Lymphoma Prevention May Be Possible With A Healthy Lifestyle

Healthy lifestyle habits like moderate exercise and avoiding smoking and heavy drinking could help to prevent lymphoma and additional cancers, according to a new study published by JAMA Oncology.

Researchers believe that roughly 20 to 40 percent of cancer cases and nearly half of all cancer deaths could be prevented by adapting a healthy lifestyle. These lifestyle changes include maintaining a BMI between 18.5 and 27.5, weekly moderate exercise for at least 150 minutes or vigorous exercise for at least 75 minutes, quitting smoking and avoiding excessive alcohol consumption.

Healthy lifestyles

Researchers looked at over 28,000 people who practiced healthy lifestyles and just over 100,000 that did not. The healthy group was defined as one that never smoked or drank heavily in the past, possessed a BMI between 18.5 and 27.5 and exercised weekly. Participants who did not meet these criteria were classified as being at a high risk for cancer.

Based upon the findings, researchers claim that cancer avoidance and death are potential consequences when poor lifestyle habits are substituted for healthy ones.

Researchers noted that although data from only Caucasians was examined, cancer prevention via adopting healthy lifestyle habits could be attained by additional ethnic groups as well.

"These findings reinforce the predominate importance of lifestyle factors in determining cancer risk,” said Mingyang Song, M.D., lead author of the study. “Therefore, primary prevention should remain a priority for cancer control.”

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