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Revealed: The factors that could leave YOU at risk of cancer – as number of preventable

admin — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 12:11:57 +0000

More than 375,000 Brits are diagnosed with cancer every year.

While the cause of the disease is unknown in the majority of patients, four in 10 cases are preventable, research suggests.

These are triggered by lifestyle factors, such as smoking, alcohol consumption, diet and exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

It means that 184,000 patients could have avoided cancer this year if they lived more healthier lives, experts believe.

Here, MailOnline sets out how these factors cause cancer and what you can do to reduce your risk.

As many as four in 10 cases of cancer are preventable by leading a healthy life. Quitting smoking reducing alcohol intake, eating healthier food and not getting sunburnt can help prevent cancer

Smoking

Smoking is the biggest cause of cancer, not only in the UK, but worldwide.

There is no safe level of smoking and stopping completely is the best thing you can do for your health, says Cancer Research UK.

Smokers are at risk of developing 15 types of cancer including lung, bowel and bladder.

This is because tobacco smoke releases more than 5,000 chemicals — including toxic metals and poisonous gasses — that are known to cause cancer.

These damage parts of DNA that protect cells from becoming cancerous.

Additionally, some chemicals make it harder for the body to repair DNA damage, which can cause cancer in cells, according to Cancer Research UK.

Experts warn that even occasional and social smoking increases your risk of cancer. They suggest quitting by reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke a day.

Smoking is the biggest cause of cancer in the world and being smoke free can prevent 15 types of cancer

Alcohol Change UK says that drinking 14 units a week or less will keep the risk of cancer low

Alcohol

Drinking alcohol can increase your risk of seven types of cancer including breast, bowel and mouth cancer.

Although any amount of alcohol can increase the risk of cancer, Alcohol Change UK says that drinking 14 units a week or less will keep the risk low.

But whatever your drinking habits, cutting down will reduce your risk of cancer, according to Cancer Research UK.

Alcohol alone causes around 11,900 cases of cancer a year in the UK, says Alcohol Change UK.

There is evidence that acetaldehyde — a chemical produced when the body breaks down alcohol — is toxic and damages the DNA in our cells, which can then cause cancer.

Like smoking, experts say the only way to reduce this risk is to cut down on the amount of alcohol you drink.

Diet

A healthier diet could prevent up to one third of cancers in the UK.

Although the risk between diet and cancer is complicated, experts say eating food such as red and processed meat may increase the risk of bowel cancer.

Having a BMI of 25 or higher also increases the risk of 13 types of cancer, according to Cancer Research UK.

The charity says that excess fat can send out signals to the rest of the body which tells cells to divide more often, which can then lead to cancer.

Experts say losing weight, tummy fat and eating more fruits and vegetables and less processed meat can help reduce your risk of cancer.

Having a BMI of 25 or higher increases the risk of 13 types of cancer. Eating too much red meat and processed meat can also increase the risk of bowel cancer

The more times you get sunburnt the higher your risk of melanoma skin cancer, experts warn

Sun exposure

Getting sunburnt just once every two years is enough to triple your risk of melanoma skin cancer, in comparison to never getting burnt.

Ultraviolet radiation (UV) is a source of energy released naturally by the sun. But too much of this either from the sun or sunbeds can damage DNA in the skin, according to Cancer Research UK.

Experts at the charity say if enough DNA damage builds up over time, it can cause cells to start growing out of control, which can lead to skin cancer.

Staying out the sun when UV rays are at their strongest between 11am and 3pm between March to October in the UK and wearing sunscreen can help protect your skin against sun damage.

Experts also warn people to avoid using sunbeds and sunbathing.

Are YOU at risk of dementia? Scientists share 11 risk factors – with diabetes, high blood

admin — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 22:55:36 +0000

By Xantha Leatham, Deputy Science Editor For The Daily Mail

Updated: 18:30 EDT, 24 August 2023

Scientists have devised a list of risk factors for dementia and developed a tool which can ‘strongly predict’ whether a person will develop the condition in the next 14 years.

Experts from the University of Oxford devised a list of 11 factors that were found to assess with good accuracy whether or not middle-aged people would go on the develop the condition.

They examined data on more than 200,000 people aged 50 to 73 taking part in two major long-term British studies.

Researchers compiled a list of 28 known factors linked to dementia risk and then whittled them down to the strongest 11 predictors.

The factors include age, education, a history of diabetes, a history of depression, a history of stroke, parental history of dementia, levels of deprivation, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, living alone and being male.

Scientists have devised a list of risk factors for developing dementia later in life and one of them is living alone (stock photo)

The team also examined these risk factors alongside whether or not people carried a specific gene – the APOE gene – which is also linked to dementia.

Combined, these were used to develop the UK Biobank Dementia Risk Score (UKBDRS) – APOE tool.

They discovered the tool produced the highest predictive score for people who went on to develop dementia over the 14-year course of the study.

For example an older male with a history of diabetes, who lives alone, has high blood pressure and the APOE gene, would have a higher risk score compared to a younger woman with none of the other risk factors listed.

The authors said the assessment ‘significantly outperforms’ similar other risk assessment tools currently available.

As well as identifying those at risk, these tools can also highlight preventative measures people can take while it is still possible.

The academics point out previous work which suggests that up to 40 per cent of dementia cases could be prevented through modifying certain lifestyle factors including stopping smoking, reducing high blood pressure, losing weight and reducing alcohol intake.

They suggest that the new tool could, in the future, be used as an initial screening tool for dementia to put people in ‘risk groups’.

Those who come back with a high probability of developing dementia, according to the risk score, could be prioritised for further tests including cognitive assessments, brain scans and blood tests.

Associate professor Sana Suri, co-lead author from the University of Oxford, said: ‘It’s important to remember that this risk score only tells us about our chances of developing dementia; it doesn’t represent a definitive outcome.

‘The importance of each risk factor varies and given that some of the factors included in the score can be modified or treated, there are things we can all do to help reduce our risk of dementia.

‘While older age – 60 and above – and APOE confer the greatest risk, modifiable factors, such as diabetes, depression, and high blood pressure also have a key role.

‘For example, the estimated risk for a person with all of these will be approximately three times higher than that of a person of the same age who doesn’t have any.’