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40.2% of cancer deaths are preventable, simply by abandoning three habits

时间：2026-05-22　人气：

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Recently, the release of the latest global cancer report revealed that China had approximately 4.8 million new cancer cases in 2022 (accounting for 24% of the global total), and approximately 2.6 million cancer deaths (accounting for 26.7% of the global total), both ranking first[1].

▲Source: International Journal of Cancer

Faced with the health of our countrymen being eroded by cancer, researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology have predicted, through the GBD database, three major risk factors that will become associated with cancer in the future. Reducing exposure to these risk factors can prevent 40.2% of cancer deaths[2]. Remember to share this information with your family after reading, and let's actively prevent cancer together.

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Stay away from the top 3 major carcinogens

After researchers identified 15 modifiable risk factors associated with cancer mortality, they ultimately found that smoking, lack of exercise, and insufficient fruit intake are the three major risk factors that will have a non-negligible impact on the cancer burden in the future.

▶ Smoking gives cancer cells opportunities

Up to one-third of all cancer-related deaths and 87% of lung cancer deaths are attributed to tobacco use, with smoking being a contributing factor in the causes of 18 different types of cancer. Previous studies have compared the DNA of lung cancers in smokers and nonsmokers, yielding shocking results: although the cancers appear similar on the surface, the number of gene mutations in lung cancers from smokers is more than 10 times that of nonsmokers! The average number of gene mutations in lung cancers from nonsmokers or occasional smokers is 18, with the highest being only 22, while the average number of gene mutations in long-term smokers is 209, with the highest in a smoking patient reaching as high as 1363[3]. DNA is like a "manual" for cells, and when DNA mutates, cells can grow out of control, leading to the development of cancer.

On the other hand, tobacco itself releases up to 7000+ harmful substances, of which about 69 are carcinogens. These substances spread through the lungs to the whole body, damaging the immune system and weakening its ability to eliminate cancer cells, thus creating opportunities for cancer cells to develop into tumors.

▶ Lack of exercise reduces anti-cancer immunity

Some studies have suggested that 7% of diabetes and 6% of coronary heart disease are caused by lack of exercise; one in every 10 breast cancer and colon cancer patients is due to lack of exercise [4].

It is evident that the hazards of lack of exercise have emerged, and "life lies in exercise" is not an empty phrase. Studies have found that lactic acid, a metabolic product during exercise, is the main carbon fuel source for many cells, and lactic acid can increase the number of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells and enhance anti-tumor immunity [5].

Researchers injected lactic acid subcutaneously into mice with colon cancer or melanoma, while the control group was injected with glucose solution. The results showed that tumor growth in the lactic acid-treated mice was significantly reduced, whereas glucose had little positive effect on the tumor. In addition, the researchers found that lactic acid also enhanced the efficacy of anticancer vaccines[5].

▶ Eating less fruit can shorten your life!

The rich nutritional elements such as vitamins and dietary fiber in fruits have a positive impact on the normal physiological functions of the body. On the other hand, what happens if you eat less fruit?

The Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention has published data: Due to insufficient fruit intake, China's life expectancy loss is 1.73 years (1.80 years for males and 1.58 years for females).

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What should you do?

Smoking, lack of exercise, and insufficient fruit intake are hidden in people's daily lives. How to improve them? How to grasp the scale?

▶ Absolutely quit smoking
Whether it's direct smoking or second-hand smoke, one should stay away from it. The harm of smoking is delayed and may not appear until decades later, but starting to stay away from tobacco now is the starting point for future health.

▶ Keep exercising
Research has found that just 10 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise can increase the number of immune cells in the blood of lymphoma patients, especially cytotoxic T cells and natural killer cells, which can effectively destroy cancer cells[6].

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults should engage in at least 150-300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. In fact, exercising for 30 minutes a day can easily meet this target, or engaging in 75-150 minutes of high-intensity aerobic exercise, or choosing a combination of exercises of different intensities to achieve the corresponding amount of physical activity.

The elderly or special groups with underlying diseases should increase their exercise intensity as much as possible within their own capabilities.

Prompt: What is moderate-intensity exercise?

Moderate-intensity exercise is characterized by an increased heart rate, slight sweating, and slightly labored breathing. Examples of moderate-intensity exercise include jogging, brisk walking, climbing stairs, playing table tennis, and swimming.

▶ Fruits are also essentials
It is often said that "an apple a day keeps the doctor away". Regarding the daily intake of fruits, the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" recommends that adults consume approximately 200 to 350 grams of fruits per day, which is considered appropriate. The types of fruits should also be as diverse as possible, and fruits and vegetables cannot be substituted for each other.

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Reference sources:
[1]Filho AM, Laversanne M, Ferlay J, Colombet M, Piñeros M, Znaor A, Parkin DM, Soerjomataram I, Bray F. The GLOBOCAN 2022 cancer estimates: Data sources, methods, and a snapshot of the cancer burden worldwide. Int J Cancer. 2024 Dec 17. doi: 10.1002/ijc.35278. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39688499.
[2]Pei W, Li J, Lei S, Nie S, Liu L. Burden of major cancers in China attributable to modifiable risk factors: Predictions from 2012 to 2035. Int J Cancer. 2024 Nov 6. doi: 10.1002/ijc.35233. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39503513.
[3]U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the U.S. Surgeon General, 2004.
[4]Lee IM, Shiroma EJ, Lobelo F, Puska P, Blair SN, Katzmarzyk PT: Effect of physical inactivity on major non-communicable diseases worldwide: an analysis of disease burden and life expectancy. The Lancet, Volume 380, Issue 9838, Pages 219 - 229, 21 July 2012
[5]Feng Q, et al. Lactate increases stemness of CD8 + T cells to augment anti-tumor immunity. Nat Commun, 2022, 13(1): 4981. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-32521-8.
[6]Tiia Koivula et al, Acute exercise mobilizes CD8+ cytotoxic T cells and NK cells in lymphoma patients, Frontiers in Physiology (2023). DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.1078512

Written by: Zhang Tuo
Reviewed by: Qiao Jiacheng, Wang Ying, Gao Chen
Edited/typeset by Zhang Jiao

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