What causes cancer to start? There are many causes or risks for the disease. They can snowball your genetic disposition for getting cancer. The list of risks factors includes: the controllable and uncontrollable causes.
What are controllable risks? They are causes that are within your control and can be avoided. Prevention of these causes is doable as they are recognized as environmental factors and lifestyle habits.
Lifestyle Causes of Malignant Tumors
Smoking
The use of tobacco is what causes cancer in the lungs to start. Tobacco includes cigarettes, cigars and even smokeless tobacco. Tobacco is a well-known, leading and proven carcinogen.
If you don't smoke, you might think you have absolute protection against tobacco causes. But if you live in an environment of second-hand smoking, the smoke you are exposed to is even worse.
Too Much Drinking
Excessive drinking causes tumors in the liver. Studies report that alcohol is both a carcinogen and a co-carcinogen to tobacco.
Prevention is easier when you choose healthy foods.
Obesity or Being Overweight
Lack of physical activity and unhealthy eating habits are one of the causes of obesity or being overweight. It may increase your risk for certain types of tumor.
What causes cancer? Is stress one of the risks? Until today, many experts are not certain of the role of stress in increasing your risk and in the prevention of many types of diseases.
Still, scientists acknowledge that stress can greatly affect your body. Find out how in Cancer and Stress.
Exposure to Ultraviolet Radiation
UV radiation comes either from the sun, tanning booths or beds, or sunlamps. It is proven to be what causes skin cancer.
What is ionizing radiation? It is emitted by radioactive fallout, x-rays, radon gas and even radiation therapy used in treating tumor. It is a fact that ionizing radiation leads to cancer and the most common type associated with it is lung cancer.
Occupational hazards include cancer-causing agents or chemicals that are found in certain work places. One example is asbestos, which is proven to be what causes lung cancer.
Cancer Causing Viruses and Bacteria
It is proven that malignant tumors are not contagious. But many types of cancer are results of some viruses and bacteria. One of the examples of cancer causing viruses is the Human Papilloma Virus or HPV. It causes tumors in the cervix when left untreated.
These environmental factors and lifestyle habits are what cause tumors. They can be prevented. Any unhealthy choice you make creates damaging changes in your genes known as somatic mutations or acquired mutations.
Taking the time to understand what causes cancer will help you make an informed decision. Learn the steps on prevention. You and your family deserve nothing less than a quality life lived in freedom from the disease.
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