Preventing about half of all cancers with lifestyle modification was a subject discussed with Blue Zones Founder Dan Buettner and colleagues in the past but is still relevant today.
An influential study entitled “Preventable Incidence and Mortality of Carcinoma Associated With Lifestyle Factors Among White Adults in the United States” suggested that roughly half of all cancer deaths could be avoided by doing four things. (Because this study was retrospective, combining lifestyle data from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, only sufficient data on “white adults” existed to reach statistical significance.) Nonetheless, indications are that all benefit without regard to race, gender, or ethnicity by embracing good lifestyle factors.
“In 2023, 1,958,310 new cancer cases and 609,820 cancer deaths are projected to occur in the United States. Cancer incidence increased for prostate cancer by 3% annually from 2014 through 2019 after two decades of decline, translating to an additional 99,000 new cases; otherwise, however, incidence trends were more favorable in men compared to women. For example, lung cancer in women decreased at one-half the pace of men (1.1% vs. 2.6% annually) from 2015 through 2019, and breast and uterine corpus cancers continued to increase, as did liver cancer and melanoma, both of which stabilized in men aged 50 years and older and declined in younger men. However, a 65% drop in cervical cancer incidence from 2012 through 2019 among women in their early 20s, the first cohort to receive the human papillomavirus vaccine, foreshadows steep reductions in the burden of human papillomavirus-associated cancers, the majority of which occur in women. Despite the pandemic, and in contrast with other leading causes of death, the cancer death rate continued to decline from 2019 to 2020 (by 1.5%), contributing to a 33% overall reduction since 1991 and an estimated 3.8 million deaths averted,” according to Cancer Statistics 2023.
So, what’s the secret to preventing cancer? Actually, it isn’t a total secret. Maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, quitting smoking, and cutting back on alcohol consumption are four essential factors. These steps could reduce the number of cancer deaths by half and the number of new cancer diagnoses by as much as 70%. We as a nation—and more importantly as individuals—can and should change our behavior for the better to decrease the chances of having cancer. Better personal behavior will also decrease the incidence of heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, mental illness, and other afflictions.
Appropriate Body Mass Index (BMI): Having a BMI between 18.5 and 27.5 is associated with a lower incidence of cancer. BMI, calculated as the ratio between height and weight, can easily be found on the internet. Though not a perfect measure because some people can be extremely muscular, BMI is an easy metric to follow over time. About 41.9% of Americans are obese or morbidly obese, and we are the 12th fattest nation in the world. (Adopt the 80% rule, a Blue Zones Project Power 9® principle, and stop eating when you feel about 80% full.)
Physical activity: Weekly aerobic physical activity—defined as at least 75 vigorous-intensity or 150 moderate-intensity minutes per week—is the second of the big four attributes to decrease the incidence of cancer. Walking about 5 miles or 10,000 steps meets the Surgeon General’s recommendation for 30 minutes of daily moderate activity. (Adopt the Power 9 principle of moving naturally.)
Tobacco avoidance: Number one on the list is always avoiding the use of tobacco. Since 1955, when the association between smoking and lung cancer was first discovered at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center by Dr. Morton L. Levine, the cause of about 90% of lung cancers has been known. Subsequently, the tobacco industry’s conspiracy to deceive was challenged in a federal lawsuit and, with time, the rate of smoking in America has dropped from 42% to the current 11.5%.
I had the privilege and pleasure of working with Dr. Levine at the end of his career and the beginning of mine when I was a National Science Foundation summer program student. Many people believe Dr. Levine might have been a Nobel Prize recipient if not for the tobacco industry’s effective pro-smoking marketing campaign. (Remember the Marlboro Man, Virginia Slims, or the slogan “I'd walk a mile for a Camel” challenging the conscience of our nation.) Think about responsible corporate citizens switching to healthy products in the future.
Alcohol moderation: If you don’t drink alcohol, don’t start, states the American Heart Association. If you do drink, significant evidence shows that limiting consumption to one drink per day for all women and men over age 65, and two drinks per day for men 65 and under, is considered moderate and probably not harmful. Think about four of the five original blue zones regions around the world where more people live to be 100. These folks drink red wine while socializing at the end of the day before dinner. (If you have a healthy relationship with alcohol, enjoy the Power 9 principle of Wine at Five with friends or loved ones.)
Unfortunately, not much preventatively can be done for the other 50% of cancers caused by having some cells in our body go haywire. Vigilance, early diagnosis, and appropriate therapy make a significant difference for the better.
Helping everyone live longer and better by making healthy choices the easy choice does decrease the chances of developing cancer.
