Did you know that the main causes of cancer are lifestyle and environmental factors, not genetics?
That’s according to the National Center for Physical Activity and Disability.

Cancer Rates Change Environmental Risks
This phenomenon was observed when Japanese people, who have a low incidence of colon and breast cancer in their native land, moved to Hawaii and then California. As they lived with new environmental conditions and adapted to the lifestyle of the U.S., they began to develop rates of cancer typical of Americans as a whole. Colon cancer rate equality took only two or three decades, while the incidence of breast cancer became about the same only after more than one generation.

Where you live can also influence the likelihood you’ll get cancer. In the U.S., the northeast has an especially high rate of colon cancer, while ovarian cancer occurs more frequently in all of the northern states than those in the south.

Environmental exposures appear to be the cause for these variations. Radon gas exposure, an increase in ultraviolet light due to thinning ozone, and industrial waste such as benzene and arsenic have all been shown to have an effect. The use of head and neck X-rays during childhood appear to have an impact on your chances of getting thyroid cancer.

Lifestyle Choices
Smoking is a lifestyle choice that has marked an upward spike in lung cancer during the last half century.

Comparatively, inherited cancers account for only a small percentage of the total. For instance, familial breast cancer makes up only five percent of all breast cancers.

A 2000 study of nearly 45,000 sets of twins found that environment and lifestyle were stronger predictors than genetic factors when determining who might get prostate, colorectal and breast cancer.

So what’s it all mean? If you smoke, quit. Use sunscreen. And no hanging out at industrial waste dumps.

Cancer is serious business, but just because your mom had breast cancer doesn’t mean you are doomed. Follow your physician’s advice for screening and enjoy life!

For further information, check out NCPAD.