An Alarming Number Of Cancer Cases Can Be Attributed To Lifestyle Choices

Unsplash/Igor Ovsyannykov

There are so many types of cancer that humans have no control over — leukemia, brain tumors, pancreatic cancer, the list goes on and on. But what about the ones where preventative measures can make all the difference?

According to a new study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal, 5.6 percent of new cancer cases reported worldwide in 2012 were directly caused by either diabetes or a high body mass index (25 or higher). That means that 792,600 people developed avoidable cancer. When you separate the data for the two causes, diabetes is connected to 280,100 of those new cancer cases and a high BMI is connected to the remaining 544,300 cases.

This research is the first of its kind to address the proportion of cancers attributed to these (typically) preventable and lifestyle-driven health problems. And all of these numbers really shine a harsh light on our current global health statistics. Worldwide, 422 million people have diabetes and 2.01 billion people are overweight or obese, and so as it stands now, we are likely to see the proportion of attributable cancers increase in the coming years.

Unsplash/Robin Stickel

“As the prevalence of these cancer risk factors increases, clinical and public health efforts should focus on identifying preventive and screening measures for populations and for individual patients,” lead author Dr. Jonathan Pearson-Stuttard said in a statement. “It is important that effective food policies are implemented to tackle the rising prevalence of diabetes, high BMI and the diseases related to these risk factors.”

This year has been a big one for news revolving around the destructive, inflammatory effects of sugar, the importance of trading low-fat diets for low-carb ones, and the interplay between diet and exercise that leads to a healthy lifestyle. And all of this intel can help us work toward becoming a healthier, more mindful and more active society if we choose to use it to our advantage.

In light of these new statistics, we sure hope everyone internalizes just how important it is to enjoy a balanced lifestyle… even if just a little bit.