World marks Cancer Day today

Today (Feb 4) marks the World Cancer Day today. More than ever before there is a need for a concerted and coordinated fight against cancer and World Cancer Day can play its part by providing an even bigger platform for your cancer messages. The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) called for healthier lifestyles which it said would help reduce cancer rate in the United States. The agency said if more Americans ate a healthy diet, got regular exercise and limited their alcohol intake, 340,000 cancer cases would be prevented a year in the country. Healthier lifestyles could lead to significant reductions in particularly common cancers such as breast (38 percent fewer cases per year), stomach (47 percent fewer) and colon (45 percent fewer), the WCRF said in a news release published by HealthDay News to mark the World Cancer Day. Other healthy lifestyle habits that reduce the risk of cancer include quitting smoking, avoiding secondhand smoke, avoiding excessive sun exposure, and preventing cancer-causing infections, the WCRF said. The WCRF said its findings are supported by the WHOs new report entitled Global Recommendations on Physical Activity for Health. The WHOs report says that regular physical activity can prevent many diseases, including breast and colon cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Physical activity is recommended for people of all ages as a means to reduce risks for certain types of cancers and other non- communicable diseases, the WCRF release quoted Dr. Tim Armstrong, of WHOs Department of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion, as saying.In order to improve their health and prevent several diseases, adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity throughout the week. This can be achieved by simply walking 30 minutes five times per week or by cycling to work daily, Armstrong advised. Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. Each year, 12.7 million people are diagnosed with cancer and 7.6 million die from the disease. But 30 percent to 40 percent of cancers can be prevented and one-third can be cured through early diagnosis and treatment, according to the WCRF.