce bowel cancer risks. On the contrary, processed and red meat is directly linked to higher risk chances of prostate and bowel cancer.
Food high in unsaturated fat hikes up the risks of prostate, breast, and colon cancer. A diet of barbecued meats, pickled food, or smoked food risks developing stomach cancer. Moreover, alcohol intake results in esophageal, neck, and head cancer.
- Obesity
Being overweight results in developing the risk of bowel, kidney, gullet, and womb cancer. Also, the women who have been through menopause and are overweight, remain more likely to have breast cancer.
A healthy body reduces the risk of cancer manifold. Besides, it helps in other health-related issues like diabetes, heart disease, and many more.
- Tobacco smoking
Tobacco intake is yet another avoidable factor. Chain smokers are usually found in the grip of cancer. Lungs, mouth, and tongue cancer are very common in them. One can stop using it to save from the risks of cancer. Smoking is not just dangerous to you alone, but people around you may also develop the risk of cancer with it.
- Alcohol
The reason for throat, mouth, and liver cancer are directly linked to alcohol. It gives rise to many other cancers as well. The risk multiplies if you increase the quantity of alcohol of taking regularly.
- No physical activity
As per the research, people who do physical activity are less likely to get gripped by cancer. A 30 minutes exercise a day can save you a ton and reduce cancer risk. The risk is higher for the people who don’t do any physical activity per day.
- Excessive sun exposure
For a healthy body, vitamin D from sunlight is imperative. However, excessive sun exposure and not protecting yourself from burning hikes the risk of skin cancer. Here you need to protect your skin while going outside. Protect your neck and face, wear long-sleeved tops & trousers to cover arms & legs.
Wear sunscreen whenever you go out as it protects you from harmful UV rays. Sun lamps and sunbeds are also the reason for increasing skin cancer risk. So, try avoiding it as much as you can.
Uncontrollable risk factors
Some factors are out of your control. Here are these uncontrollable factors!
- Age factor
People over 65 years of age are most likely to develop cancer. The increasing age is out of one’s control and it’s one of the unavoidable factors resulting in cancer in most people. It’s because the immune system gets weakened and increased exposure to carcinogens.
However, this doesn’t mean children are not supposed to get it. The risks of having neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma, and Wilms tumor are more in children. Similarly, many cancers commonly develop in adults.
- Family History
Usually, people think that having a family history of cancer raises the risk of developing it. However, this is not so. It’s quite rare if it happens and that is only in certain cases. It might be due to a single gene or many genes interacting together. In case of doubt, it’s better to have a word with the general practitioners.
- Infection or Viruses
Many viruses are the major cause of cancer development in the human body. HIV causes cancer in the blood system and lymphomas too. Hepatitis C and hepatitis B viruses become a reason for liver cancer. Human papillomavirus causes anal or penile cancer in men and cervical cancer in women. Also, it’s responsible for throat cancer.
Similarly, several bacteria such as Helicobacter pylori and parasites also like ClonorchisSinensis, Schistosoma Haematobium, etc. develop cancer and link to many diseases.
- Certain medical treatments and drugs
As per medical research, many medical treatments and drugs develop cancer risk in the body. Many drugs like progestin, hormones estrogen, oral contraceptives, diethylstilbestrol (DES), and many other drugs give rise to breast cancer risk.
Most of these drugs are given to treat one or other issues but their side effects cause cancer. Also, DES increases the chances of vaginal, cervical, endometrial cancer, etc. Moreover, the radiation therapies to treat cancer and drugs given for its treatment may even develop a second layer of cancer in the patient in later years.
- Genes Mutations
The development of abnormal chromosomes also results in cancer disease. The mutations affect critical genes by producing proteins that alter cell divisions and contribute to the development of cancer. These gene mutations arise from the damaging impact of viruses, sun exposure, chemicals, drugs, etc. Even in most cases, these gene mutations are inherited by the person from a family such as BRCA2 or BRCA 1.
- Inflammatory disorders
These are other kinds of uncontrollable risk factors. Inflammatory disorders such as Crohn disease, ulcerative colitis, etc. raise the bile duct and colon cancers. These are interrelated to the rise in cancer risk.
Environmental Risk Factors
Environment leaves a deeper impact on our health. Our surroundings can prove boon or bane respectively so risks causing cancer are also dependent on the environment. Air pollutants caused by tobacco smoke, industrial waste or asbestos, etc. develop mouth, throat, kidneys, lungs, bladder, and esophagus cancers. Moreover, exposure to pesticides is equally harmful.
Excessive sun exposure causes skin cancer. Radiation exposure in radiation therapy used to treat cancer is the second cancer risk developer. Moreover, ultraviolet radiation, ionizing radiation in X-rays, chemical exposure via fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides, herbicides, radon, asbestos, and many other toxins also become a booster for cancer development risk.
Prevention is not easy, but not impossible as well!
Catching cancer can be caused by any reason, however, by having awareness of the risks, you can surely prevent burgeoning it.
Everyone takes birth with some potential of having cancer. At the time when the programming of cells gets altered or affected then it results in risk development. Some simple indications like, persistent soreness, lumps, changes in bowel habits, continuous indigestion, abnormal bleeding from any part of the body, the blood passing out with urine, vomiting blood, persistent cough and that too of abnormal duration, unexplained weight loss, and many such signals need careful examination.
Don’t ever ignore any unusual things happening to your body. The simple signs may cause you problems tomorrow. So be aware, have knowledge about potential risks, and consult your GP. Have a safe life!