Lifestyle accounts for 40% of cancers

A recent report from Cancer Research UK suggests that over 40% of all cancers diagnosed every year in the UK are caused by avoidable lifestyle choices.

Smoking, drinking alcohol, weight and poor diet are all big contributors to cancer rates. Tobacco is the biggest contributor to cancer rates and causes approximately 23% of all cancers in men and 15.6% in women.

For men, a lack of fruit and vegetables in their diet is the second biggest cause of cancer, followed by occupational hazards, alcohol and weight. However, for women, the second biggest cause of cancer is being overweight, followed by infections, exposure to sun and sun beds and a lack of fruit and veg.

Different risk factors are linked to different cancers, such as smoking and lung cancer, obesity and breast cancer, stomach cancer and salt consumption.

However, whilst some cancers such as mouth and throat cancer are caused almost exclusively by lifestyle choices, others such as gall bladder cancer are not related.

Experts are advising men to stop smoking and reduce alcohol consumption, whilst eating more fruit and veg. For women they are also advising quitting smoking and maintaining a healthy weight.

Dr Harpal Kumar from Cancer Research UK suggested that whilst leading a healthy lifestyle does not guarantee complete protection from cancer, it does help to reduce the risks.

Importance of health insurance

There is a wide variety of insurance that insurance companies are offering millions of people worldwide. But health insurance is probably the most significant insurance that you can ever have. In this time where multiple diseases and illnesses are ever present wherever you go, it is of utmost importance to arm yourself with a health insurance to protect you from future burden of looking for money to treat yourself from a certain illness or disease. It is a great comfort if you have the knowledge that whenever you will have to go to a hospital or if you will have unforeseen accidents you need not worry because you have a health insurance to back you up, and will take care of your hospitalization needs. This will lift some burden from your shoulders, and all you will need to do is concentrate on getting well.

Though some people are adamant in never buying a health insurance for unreasonable thinking that they are healthy enough and will never need to use hospital amenities for they take care of their health in the right and proper way, these people, as few as they are, are stubborn and have no view of the future unexpected accidents and happenings. Their pride will lead them to doom if a time will come that will be confronted with diseases or illnesses, or have some accidents. For no matter how careful a person may be, the fact remains that not all people surrounding them are as careful as they are. Many will be reckless that will result in catastrophes. If this will happen, then those people having wrong perceptions about the health insurance benefits will suffer major burdens of not enjoying a health insurance coverage.

Health insurance in many ways is beneficial to all. Especially to those who have health problems, a health insurance is very important to ensure freedom from the risks of not having enough cash or credit to pay off hospital bills. Health insurance will take care of the financial expenses so the family of the hospitalized will have no trouble in struggling to find ways to settle the bills. Though it will surely cost money to buy a health insurance, the end result will be worth it. The uncertainty of having to utilize the health insurance is a factor that is stopping some people in purchasing, for money will be spent for hospital purposes in the future, while people are doing their best to keep a healthy body, exercising and participating in a healthy and balanced diet to ensure excellent health.

Money is a monetary value that can be acquired through hard work and perseverance, but life cannot be purchased at any cost. And so to make sure that life will be protected, buying a health insurance will be the smartest way to live. A life lived peacefully in the knowledge of having a back up health insurance to take care of medical expenses is a great way to spend months and years of any one’s life, to live life to the fullest and enjoy every moment.