In that it is well established that certain lifestyle habits relate to the risk of certain cancers, D M Parkin, from Queen Mary University of London (United Kingdom), and colleagues have completed a study that estimates the proportions of cancer in the population associated with a variety of lifestyle and environmental factors. The team found that smoking exerts, by far, the largest effect on the risk of cancer, with 19.4% of cancer cases in the UK attributable to tobacco use. A poor diet (less intake of fruits and vegetables and fiber and greater intake of meat and salt), obesity, and alcohol are the next most important factors that relate to cancer, with alcohol being calculated to relate to 4.0% of cancer cases in the UK. The study authors observe that: “Population-attributable fractions provide a valuable quantitative appraisal of the impact of different factors in cancer causation, and are thus helpful in prioritizing cancer control strategies.”
