University of Virginia Health System

Healthy Lifestyle Linked to Cancer Prevention

Many potential cancers could be prevented by exercising, eating right, maintaining a healthy weight and not smoking, according to The President's Cancer Panel.

"This year's effort centers on lifestyle changes, and two issues that are actually quite different," says panel member Margaret L. Kripke, Ph.D., of M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

One issue is nutrition, exercise, and the fight against obesity. The other is the battle to cut tobacco use, says Kripke.

"We tried to think of what would have the biggest impact on reducing cancer mortality," she says. "If you consider that 15 to 20 percent of cancer deaths are related to obesity and another 30 percent of cancer deaths are due to tobacco use, that's 50 percent of all people with cancer."

And quitting smoking and avoiding obesity are things people can do themselves, notes Kripke. But, as she and other experts know, it is not easy to get people to make necessary lifestyle changes.

The experts call for a move toward a "culture of wellness" in the U.S. This culture would embrace healthy living as a goal and promote a healthy lifestyle as a way of achieving wellness.

Despite progress in diagnosis and treatment, cancer continues to account for more than a half million deaths each year in the U.S., with almost 1.5 million new cases diagnosed annually.

Two-thirds of these deaths and thousands of new cases of cancer could be avoided through lifestyle changes, according to the panel's report.

Don't Smoke, Keep Weight Down

Tobacco is the leading cause of lung cancer, but it is also responsible for most cancers of the larynx, oral cavity and pharynx, esophagus and bladder. In addition, it is a cause of kidney, pancreatic, cervical and stomach cancers, along with acute myeloid leukemia.

"We really need to get rid of tobacco," says Kripke.

Obesity has been linked to a variety of cancers, including colon, breast, kidney, ovarian and pancreatic cancer.

"There are very definitive studies showing that moderate exercise reduces your risk of breast cancer and colon cancer," says Kripke.

In addition, living a healthy lifestyle lowers your risk of cancer recurrence and improves outcomes after cancer.

The causes of the obesity epidemic in the U.S. are complex. The epidemic started in the 1970s about the time that food makers started using high fructose corn syrup as an additive. In addition, portion sizes in restaurants increased as schools cut back on exercise programs.

One recommendation the panel made in the report is to have subsidies for corn farmers curtailed.

"There doesn't seem to be coordination between agricultural subsidies and public health policy for diet and nutrition," explains Kripke.

"Subsidies for corn make corn syrup very cheap, and it's not nutritionally what you want in all of your foods," she says. "It might make more sense to make agricultural subsidies for fruits and vegetables that would be more healthy for the population."

Although the White House does not usually comment on the report, Kripke hopes that it will spur government officials to develop programs that help people make necessary lifestyle changes.

Eat Veggies, Lower Sugar and Fats

One expert agrees that societal changes are to blame for ever-heavier Americans.

"Obesity has been brought about by changes in our environment, not by any increase in the number of susceptible people," says Dr. Eugenia Calle, director of analytic epidemiology at the American Cancer Society.

Calle argues that while fats and sugars used to be relatively expensive, they are now cheap.

"It used to be impossible to buy a great deal of calories for $2.99, and now it is possible to buy one day's allotment of calories for less than $10," she says. "So now calorie-dense foods are cheap."

In contrast, fruits and vegetables are more expensive than they used to be, Calle says.

"So, it becomes economically more difficult to make good food choices, especially if you don't have a lot of income," she says. In addition, people have become more sedentary.

"The best idea in the report is implementing a culture of wellness in the U.S., so that the social and cultural norm is one of health," says Calle.

To learn more about reducing your cancer risk through healthier eating and other health topics, visit www.uvahealth.com. 

Always consult your physician for more information.