Healthy lifestyle can’t spare you from cancer

■ Medical fraternity still unclear on causes of disease

What causes cancer? This is the big question that has been haunting the medical community for years as no one really knows what’s causing the deadly disease.

But the rising incidence of cancer in “healthy individuals” — who have had no previous triggers or were considered not at risk — is particularly baffling and doctors say it could be the result of environmental factors such as pesticide contamination in the food chain, adulteration and cooking methods.

But such factors seem to be affecting only a few and have had no major impact on the total number of cases.

“It has been determined that food and dietary habits do have a role to play because recent studies have shown that in India, one in eight men are at risk. In women, it’s one in seven,” says Dr Sanjai Addla, a senior urooncologist in the city.

“In the West meanwhile, it is one in four men and one in three women. The biggest difference is the diet difference between the cultures. The West – with its use of processed meat, artificial flavours and high sugar content – runs a higher risk of cancer,” Dr Addla adds.

In a vegetarian diet, this risk is minimised but then there are other risks such as environmental pollution, exposure to chemicals, increased use of tobacco and alcohol and increasing obesity levels. These causal factors cannot be ignored.

Dr Vijay Anand Reddy, a senior oncologist, explains: “Recent studies have shown that women who are working at night are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer. Cosmetic implants cause cancer in 25 per cent of women who have used them. These are new triggers, apart from those who have been exposed to hormone-replacement therapies or radiation.”

A healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet has been recommended by doctors but experts claim there’s no guarantee.

Dr Amit Jotwani, a senior oncologist, says: “We often come across cases in which cancer has caught a perfectly healthy individual. And this is despite regular exercise, intake of organic food and a diet rich in fibre and vitamins. This is the most baffling part. What we have understood so far is that there is something going wrong right at the gene level or within the DNA.”

This problem is the likely cause of uncontrolled growth of cancerous cells, he adds.