5 Surprising Things That Cause CancerTuesday, 12 Mar 2013 10:51 AM By Nick Tate
Smoking, obesity, and unhealthy diets are the biggest risk
factors for cancer. But a range of other little-known factors
you may not know about can also lead to deadly cancer.
“The best cancer weapon is prevention — equal parts awareness
and action. While smoking and obesity are known cancer risks,
there are lesser-known conditions and lifestyle choices that can
make you more susceptible to a cancer diagnosis,” said Dr.
Mehmet Oz.
“Additionally, while exercise and a balanced diet are known to
improve your health, there are other activities and practices
you can incorporate into your life to decrease your risk.”
Here’s a look at five surprising things that many people are
unaware can raise their risk of cancer, based on research
compiled and cited by the American Cancer Society, Environmental
Protection Agency, and Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
1. Night shift work: Women who
work a night shift at least three nights a month — for example,
nurses or 911 dispatchers — face an increased risk of colorectal
and breast cancer, according to several studies cited by the
American Cancer Society. Recent research, published in the
American Journal of Epidemiology, has also concluded that men
who work the night shift face a three times greater risk of
prostate cancer than those who maintain more traditional work
hours.
That study, conducted by scientists at the University of Quebec
and the Centre INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, found night-shift
workers face greater risks for cancers of the lung, colon,
rectum, bladder, and pancreas, as well. The researchers
suggested this might be due to changes in levels of melatonin —
a naturally occurring hormone that responds to changes in light
— in the body. Sleep loss may be another factor.
What you can do: If you can’t cut back on your night-shift
hours, health experts recommend taking melatonin supplements and
making sure to get sufficient sleep during the day — in a
darkened room — to boost your immune system. Some companies are
also experimenting with different kinds of artificial lighting
that don't affect melatonin production, so it might be worth
asking your employer about those possibilities.
2. Birth control pills: Women
using birth control pills have been found to have a slightly
greater risk of breast cancer than women who have never used
them, the American Cancer Society notes. The risk seems to go
back to normal over time once the pills are stopped. Women who
stopped using oral contraceptives more than 10 years ago do not
appear to have any increased breast cancer risk.
Hormones are likely the culprit, experts say. Other factors
related to female hormones — including early menstruation, late
menopause, and estrogen therapy — have also been implicated in
breast cancer risk.
What you can do: If you’re considering using oral
contraceptives, experts recommend discussing other potential
risk factors for breast cancer with your doctor. You may also
want to consider alternate forms of contraception or try to
balance other cancer risks by engaging in healthy lifestyle
behaviors you can control. For instance, exercise, eating a
healthy diet, and having children before the age of 30 (and
breastfeeding) have all be shown to reduce the risk of breast
cancer.
3. Too little sunlight: Too much
exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun is a well-known risk
factor for deadly melanoma and other skin cancers. But what you
may not know is that sunlight also activates a chemical in the
skin that produces vitamin D, an essential vitamin necessary for
many bodily functions, with potential proactive properties
against some cancers — including those of the colon, rectum, and
pancreas, according to the American Cancer Society. The key is
making sure to get some sun exposure, but not overdoing it.
What you can do: Realize that ultraviolet radiation (UVA and UVB
rays) can cause melanoma and other types of skin cancer. And not
enough sunlight can cause vitamin D deficiency, a recently
proposed suspect in cancer of the colon, rectum and pancreas.
You can also get vitamin D from supplements and some fortified
foods, such as milk.
4. Risky sex: Viruses and bacteria
don't cause many cancers, but there are a few noteworthy
sexually transmitted infections that play a major role. Human
papillomavirus (HPV) is the cause of almost all cervical cancers
and some cancers of the anus, vagina, vulva, penis, mouth, and
throat, according to the CDC. Hepatitis B and C infections can
also cause liver cancer. People infected with the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are at greater risk of lymphoma and
Kaposi's sarcoma.
What you can do: The CDC recommends young girls and boys receive
HPV vaccination at age 11 or 12 years. HPV vaccines are also
recommended for teens who did not get the vaccine when they were
younger, young women through age 26 and young men through age
21. There are two vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix. The vaccines
are given as a series of three shots over 6 months to protect
against HPV infection and the health problems that HPV infection
can cause. Health experts also recommend adults be tested for
HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases to know their
status, get appropriate treatment, and reduce the risk of
spreading the infection to other partners.
5. Age: The leading cancer risk
factor is the one we rarely even think about: growing older.
Although cancer can occur at any age, most cancers are diagnosed
in people older than 65, when cells begin to deteriorate and the
body's natural protective mechanisms begin to fail, the American
Cancer Society notes.
What you can do: Although you can’t control advancing age,
health experts note that you can mitigate the impacts of aging
and reduce your cancer risks by making lifestyle changes you can
control. Among them:
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