Will the number of cancer patients increase significantly? It is recommended to do these 5 things to actively increase your "anti-cancer ability"!

“In general, the incidence of cancer in my country is currently in a relatively rapid rise. As the aging population continues to intensify, the number of cancer patients will increase significantly in the next 5 to 10 years.” Chen Zhu, Chinese chairman of the forum, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and president of the Chinese Red Cross Society, said at the “China-France International Forum on Translational Medicine and Precision Diagnosis and Treatment” on May 27-28. [1]

01

Why are older people more likely to get cancer?

Jiang Yongsheng, chief physician of the Department of Oncology at Tongji Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, explained in an article published on the hospital’s official account in 2018:

1. Tumors have a long incubation period

The susceptibility of middle-aged and elderly people to tumors is primarily related to the etiology and biological characteristics of tumors. The formation of tumors is often the result of years of chronic stimulation and long-term exposure to carcinogens . It is a relatively long process, and the incubation period of tumors is generally as long as 10 to 30 years.

2. The older you are, the longer you are exposed to carcinogenic factors.

80% of the causes of cancer come from external carcinogens, most of which are chemical carcinogens. People who live and work in an environment with such carcinogens are more or less exposed to carcinogens. The older you are and the longer you are exposed, the greater your chance of getting cancer.

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3. As we age, our immunity begins to decline

As we age, our organs and immune system function decline, and our immune surveillance and clearance of tumor cells decrease. We are more susceptible to various external carcinogenic factors than young people, giving tumors a chance to occur and develop. [2]

02

We must learn to actively increase our “anti-cancer power”

Professor He Yumin of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine pointed out in his book "Anti-cancer Power" that the so-called anti-cancer power refers to a comprehensive ability of the human body, which is manifested as the body's maintenance, adaptation, repair and enhancement of normal functions in a state of physical and mental coordination. Immune recognition and surveillance functions are only one aspect of "anti-cancer power." [3]

1. Good "anti-cancer power" can be seen from eating

It is recommended to maintain a healthy diet of three meals a day, ensuring that four major food groups are consumed every day, including cereals and tubers (grains), vegetables and fruits, proteins (especially high-quality proteins), and fats and oils (including cooking oils and nuts). It is recommended to eat more than 25 kinds of food a week to help ensure a balanced and reasonable combination of nutrition. [4]

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Chronic low-grade inflammation in the body is one of the mechanisms that induce tumors. The Expert Consensus on Anti-Inflammatory Diet to Prevent Tumors recommends that we choose to consume more whole grains, unsaturated fats, vegetables, fruits, tea, and high-quality protein (fish, poultry, eggs, lean red meat, low-fat dairy products, soy foods, nuts), etc. [5]

2. Moderate exercise can help "fight cancer"

A study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise in September 2021 showed that exercise not only improves overall health, but also releases a "secret weapon" that slows the growth of cancer cells - myokines, creating a "cancer-suppressing environment" in the body. [6]

Excessive or tiring exercise is not recommended. Relaxed aerobic exercise is recommended to help improve human endurance. Running, yoga, Tai Chi, and Ba Duan Jin are all good sports. Adults are recommended to do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week. [4]

3. A good attitude is the guarantee of "anti-cancer ability"

Song Shaojun, director of the Department of Neurosurgery at Hainan Cancer Hospital, published an article in Health Times in 2019 pointing out that bad emotions are a risk factor for cancer! Gastric cancer, liver cancer, and even intracranial malignancies are related to irritability, pettiness, and excessive suppression of one’s emotions. [7]

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It is recommended that young and middle-aged people arrange their working hours reasonably, do relaxation training every day, vent negative emotions in moderation, maintain contact with the outside world, actively encourage themselves, and improve immunity by adjusting their mental state.

4. Good sleep is a natural immune barrier

Sleep is closely related to human immunity. A famous immunologist discovered through a "self-sleep" experiment that good sleep can significantly increase the number of two types of lymphocytes in the body. Lymphocytes play an important role in the fight against malignant tumors.

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If you don't get enough sleep, the number of cells responsible for fighting viruses and tumors will decrease, and the chance of getting sick will increase. You don't have to sleep for 8 hours, as long as you wake up in the morning and feel refreshed.

5. Recognize that physical discomfort is also a skill

Elderly people should be more vigilant when they feel unwell. It is best to have regular physical examinations to detect potential tumor lesions early. Dr. Jiang Yongsheng reminds us that common early warning symptoms of tumors are:

①Persistent hoarseness, dry cough, and blood in sputum;

② Weight loss, anemia, or changes in bowel habits, blood in the stool;

③Dysphagia and discomfort behind the sternum;

④Headache, tinnitus, hearing loss, bloody nasopharyngeal secretions;

⑤Painless hematuria;

⑥ Abnormal lumps appearing on the superficial parts of the body, changes in the color and size of moles or warts on the surface of the body;

⑦ Skin and mucous membrane ulcers that do not heal;

⑧ Fever of unknown cause;

⑨Irregular and abnormal vaginal bleeding. [2]

References:

[1] 2023-05-28 The Paper, “Academician Chen Zhu: As the aging population deepens, the number of cancer patients in China will increase significantly in the next 5-10 years”

[2] 2018-10-19 Tongji Hospital of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, "[Tongji Popular Science] Beware of these ten symptoms, don't let old age diseases cover up old age cancer"

[3] Anti-cancer Power. Written by He Yumin. Shanghai Science and Technology Press.

[4] Live Healthy: Immunity is a Good Doctor. Wang Guiqiang, Wang Lixiang, Zhang Wenhong. People's Medical Publishing House

[5] Expert consensus on anti-inflammatory diet for cancer prevention[J]. Electronic Journal of Cancer Metabolism and Nutrition, 2023, 10(1): 57-63.

[6]Myokine Expression and Tumor-suppressive Effect of Serum following 12 Weeks of Exercise in Prostate Cancer Patients on ADT. Medicine & Science In Sports & Exercise.2021.

[7] 2019-11-22 Health Times: "Bad emotions are also a risk factor for cancer"

Review｜Li Nannan Director of Hunan Science Writers Association, Deputy Director of Research and Publicity Department of Hunan Science and Technology Association, Second-level Researcher, Chinese Science Writer (Medical Field)

Source: Health Times

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