Recently, a series of events and articles prompted me to find out more about the typical medical cases that happens on Singaporean such as a cancer, hypertension, heart attack, etc. In this blog, I would like to highlight on Cancer, the number 1 killer in Singapore. It's going to be a bit dry and medically-technical, but read on for your own good.
Cancer: Genetic or Lifestyle Disease?
Certain cancers, such as breast and colon cancers, tend to run in families while others are believed to skip generations. In all, only 5 - 10% of cancers are hereditary.The main causes for the majority of cancers however, have to do with how we live. Hence, it is important to change your lifestyle to reduce cancer risks as much as possible.
Cancer Risk Factor 1: Body Weight
Risks: Cancers of the womb, kidney, colon, gallbladder, oesophagus and breast (post-menopausal)
Obesity has been found to be linked to an increased risk for cancer. Very overweight (obese) individuals are more likely to develop cancers of the womb, colon, gallbladder, kidney, oesophagus (gullet) and breast.
Research cited by Cancer Research UK, for instance, indicated that a high body mass index (BMI) increases likelihood for colon cancer, especially in cases where most of the body fat is accumulated in the abdominal area (abdominal obesity). The findings also showed that being overweight or obese can increase the risk of breast cancer in post-menopausal women, as well as kidney and oesophagus cancers.
Cancer Risk Factor 2: Diet
Risks: Cancers of the breast, stomach, prostate, and colon
Failure to eat a healthy, balanced diet is known to increase the risk of cancer. Bowel cancer incidence is generally lower in populations with high fibre, low fat diets compared to populations with westernized diets. Besides offering fibre content, fresh green foods such as fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, which have cancer-fighting properties.
In addition, the way the food is prepared also affects the carcinogenicity of the food. According to American Institute for Cancer Research, cancer researchers have found that the high heat of grilling causes proteins in red meat, poultry and fish to produce cancer compounds. These compounds, called HCAs (heterocyclic amines), have been shown to increase the possible risk of breast, colon, stomach and prostate cancer in humans.
Another cancer-causing substance - polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) - forms when fat from meat, poultry or fish drips onto the hot coals. When the smoke rises, the carcinogen can get deposited onto the surface of the meat.
Cancer Risk Factor 3: Lifestyle Habits
Risks: Cancers of the lung, liver, mouth, throat and oesophagus
Certain lifestyle habits contribute to the risk of cancers, such as alcoholism and tobacco smoking. Frequent drinkers of large amounts of alcohol are likely to develop liver cancer. They are also at risk of developing cancer of the mouth, throat and oesophagus.
Tobacco contains about 40 different carcinogens and can cause cancers of the lungs, mouth, throat, oesophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidney and bladder. In particular, cigarette smoke not only harms the smoker, but also puts people who are exposed to second-hand smoke at risk.
Cancer Risk Factor 4: Viruses
Risks: Cancers of the uterine cervix and liver
Some viruses have also been linked to cancer. Chronic infection with the Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C virus is a leading cause of primary liver cancer (hepatoma), while the Human Papilloma virus (HPV) has been identified as a major cause of cervical cancer.
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So, the underlying moral of the story is, do not take your good health for granted. It can happen to an adult, or even to a child, or anyone else. I guess you would have read articles of healthy sportsman with healthy diet also will kana cancer of some sort. Sometimes when crisis strikes, there is nowhere to hide. No full proof explaination is actually available.
As a professional IFA, I will tell my clients that the only thing you can prepare while you are healthy is to make sure your H&S and insurance plans are well in place so that there will not be a further financial strain on yourself and your family when the unexpected happens. Does it make sense to you?
Going back to my previous entry, cancer is curable if detected early. Start living healthy.
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