Proper Diet and Lifestyle as Cancer Prevention Strategies Essay - 13

Proper Diet and Lifestyle as Cancer Prevention Strategies - Essay Example The present research has identified that the WHO asserted that around 30% of people dying from cancer do so because of these five behavioral and dietary risks: â€Å"high body mass index, low fruit, and vegetable intake, lack of physical activity, tobacco use, [and] alcohol use.† These risks are external factors that can be managed, which underline the importance of diet and physical activity to reducing cancer risks. Though results for the past few decades are mixed, an increasing number of studies showed that having the proper diet and lifestyle can prevent, or even cure, a number of chronic diseases, including different types of cancer. â€Å"Proper diet† refers to lower fat and red meat intake and higher vegetable and fruit consumption. Western diet, on the opposite, has been regarded as an unhealthy diet because it is usually high in the animal product, sugar, and fat consumption and low in dietary fiber, due to the prevalence of fast food and processed food consum ption. This Western diet has been correlated with higher cancer risks, including colon and breast cancers. Moreover, by â€Å"lifestyle,† this study pertains to the way that people live, including management of alcohol consumption and smoking practices, as well as physical activity levels, life satisfaction with interpersonal relationships, and sleeping habits. This research intends to know if there is a â€Å"proper† diet and lifestyle that may reduce cancer risks. It proposes that holistic healthy living can prevent cancer risks, especially for those who have high cancer risks due to their family history and genetic profiles. Holistic healthy living refers to a lifestyle that responds to various needs: nutrition, physical activity, sleep, and social relations. Moreover, by cancer, this proposal covers several cancers, although it recognizes that certain diets and lifestyles may be more effective for some kinds of cancers and that physical, genetic, and psychological variables can also impact, not only the successful (i.e. consistent and disciplined) adoption of healthy lifestyles and diets but also the effectiveness of a healthy living approach.