Why Your Man is More Likely to Get Cancer Than You?
A new study by the National Cancer Intelligence Network found that men are much more likely to get cancer than women.
Even after researchers excluded breast cancer and cancers specific to gender, like prostate cancer, they found a staggering 70% increased chance of a man dying from cancer, and a 60% increased chance of him developing the disease.
The report looked at cases of cancer in the UK in 2006 and the number of deaths from cancer in 2007, broken down into different categories for the different cancers. Many of the cancers they looked at affect both sexes and there is no biological reason why men would succumb to cancer at a greater rate than women.
Researchers suggested it may be down to typically ‘male’ behaviour.
“The evidence shows that men are generally not aware that, as well as smoking, carrying excess weight around the waist, having a high alcohol intake and a poor diet and their family history all contribute to their increased risk of developing and dying prematurely from cancer. This report clearly demonstrates that a concerted effort needs to be made into getting the public, the health professionals and the policy makers aware of the risks men are facing. Many of these deaths could be avoided by changes in lifestyle and earlier diagnosis," Professor Alan White from the Men’s Health forum said.
Sara Hiom, from Cancer Research UK, added “We know that around half of all cancers could be prevented by changes to lifestyle.”
So if you want to help guard your man’s health, encourage him to report any symptoms he feels, as well as eating healthily and swapping the bar for some jogging. He’ll lose weight, feel great and reduce his cancer risk.
Source: Cancer Research UK.
Joanna is a freelance health writer for The Mother magazine and Suite 101 with a column on infertility, http://infertility.suite101.com/. She is author of the book, 'Breast Milk: A Natural Immunisation,' and co-author of an educational resource on disabled parenting, in addition to running a charity for people damaged by vaccines or medical mistakes.
We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
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