Cancer Prevention

Amazingly, 2 out of 3 cancer deaths are preventable by diet and lifestyle changes alone!

30% of all cancer deaths
are caused by SMOKING

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This 2016 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that one third of all cancers were caused by smoking.

• 90% of Lung cancers are caused by smoking
• 50% of all smokers will die from smoking related diseases
• Smokers have an increased risk of cancers, heart disease, strokes, and many other diseases

How to quit.

This 2018 study, published in the British Medical Journal shows that people trying to quit smoking will be much more successful if they use  Allen Carr’s Easyway to Stop Smoking rather than the Irish Government initiative Quit.ie

If you quit smoking right now…

• After 5 years: Your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder are cut in half. Your risk of cervical cancer and stroke return to normal after 5 years.
• After 10 years: You are half as likely to die from lung cancer. Your risk of larynx or pancreatic cancer decreases.
Source: Be Tobacco Free

Other major causes
of cancer deaths:

This study says only 5–10% of all cancer cases are due to genetic defects and that the remaining 90–95% are due to environment and lifestyle.

The major contributors to cancer deaths are:
Smoking 25-30%
Diet 30–35%
Infection 15–20%
Obesity 10–20%

Other factors account for 10-15% of cancer deaths:
Physical inactivity
Excess alcohol
Sun over-exposure
Environmental pollutants
Stress

Children

Ultra-clean homes could trigger childhood leukaemia, major review suggests

Keeping children cocooned in ultra-clean homes away from other youngsters could trigger childhood leukaemia, a landmark study suggests.

A major new analysis by Britain’s leading leukaemia expert has concluded a deadly chain of events is set in motion when susceptible children are not exposed to enough bugs to prime their immune system at an early age.

Without sufficient immunity, if vulnerable youngsters catch even a relatively harmless virus like flu, the immune system malfunctions creating far more infection-fighting white blood cells than needed, causing leukaemia.

Read full article in The Telegraph

Childhood Cancer: More Evidence Points to Chemical Exposure

Source: Environmental working Group

Numerous studies have shown links between childhood cancers and exposure to chemicals such as pesticides, benzene and arsenic. EWG has found that not only are these substances widespread in a child’s living environment, they can also be passed on from mother to child during pregnancy and through breastfeeding. (Despite this, the health benefits of breastfeeding greatly exceed the risk of chemical exposure.) These prenatal and early life exposures occur during the most vulnerable period of a child’s development….

… there are steps that parents and all of us can take to reduce exposure to pesticides around the home and harmful chemicals in our personal care products and the household items we use. Read the full article at Environmental working Group

Page updated January 2025