Protect Against Pancreatic Cancer

By Editorial Staff

Any type of cancer is a major health concern, but pancreatic cancer is one of the most frightening, with a five-year survival rate of less than 10 percent. The disease is rarely detected until it has progressed, and current treatment options often are not enough to ward off the advancing disease.

Let's take a step back for a moment and, instead of worrying about what happens once you're suffering from pancreatic cancer, think about what you might be able to do to reduce your risk of developing this deadly disease in the first place. It could be as simple as a few lifestyle changes.

Researchers analyzed data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) cohort, which has tracked more than 500,000 participants from 10 European countries (for 15 years and counting) to investigate how diet, nutritional status, lifestyle and environmental factors, and other variables affect the incidence of cancer and other chronic diseases. Published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, the study on pancreatic cancer risk found that nearly 15 percent of pancreatic cancer cases could have been avoided by making four simple lifestyle changes:

• Limiting alcohol consumption
• Adopting a healthy diet
• Increasing physical activity
• Maintaining a healthy weight

What's more, almost 20 percent of cases could have been avoided if, in addition to adopting the above habits, participants also refrained from smoking. That's five simple lifestyle choices to prevent a deadly disease. Sounds worth it, doesn't it? So, how many of the above habits do you pursue? One, a few, all five ... or none? Talk to your doctor about how to make all five the backbone of your health, wellness and yes, disease prevention routine.