MARK YOUR CANCER HABITS

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Cancer is not a death sentence, but rather it is a life sentence, it pushes one to live. We all know Cancer as a deadly disease. No specific drug for cancer has yet been discovered.  Studies have shown that there is no specific cause for cancer but the risk of cancer is linked to our daily life style.  Some of our bad habits call for cancer. This blog will show us how cancer is related to our habits.

 

 Habit of Smoking – Cigarette smoke can contain high levels of carbon monoxide. Hydrogen cyanide was found in cigarette smoke. It consists of almost 70 carcinogenic chemicals.

 Smoking can cause cancer mainly in mouth, throat, larynx, lungs, trachea, bronchus & then block your body from fighting it. Smoking can weaken the body’s immune system, making it harder to kill cancer cells.

Poisons in tobacco smoke can damage or change a cell’s DNA. DNA is the cell’s “instruction manual” that controls a cell’s normal growth and function. When DNA is damaged, a cell can begin growing out of control and create a cancer tumour.

Stopping smoking completely is the best thing you can do to keep yourself healthy.

 

Habit of Drinking – The use of alcohol is one of the most important risk factors for cancer. Cells that are damaged by the drinking of alcohol may try to repair themselves, which could lead to DNA changes that can be a step toward cancer.

Drinking alcohol can also lead to oxidative stress in cells that can lead to damage of cells. Alcohol can be converted into acetaldehyde, a chemical that can damage or change the structure the DNA inside cells.

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Alcohol use has been linked with the cancer of the mouth, liver, stomach, pancreas, colon & breast. Alcohol can raise estrogen levels in the body that leads to breast cancer. Long-term alcohol use has been linked to an increased risk of liver cancer. Regular, heavy alcohol use can damage the liver, leading to inflammation and scarring. It leads to liver cirrhosis.

 

Habit for Excessive Sun Expose - UV radiation from Sun can cause the basal cell carcinoma (BCC) & squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Too much UV radiation from the sun or sunbeds can damage the genetic material (the DNA) in your skin cells that leads melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer.

Habit of skip Exercise – Exercise is an effective way to prevent cancer. Adrenalin released during exercise prevents the spread & development of metastases elsewhere in the body. Exercise helps you maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese raises your risk for several cancers. Exercise helps your body regulate hormone levels. Increased levels of some hormones can increase your cancer risk. Exercise speeds digestion, which may reduce the time that potentially harmful substances are in the colon that prevents from colon cancer.

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Lack of exercise can cause ovarian, prostrate, colorectal & gastric cancer.

 

Habit for Skipping Breakfast - skipping breakfast tended to be related to cancer mortality. Circadian disruption brought on by shift work is most likely carcinogenic to humans. The timing of meals related to circadian rhythm may be associated with some kinds of cancers mainly liver & stomach cancer.

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Habit for Unhealthy Diet - Dietary factors have a significant effect on the risk of cancers, with different dietary elements both increasing and reducing risk. Some specific foods are linked to specific cancers.

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Eating red or processed meat to an increased risk of breast cancer, colon cancer prostate cancer & pancreatic cancer.

Aflatoxin-B1, a frequent food contaminant, increases risk of liver cancer.

Chewing Betel nut increases the risk of oral cancer.

Stomach cancer is more common due to high-salt diet.

Researchers say up to 90% of cancer cases are caused by the pattern of lifestyle. Actually, cancer is not only a disease but the result of our bad habits. The more we can change our habits, the more we will stay away from cancer. So, make a little change in your lifestyle to stay healthy & good.