At the beginning of the new year, the National Cancer Institute sends its wishes in the form of an encouraging message: if everyone changes their bad habits, 40% of cancers can be avoided.
Quit smoking, eat better, start exercising… Here are the good resolutions that we generally take at the start of the year. The question is not whether they will be held, but rather what purpose they will serve. At the start of 2019, theNational Cancer Institute (INCa) wants to send a positive message to the entire population. We are able to prevent 40% of cancers. But that, on one condition: that we change our behavior.
Change your daily life
Still according to the National Cancer Institute, 4 out of 10 cancers are due to exposure to risk factors. These are directly related to our ways of life. This represents 160,000 preventable cancers each year in France, out of 400,000 diagnosed. In a video published on Youtube, the INCa gives four resolutions to reduce the risks:
– Stop smoking, even with low tobacco consumption. This is the leading cause of death from cancer. It would be responsible for 45,000 deaths per year.
– Reduce your alcohol consumption, responsible for 10% of cancer deaths, or about 15,000 each year.
– Eat better, i.e. avoid red meats, deli meats, foods ultra-processed. Prioritize a balanced diet, consisting of fruits and vegetables, dietary fiber and dairy products.
– move more, practice a physical activity regular.
Measures to strengthen prevention
If you have the power to change your bad habits to reduce the risk of cancer, the public authorities also have a role to play. Last November, for its centenary, the league against cancer did eleven proposals to the government. Among them, the increase in the tax on alcohol, as is already the case for cigarette packets. But also, the systematic vaccination as of the entry to the college against the papillomaviruses (HPV), which can cause cancers of the cervix, of the’anus or ENT cancers.
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