Is Cancer Prevention Effective in the United States? (1:06)
Preventable factors are to blame for many cancers in the U.S., according to Dr. Otis Webb Brawley. In this HealthMakers video, he spotlights two leading causes: smoking and obesity.
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The United States does a very poor job in terms of disease prevention overall especially disease prevention in cancer. I am very concerned about the fact that 20 to 22% of Americans still smoke cigarettes, and we know it causes 15 different kinds of cancer. We have a huge obesity problem, 4% of kids were obese in 1970 and it's 20% today and we know that kids who get obese never get skinny in adulthood or rarely get skinny in adulthood.
Obesity, bad nutrition and lack of physical activity is like a three legged stool and it is now the second leading cause of cancer. In the next 10-15 years, it could surpass tobacco as the leading cause of cancer. So here we have something that's incredibly preventable, something a problem it didn't exist in the 1960's and now it's going to start pushing our cancer mortality rates up in the next 10-15 years.
Certain foods and lifestyle choices may help in preventing or fighting cancer. From lung cancer, to cervical cancer to skin cancer-- get expert advice on healthy ways to help prevent and fight cancer.
