About a third of cancer cases could be prevented with small changes in lifestyle. That’s the conclusion of researchers at the World Cancer Research Fund after studying data for the 13 most common cancers in the UK. For example, among men, 9% of cases of advanced prostate cancer could be prevented every year if men were not overweight or obese. Lung cancer cases could be cut by 15,000 (33%) by getting people to stop smoking. And 38% of breast cancer cases could be prevented, particularly in postmenopausal women, by increasing physical exercise and reducing body fat. Rachel Thompson, head of research, said that “even minor adjustments, like 10 to 15 extra minutes of physical activity each day, cutting down on alcohol, or limiting your intake of high-calorie foods and sugary drinks, will help decrease your cancer risk.”
