Cancer has become one of the leading causes of death worldwide and the number of new cancer cases is likely to rise in the next two decades and touch 22 million, according to National Cancer Institute.
In a recent study, Mark Petticrew, Professor of Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said: "The weight of scientific evidence is clear - drinking alcohol increases the risk of some of the most common forms of cancer, including several common cancers."
The report also states that alcohol industry uses distortion, denial and distraction in order to mislead and cover up the risks of developing cancer from drinking.
Mark Petticrew also mentioned: "Public awareness of this risk is low, and it has been argued that greater public awareness, particularly of the risk of breast cancer, poses a significant threat to the alcohol industry," Daily Mail reported.
Here, we enumerate some factors that can increase the risk of developing cancer:
Smoking
There are 200 types of cancer and smoking alone increases the risk of at least 14 of them -lung cancer, mouth cancer, larynx cancer, bladder cancer, oesophagus cancer,pancreatic cancer, kidney cancer, bowel cancer, cervix cancer, liver cancer, ovarian cancer and also some types of leukaemia.
Cancer Research UK said that 97,500 new cases of cancer could be avoided if they could achieve a tobacco-free UK by 2035.
Obesity
Second biggest cause of cancer is obesity or overweight. It could increase the risk of breast cancer and bowel cancer. According to experts, extra fat in body can produce hormones that can change the way cells work.
Healthy diet
Good health and diet go hand in hand. Healthy diet can keep you way from cancer too. According to Cancer Research UK, increasing fruits and vegetables in diet could reduce the risk of cancer. Fibre-rich food could help you keep bowel cancer at a distance. Too much of salt in food too is bad as it may lead to stomach cancer.
Sun (UV rays)
Overexposure to sun could be harmful for your skin. As the UV rays from the sun is the main cause of skin cancer. Excessive UV light exposure could even damage DNA, leading to skin cancer.
HPV
Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a common Sexually Transmitted Disease. It usually causes no symptoms and also goes away by itself. However, at times these infections can increase risk of certain cancers including anal and cervical cancer.
