Interview with prevention expert: “Every second case of cancer could be prevented”

Medicine has made great progress in cancer therapy. But the prevention expert Dr. Karin Michels is certain: every second case of cancer could be avoided if we lived healthier.

Dr. Karin Michels:"It's difficult to do everything right. But I live a relatively healthy life. I'm a vegetarian and very slim, I don't smoke, I only drink a glass of white wine every now and then and I always take the stairs. Only chocolate sometimes makes me weak. The sugar "The fat promotes diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, so it's best to only eat in small quantities."

"For around 40 percent of cancer patients, we don't yet know why they got it. It could be due to genetic changes that we don't yet know about. Climate change, environmental pollution, pollutants in clothing and building materials may also promote the growth of tumors."

"Yes! At least half of all cancers could be prevented through regular screening and a healthy lifestyle. Unfortunately, our lifestyle habits are currently deteriorating. Sure, there are more vegans today, vegetable smoothies are hip and people are going to yoga. But the bottom line is life Only a fraction of the population is still healthy. The vast majority continue to eat far too much meat, fast food and fried foods. Many young people in their early 20s drink too much alcohol, smoke and vape. Obesity and diabetes are becoming increasingly common even pandemic-like.”

"I'm sure that behavior in childhood and adolescence plays a role in whether you get cancer or not. At least 80 percent of teenagers in this country don't exercise enough. They eat an unhealthy diet with too many soft drinks and ready meals - and eat All risk factors for colon cancer. Let's take Japan. Colon cancer wasn't an issue there. Nowadays, people in Japan mainly ate tofu, vegetables and fish "After fast food chains opened there, the Japanese also eat a lot of red meat."

"Absolutely. Cancers take years to decades to develop. Adolescence is also a sensitive phase when it comes to breast cancer: When girls are around twelve years old, their breasts suddenly start to grow. The cells divide quickly, the breast is proven to be more susceptible to factors that make you sick. This ranges from diet to environmental toxins to hormone-active substances in cosmetics. And the cause of cancer can be even further back: being overweight at birth increases the later risk of breast cancer.

"In the last 20 years, our understanding, diagnosis and treatment of cancer have changed significantly. Many new therapies are now more precisely tailored to the characteristics of individual tumors. Personal circumstances and the variety of therapies allow us to provide more individualized cancer medicine. One day everyone will probably know their personal prevention profile and what they need to pay attention to."

"Everyone gets a chip card with their genetic and epigenetic data and their intestinal flora profile. This means, for example, that one person has to be careful with red meat, another person should avoid sugar or, above all, exercise a lot. I hope "That makes it easier to encourage prevention. If people have to pay attention to all lifestyle factors at once, they're overwhelmed. But if you can focus on one or two things, it's easier."

"Stop smoking! Smokers have twice the risk of dying from cancer as non-smokers. Smoking causes mutations in the cell that the body can no longer repair at some point. But obesity and the diabetes that is often associated with it also increase this Cancer risk: Insulin promotes the growth of cancer cells. Fat tissue also releases hormones, so-called adipokines, which promote cancer growth. The top 5 things to do when it comes to preventing cancer are: drinking "Limit alcohol as much as possible, exercise and eat healthily."

"As long as you're healthy, prevention looks bleak. We know the risk factors, but many people don't care. They think it won't get me. The situation is completely different if someone already has cancer. Then the main thing is to do it Women do everything they're told: they eat healthily and exercise, but exercise has a big impact on survival after a cancer diagnosis.

The professor of tumor epidemiology has been director of the Institute for Prevention and Tumor Epidemiology at the University Hospital of Freiburg since 2013. She is considered an expert on the causes of breast cancer and analyzes the influence of nutrition on maintaining health

Interview: Constanze Löffler

The full interview with expert Dr. You can find Karin Michels in the current friend at the kiosk from March 20, 2024. Of course you can also read girlfriend digitally.