Almost 4 out of 10 cancer cases could be linked to these 6 preventable risk factors, says new study

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Strong Women


Almost 4 out of 10 cancer cases could be linked to these 6 preventable risk factors, says new study

By Lauren Geall

7 months ago

3 min read

Just six key preventable risk factors could be linked to 40% of all cancer cases, according to a new study. Here’s what you need to know.


There are so many health interventions and products on the market these days, and it’s easy to believe that taking care of your body needs to be complicated. But as a new study into potentially preventable cancer cases across the US shows, reducing your risk of the disease needn’t require fancy supplements or expensive retreats.

The study, from the American Cancer Society, found that four in 10 cancer diagnoses and almost half of all cancer deaths of adults 30 years and older could be attributed to reversible risk factors, ie those that can be modified through lifestyle changes or simple interventions. 

The risk factors differed slightly for men and women, but both groups had five key factors in common. For women, the six risk factors identified were as follows:

  • Cigarette smoking (responsible for 15.8% of preventable cases)
  • Excess body weight (responsible for 10.6% of preventable cases)
  • Alcohol consumption (responsible for 6.2% of preventable cases)
  • Physical inactivity (responsible for 4.4% of preventable cases)
  • UV radiation (responsible for 3.7% of preventable cases)
  • HPV infection (responsible for 2.5% of preventable cases)

In men, the order of risk factors was slightly different, but the top five all featured somewhere in the top six, with low fruit and vegetable intake replacing HPV infection.

Other factors identified as playing a role for both groups included low dietary fibre intake (a risk factor known to affect rates of bowel cancer), consumption of red and processed meat, and infection with different viruses, including the hepatitis C virus. 

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While this study is based on data from the US, it paints a clear picture of the simple things we can all do to reduce our risk of cancer. HPV infection, for example, can now be prevented through the HPV vaccine, or kept under control through regular smear tests, which check for infection and any unusual cell changes that happen as a result.

The study found that 100% of cervical cancer cases can be attributed to reversible risk factors – showing just how important it is to use the interventions available to us.

Of course, this isn’t the first study to show that simple lifestyle changes and health interventions can make a real difference to our risk of developing cancer.

Just last year, scientists from the University of Sydney found that just 4.5 minutes of ‘exercise snacking’ – regular bursts of movement that can range from vigorous housework to bursts of power walking – can reduce your overall risk of cancer by up to 18%, and up to 32% for cancer types linked to physical activity such as breast cancer, endometrial cancer and colon cancer.  

These changes don’t just offer benefits before diagnosis. According to a series of studies presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology in 2023, low-impact activities like walking and yoga could also help to cut the risk of cancer spreading or coming back during and after treatment for patients who have received a diagnosis.

Cancer is a scary thing to think and talk about, but studies like this are a reminder that we have more power than we realise to safeguard our health. You may not be able to completely eradicate your risk of developing cancer, but you can definitely do your bit, whether that’s by going for a daily walk, sitting in the shade on a hot and sunny day or making conscious changes to cut down your alcohol consumption. Every little change really does help. 


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