How to reduce your risk of cancer

Created: 07/11/2022, 17:08

By: Susanne Sass

Seared meat is carcinogenic © Bernd Settnik/dpa

Unforeseen dangers of cancer lurk in our everyday life and we harm ourselves with some things we have grown fond of - without realizing it.

Many things can be carcinogenic, although it is always the dose that makes the poison, explains Professor Hana Algül (photo).

The first and most important point in cancer prevention are of course the preventive medical check-ups that are recommended and covered by health insurance companies.

Letting go is pretty unwise.

But avoiding everyday cancer risks also serves as a precautionary measure.

The problem: the dangers of cancer are often hidden and you take risks that you don't know anything about.

We asked Munich's top cancer specialists from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) and the Technical University (TUM) where hidden risks lurk and put them together for you:

nutrition

The risk of cancer from nutrition is usually greatly underestimated, says cancer specialist Professor Volker Heinemann, director of the Cancer Center Comprehensive Cancer Center at the LMU-Klinikum.

Where are hidden dangers lurking?

Expert tips and warnings:

Processed, preserved meats: These should only be on the plate occasionally -- it's best to avoid them altogether, advises Dr.

Nicole Erickson, nutrition science coordinator at the Comprehensive Cancer Center (CCC).

This applies to sausage, salami and other salted, cured, smoked or fermented meat products.

Red meat (beef, pork, sheep and goat): Less is more.

You should not eat more than 500 grams of it per week.

"I also recommend grass-fed meat because it contains more valuable omega-3 fatty acids," says Dr.

erickson

Professor Hana Algül, director of the cancer center Comprehensive Cancer Center Munich at the University Hospital Klinikum Rechts der Isar, advises avoiding meat from factory farming, as this is often mixed with antibiotics: "Think of the intestinal flora, which consists of bacteria - does your food contain residues of antibiotics , then these also damage the gut flora, and we know that the composition of the gut flora is an important factor in whether benign nodules and polyps become cancerous.”

Barbecuing: That's part of summer - but be careful: The risk of cancer from seared meat has been proven, says Professor Claus Belka, Director of the Clinic for Radiation Therapy and Radiation Oncology at the LMU.

So don't let anything burn and keep the amount of heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAA) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) low.

Other tips: Do not let any fat drip into the embers, as smoke causes more PAHs.

If you grill with charcoal, you should make sure that it is well annealed.

In addition, the following applies: the marinade makes the difference: onions, garlic, ginger, thyme, rosemary and cayenne pepper have an antioxidant effect and reduce the formation of HAA: the HAA content in meat marinated in this way was 74 percent lower than in non-marinated meat,

Acrylamide: If carbohydrate-rich foods such as toast or potatoes are heated, the substance acrylamide is formed because of the sugar and the amino acid asparagine they contain.

According to the consumer center, there are increased levels of acrylamide in roasted and deep-fried potato products.

It can also be found in grain products such as biscuits, crackers, toast and crispbread or roasted muesli or cornflakes.

Also in coffee, nuts and pastries.

In animal experiments, acrylamide has proven to be carcinogenic and mutagenic - it stands to reason that it is also harmful to humans.

You can keep the values ​​low by preparing French fries in the oven and not in the fryer.

Do not bake cookies and cakes hotter than 170 degrees Celsius.

Egg or egg yolk in the recipe reduces the formation of acrylamide.

Salt: A high-salt diet can actually double the risk of cancer, a study from Japan found.

The limit should be five to six grams per day, advises Dr.

Nicole Ericson.

Nitrite curing salt is even more harmful.

stimulants

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Sure, alcohol and cigarettes are harmful.

But some risks in this context are underestimated:

Alcohol: Alcohol damages liver cells, but its breakdown products, ethanol and acetaldehyde, can cause problems throughout the body, warns Dr.

erickson

"With alcohol, the danger is dose-related, so it's best not to use it," says Erickson.

The permitted dose per day is 20 grams for men, which corresponds to half a liter of beer, and only ten grams for women.

Smoking: There are some myths that persist, but are simply wrong: For example, it is often said that smoking a shisha – i.e. a water pipe – is more harmless than smoking cigarettes.

That's wrong: Toxic carcinogenic substances are produced when tobacco is burned.

Although the water pipe tobacco is not burned at lower temperatures, only charred, this does not change the fact that the tobacco contains sugar and syrup, which can then cause cancer and irritate the mucous membranes.

And the water doesn't filter out the pollutants either, it just cools the smoke down.

This can then be inhaled deeper and cause even more damage to the lungs.

Even those who smoke steam stones or herbal mixtures with the shisha instead of tobacco inhale toxic substances such as carbon monoxide.

E-cigarettes are also harmful: the aerosol produced when heated can contain carcinogenic substances, especially formaldehyde, which is considered carcinogenic.

In addition, e-cigarette vapor contains acetaldehyde (possibly carcinogenic), acrolein (irritant, toxic), reactive oxygen species and metals such as nickel (carcinogenic), chromium (carcinogenic) and lead (toxic, possibly carcinogenic).

Conclusion: hands off!

Reside

Be careful with moisture and also with renovation work:

Asbestos: This has been proven to be carcinogenic.

The problem: It was only in 1993 that it was forbidden to mix asbestos in tile adhesive and filler.

It is not obvious to laypeople whether such an adhesive was used in their house.

If the tiles are knocked off the wall and adhesive containing asbestos has been used, the dangerous fibers can be inhaled.

So it's better to let a specialist company do it.

Mold: It contains toxins, so-called mycotoxins such as aflatoxins.

These can be carcinogenic.

So don't eat anything that's moldy and take action to remedy mold growth in living areas.

lifestyle

Lack of exercise: "This is one of the greatest evils because, together with the wrong or excessive diet, it often leads to obesity, and this significantly increases the risk of developing cancer," warns Professor Heinemann.

The German Cancer Research Center estimates that around seven percent of all cancers in Germany are directly caused by being overweight (adiposity).

It has been proven that obesity increases the risk of the following cancers in the esophagus, pancreas, liver, colon, breast, uterus and kidney.

It is also likely to promote cancer of the mouth and throat, stomach cancer, gallbladder cancer, ovarian cancer and prostate cancer.

leisure

Think of risks outside too:

Risk of skin cancer: Harmful UV rays also reach us in the shade when we sit under an umbrella, Prof. Algül warns: Children and babies in particular should always wear sun protection, even under an umbrella - in the form of UV-protective clothing or sunscreen.

Sunscreen: Sunscreen can also be carcinogenic - pay attention to the expiry date!

According to a study by the Sorbonne University in Paris in March last year, well-known sunscreens also contain the chemical UV filter octocrylene - and over time this can break down into the possibly carcinogenic substance benzophenone.

And octocrylene itself is not unproblematic either, since it can influence the hormonal balance.

Prof. Marion Kiechle, head of the women's clinic at the Technical University (TU), warns in her book "Health Quikies" not to use sunscreen.

If you don't want to use mineral filters, you can use harmless UV filters.

These are:

– Bis-Ethylhexyloxyphenol Methoxyphenyl Triazine (Tinosorb S)

– Drometrizole Trisiloxane (Meroxyl XL)

– Terephthalylidene Dicamphor Sulfonic Acid (Mexoryl SX)

– Ethylhexyl Triazone (Uvinul T 150)

– Diethylamino Hydroxybenzoyl Hexyl Benzoate (Uvinul A Plus)

– Diethylhexyl Butamido Triazone (Iscotrizinol)

– Phenylbenzimidazole Sulfonic Acid (Enzulisol)

– Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane (Avobenzone)

love life

Cervical Cancer: It's a drama caused by ignorance - cervical cancer is one of the most common diseases of the female reproductive system and is often caused by human papillomavirus (HPV).

"You have to say clearly: If prevention were pursued consistently and we had a vaccination rate of 80 to 90 percent for HPV, cervical cancer would no longer be an issue," says gynecologist Professor Sven Mahner.

While in other federal states at least 60 percent of girls are vaccinated, in Bavaria it is 40 percent.

The head of the women's clinic at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University advises to also have the boys vaccinated against HPV, then they cannot pass on the virus.

Suzanne Sass