Lifestyle choices and their influences on cancer

5 on your health: Lifestyle choices and their influences on cancer

NEWSCENTER FIVE. ALL RIGHT. SHARMAN, VERY INTERESTING. THANK YOU FOR THAT. WE TURN TO FIVE ON YOUR HEALTH NOW AND TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR CANCER RISK. THERE IS NEW EVIDENCE THAT LINKS THE CHOICES THAT WE MAKE TO AT LEAST 40% OF NEW CANCER CASES AMONG AMERICANS 30 AND OLDER. THAT IS A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF PEOPLE, 40%. DOCTOR TODD MILLER IS WITH US RIGHT NOW. DEPUTY CHAIR OF MEDICINE AT SOUTH SHORE HEALTH. THAT THAT JUST THAT NUMBER GETS MY ATTENTION. SO IT’S IT’S EASIER RIGHT TO TO BLAME CANCER ON WHAT BAD LUCK OR BAD GENES. YOU KNOW MY GRANDFATHER HAD IT. MY FATHER HAD IT. BLAH BLAH BLAH. BUT THIS NEW STUDY FROM THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY SUGGESTS THAT WE’VE GOT A LOT MORE CONTROL OVER CANCER RISK THAN THAN WE SEEM. SO IS THAT TRUE, EDDIE? CANCER CAN REALLY TAKE AWAY OUR POWER. SO WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS STUDY FROM THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY IS THAT IT EMPOWERS US TO SAY THAT A LOT OF CANCERS AND CANCER DEATHS HAVE MODIFIABLE RISK FACTORS. OKAY. AND YOU CAN SEE THE GRAPHIC THERE. LUNG CANCER, BREAST CANCER, MELANOMA, COLORECTAL. BY THE WAY LUNG CANCER IS RESPONSIBLE FOR 20% OF THESE CANCERS. AND ONE THIRD OF THESE DEATHS. BUT BUT BUT YOU KNOW YOU IT’S NOT EASY TO STOP SMOKING. FOR EXAMPLE JUST JUST AS ONE LITTLE APPLICATION FOR LUNG CANCER. AND THAT’S THE ONLY ONE. BUT I’M JUST SAYING I’M REALLY GLAD YOU SAID THAT, BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE THERE’S THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO QUITTING SMOKING, LOSING WEIGHT, DECREASING ALCOHOL. RIGHT. AVOIDING THE SUN OR USING SUNSCREEN. BUT IT’S REALLY DIFFICULT TO QUIT SMOKING. RIGHT? IT’S EASIER. AND AS WE’RE SEEING CANCERS HIT YOUNGER PEOPLE, WE HAVE TO REALLY START WITH OUR KIDS TO GET THEM. SO THEY DON’T START SMOKING. BECAUSE THE FIRST TIME YOU SMOKE, THAT’S A CHOICE. BUT AFTER THAT, ONCE YOU BECOME ADDICTED, IT’S NOT REALLY A CHOICE ANYMORE. SO WE HAVE TO TRY TO, YOU KNOW, IMBUE THE RIGHT LIFESTYLE CHANGES WHEN THEY’RE YOUNG. I KNOW WE’VE ALREADY TOUCHED ON IT, BUT BUT BUT WHAT CHANGES CAN WE MAKE RIGHT NOW? TODAY AT 448 IN THE AFTERNOON, OBVIOUSLY WE CAN’T REWIND THE TAPE, BUT WE CAN GO FORWARD RIGHT? WHAT CHANGES CAN WE MAKE? NOT STARTING SMOKING OR QUITTING SMOKING IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE. OKAY, DECREASING WEIGHT, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, BEING OVERWEIGHT IS LINKED TO 13 DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANCERS. YEAH OKAY. YEAH. AND A FEW OTHER THINGS AS WELL IS BELIEVE IT OR NOT, LIKE THE HPV VACCINE. YEAH, THAT’S A SIMPLE VACCINE TO TAKE PAPILLOMAVIRUS. HI CORRELATION TO CERVICAL CANCER AND ORAL CANCERS. AND IF YOU TAKE THAT VACCINE YOU MARKEDLY DECREASE YOUR RISK OF OTHER THINGS. AGAIN EATING MORE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. THEN RED MEAT. RIGHT? RIGHT. CAN DECREASE YOUR RISK OF COLON CANCER. EATING MORE FIBER CAN DECREASE YOUR RISK OF COLON CANCER. THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO, OF COURSE. DON’T FORGET SCREENING THAT DOESN’T PREVENT CANCER. BUT REMEMBER, BREAST CANCER STARTING AT AGE 40, EVERY OTHER YEAR, COLON CANCER HAS BEEN REDUCED STARTING AT AGE 45, RIGHT? THERE’S THINGS THAT WE CAN DO. WE CAN BE EMPOWERED, AND I WILL I’M NOT OVERSHARING. I’VE SURVIVED CANCER THROUGH AN EARLY DETECTION. SO I’M YOU KNOW, TEST SCREENING AND CHECK IT OUT EARLY IS GOING TO BE BENEFICIAL TO YOU. WHAT ELSE? IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU CAN ADD TO IT? I MEAN, I JUST THINK THAT YOU KNOW, YOU THINK WE ALL KNOW PEOPLE WHO HAVE CANCER, RIGHT? YOU’VE EXPERIENCED IT, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, AND I THINK THAT THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO, TRY AND TRY. LET’S TRY TO MOVE FORWARD AGAIN. THINGS LIKE OBESITY, OBESITY. FOR YEARS WE SAID, YOU KNOW, JUST EXERCISE AND DON’T EAT AS MUCH. THAT DIDN’T WORK. BUT NOW WITH THESE INJECTABLES ALONG WITH HEALTHIER DIET, EXERCISE THINGS LIKE THAT, WE’RE ACTUALLY SEEING THAT BY DECREASING WEIGHT. IT’S ALREADY BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASES IN CERTAIN TYPES OF CANCERS. SO I THI

5 on your health: Lifestyle choices and their influences on cancer

Todd Ellerin, director of infectious diseases at South Shore Health, discusses how lifestyle choices can increase risk for getting cancer.

NEEDHAM, Mass. —

Todd Ellerin, director of infectious diseases at South Shore Health, discusses how lifestyle choices can increase risk for getting cancer.

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