This lifestyle reduces the risk of two leading causes of death - Walla! health

2021-04-07T07:00:07.308Z

Slight changes in your lifestyle that will help you reduce your risk of heart disease can also protect you from cancer. These are the simple steps you need to adopt >>

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This lifestyle reduces the risk of two leading causes of death

Heart disease and cancer are the two leading causes of death in the Western world - what if we told you that you could kill these two bad birds in one fell swoop?

4 simple steps to help you do just that

Cauliflower is the perfect vegetable that you must add to your menu

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Although the research findings of Dr. Lau and colleagues do not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship, they do point to a promising avenue to reduce both the risk of heart disease and the risk of cancer for millions of people worldwide.

High amounts of substances that indicate heart problems have been found to be associated with an increased risk of cancer as well.

Chest pain (Photo: ShutterStock)

The study was based on data from more than 20,000 people who participated in large-scale and long-term studies in the community.

The researchers had information available about which of the people had cancer during the study period and which of them had a heart attack or developed cardiovascular disease.

The researchers found that participants whose bodies had the highest levels of natriuretic peptides - substances produced by the heart and at high levels could be a sign of heart failure or heart function problems - were 40 percent more likely to develop cancer.

They further found that some of the risk factors for both cancer and heart disease morbidity were completely out of the control of the participants in the experiment (such as old age, for example).

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On the other hand, there were also quite a few risk factors that people often have the ability to control and change: The study showed that participants who led a healthy lifestyle - that is, maintained normal blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar levels and maintained a healthy weight (without significant overweight) There is also a lower overall risk of developing cancer.

Avoidance of smoking has also been identified by the researchers as something that could significantly reduce the risk for the two types of morbidity tested in the study.

A good place to start - add antioxidants to your diet.

Berries (Photo: Giphy)

While these are not very surprising findings, their research foundation is exciting news because it shows how some achievable lifestyle changes can pay off hugely in terms of health.

Until recently, researchers believed that the risk factors for heart disease and cancer were very different from each other and did not necessarily overlap.

Is it all because of the inflammation?

The researchers believe that one of the explanations for the link between maintaining a healthy lifestyle and heart and also reducing the risk of cancer is that these two types of illness are linked to increased inflammation.

And healthy habits that, among other things, reduce the levels of inflammation in the body can be helpful in reducing the risk for both.

However, the new study does not state that a change in lifestyle habits alone can completely eradicate the risk of developing these diseases.

Cardiovascular disease and cancer are two very complex areas that are affected by many risk factors - from genetics to infections.

The important innovation in this study is that it provides further reinforcement for an approach that does not need to adhere to strict or very specific habits to improve their overall health in the long run, but rather some fairly general and fairly simple changes are sufficient.

Like what, you ask?

So:

Habits that reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer:

Movement
- Aim for 20 minutes daily of moderate exercise, such as walking, for example,
Stress reduction
- Try to find a way to calm your brain for 15 minutes every day.
It can be breathing exercises, mindfulness, or relaxing activities like reading or knitting
Healthy
eating - Aim for healthy food most of the time, but leave room for maneuverability and abnormalities.
In particular, try to increase your intake of antioxidant foods
Stop smoking
- or at least try to gradually reduce your tobacco consumption