Research shows that in developed countries, one out of every two people will get cancer in their lifetime and a quarter of them will die from this disease. In the last 30 years, deaths from cancer have surpassed deaths from heart diseases. However, being content with only treatment is not rational and not sufficient. Our aim in the fight against cancer, as in most diseases, should be to resort to preventive medicine and to prevent the emergence of cancer. Here, a thought may come to mind: “Cancer is a genetic disease. How can this be avoided? Is it possible? Yes it can be possible. Experience shows that if our way of life were different from today, deaths from cancer would be two-thirds less.
Cancer is not a single disease as it is thought. It is a group of diseases. There are as many cancers as there are cells that can proliferate in the organism. Only 5-10 percent of cancers in adults are inherited. This means:
A person is very unlikely to be born with a genetic defect that can cause cancer without any other effects, but certain genetic changes that make an individual prone to cancer may be present from birth. There is no rule that people with this tendency will necessarily get cancer. Genetic tendencies combine with environmental factors over time, leading to the formation of cancer. Cancer is a disease that occurs 80-90% of environmental factors. Maybe a person who will never have cancer can get this disease if he is constantly exposed to bad environmental effects.
Since cancer is not a single disease, the environmental factors that cause it are also very different. The substances known to cause cancer the most are tobacco and cigarettes. 30% of cancer deaths are due to tobacco. Here, a question may come to mind: Why doesn't every smoker get cancer; Even though some heavy smokers do not have cancer, low smokers can get cancer. One of the reasons for this is that in some people, the protein that produces the cancer-causing effects of smoking is more active. These people are more likely to have lung cancer. This is an innate feature. Hence the moment People with lung cancer in their fathers and nephews need to be more careful. Smoking not only increases the risk of lung cancer, but also increases the risk of cancer in many organs such as the head, neck, esophagus, stomach, bladder and pancreas. Smoking cessation reduces the risk rapidly. For this reason, smoking should be stopped, regardless of age and condition, by saying that it is a profit from where the loss is obtained. There is such a group in all societies that no matter what precautions you take, you cannot get rid of cigarette addiction. It may be more appropriate to recommend these people to chew nicotine-containing gum rather than smoking. have reduced their risk. In Turkey, the cancer with the highest number of deaths is lung cancer, and the most important cause of this is unquestionably smoking. Due to the awareness of the public in developed countries, international cigarette cartels have turned their market areas into countries like us. This game should not be played. Another important factor that causes cancer is malnutrition. With proper nutrition, it may be possible to eliminate 35 percent of cancer deaths due to environmental factors. While there is no need to resort to very complicated ways to achieve this, people are confused by unproven information.
You read news and comments about nutrition and diet in the newspapers almost every day. The use of natural substances instead of drugs in diseases can give the impression that people are healthy and give them morale. It is possible to understand the interest in these substances, such as food, with which everyone is always in a relationship without exception, and whose consumption gives life and happiness to people. However, while presenting information about them, facts are sacrificed for the sake of circulation or ratings, false information is given, research results are presented as if a new discovery has been made.
It is possible to treat a heterogeneous group of diseases such as cancer with a single substance. While there is no cure for cancer, it seems as if a miracle drug has been found to cure cancer. In this difference, How the results are interpreted is as important as whether the belief is done correctly and the difference between the subjects participating in the study. If all the research was correct, the results would always be the same. Therefore, one should not rely too much on the news that such a fruit prevents cancer, and that such a plant cures cancer by holding one end of a published study. What they suggest is very simple: avoid animal fats and proteins, eat five servings of vegetables and fruits a day, and eat a variety of foods, not just one. The best approach in this regard is not to stick to one type of food that is claimed to prevent cancer, and to consume different kinds of vegetables and fruits. It must be quite interesting that the motto that we should always eat from everything that has been formed over the years with the experience of our ancestors, but should eat when it gets dark, is included in the general principles of international scientific organizations, albeit in a different style.
A, C, Although there are many studies showing that antioxidants such as vitamins E and selenium provide protection from cancer, reputable cancer organizations do not recommend them to people, since there are also findings to the contrary. Regardless of diet and nutrition, obesity itself can pose a risk for cancer. Especially colon, breast and uterine cancers are related to obesity. Ideal body mass is found by dividing weight in kilograms by the square of height in meters. This ratio should be between 18 and 25. In addition to preventing obesity, physical activity is another factor that prevents cancer independently of it. The more activities you do, the lower the risk. At least, it would be appropriate to walk for thirty minutes, three days a week. factor. It can cause cancers of organs such as mouth, esophagus, liver, large intestine. Especially in breast cancer, a parallelism was found between the amount smoked and the risk. That is, the higher the amount, the greater the risk. In recent years, red wine There are articles stating that it contains antioxidant substances, therefore it is protective against cancer. It should not be forgotten that although there are some antioxidant substances in red wine, alcohol itself is the most important oxidant substance and this ratio is 12 percent in wine. Therefore, the information that wine protects against cancer is wrong. While there is such a relationship between cancer and alcohol, the relationship between alcohol and death from heart disease is different. According to research published in reputable medical journals, one drink a day (10 grams of alcohol, that is, a glass of wine, a small can of beer or a single raki, whiskey) in women, reduces the risk of death from heart disease for two drinks in men. Since human health is considered as a whole, the recommendation of international cancer organizations is "If you do not use alcohol, continue not to use it, if you do, reduce the amount". The approach to alcohol is not as rigid as that of cigarettes.
The sun is also dangerous.
Sun rays and radiation are among the other risk factors in cancer. It is known that especially fair-skinned people are more affected by the sun's rays and get skin cancers. Sunbathing for a long time in summer is a factor that increases the risk. Protective sunscreens are helpful, but studies have shown that people who use them sunbathe longer and are at risk. You have to be careful. Artificial tanning solariums are not recommended as they work with the same mechanism. Everyone knows that ionizing radiation, such as nuclear waste, causes cancer. It is controversial whether non-ionizing radiation such as high-voltage power lines and mobile phones poses a cancer risk. In one study, the risk of blood cancer was doubled in children living near high power lines such as transformers. There is no need to be alarmed, as this is not a common situation in places where we live in such an amount of electrical current. Studies with mobile phones so far have not provided any data that it increases cancer. But their use by humans is new. We'll see what the results show in the future. As can be seen, correct behavior patterns have developed as a society as well as individuals in order to prevent cancer. there is a need to. This is not easy to achieve. First we must believe, then we must be able to create the right life policies.
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