The things giving you cancer aren’t what you think they are. There are a lot of factors that contribute to someone’s risk of cancer, but a recent survey of Americans found that most don’t have a good sense of what those things are. “According to a new study, fewer than half of Americans are aware that some major lifestyle factors can affect their cancer risk. Instead, many people worry about cancer-causing claims that aren’t backed by scientific evidence.” The most common factors contributing to risk of cancer include obesity, physical inactivity and diets high in red meat or low in fruits and vegetables. Instead, “between 54 percent and 62 percent of survey respondents believed that psychological stress, hormones in beef, genetically modified foods, and ‘food additives’ raise people’s cancer risk. Just over half believed artificial sweeteners cause cancer.” Unfortunately, many of those items have little to no evidence of being linked to cancer. The team thinks the media is partially to blame. “People may see news stories about individual studies finding a link or no link between a lifestyle factor and a given type of cancer. But in science, no single study is the final word. It’s the whole body of evidence that matters.” The team emphasizes that exercising, not smoking, eating lots of fruits and vegetables, and minimizing red meat in your diet are some of the best ways to avoid cancer. 

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