I feel like I am always hearing about how things are carcinogenic, like red meat or air conditioners or aspartame. Why does it seem like *so* many things are carcinogenic and does that mean they cause cancer? Because it’s starting to feel like everything causes cancer…
This is the type of thing that gets my anxiety going so I’d love if someone who understands this better than I do can explain it.
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Studies that find something to be carcinogenic (cancer causing) make the news because it creates an emotional response in people (fear) which sells well. This makes it seem like “everything” causes cancer, you hear about *every* study.
Cancer is caused when cells act odd, aren’t killed off by the immune system, AND they start to grow without limits. Sometimes they also spread (metastasize). This can be caused by your genetic history – something you inherited, random chance, or things that are known to harm our DNA and make them act oddly (carcinogens). [You can read more here.](https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/what-is-cancer#:~:text=Cancer%20is%20a%20disease%20caused,are%20also%20called%20genetic%20changes) The more exposure you have to things that can damage your DNA the more likely you will get cancer.
If the news about this kind of stuff is upsetting, which I understand as someone with a family history of cancer, then I’d stop listening. Instead, check out what all that research has led to in terms of recommendations and lists of known factors that are within your control.
Some factors taken from the [same website include:](https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/patient-prevention-overview-pdq)
Risk Factors
KEY POINTS
Factors That are Known to Increase the Risk of Cancer
* Cigarette Smoking and Tobacco Use
* Infections
* Radiation
* Immunosuppressive Medicines After Organ Transplant
Factors That May Affect the Risk of Cancer
* Diet
* Alcohol
* Physical Activity
* Obesity
* Diabetes
* Environmental Risk Factors – *Being exposed to chemicals and other substances in the environment has been linked to some cancers: Links between air pollution and cancer risk have been found. These include links between lung cancer and secondhand tobacco smoke, outdoor air pollution, and asbestos.Drinking water that contains a large amount of arsenic has been linked to skin, bladder, and lung cancers.Studies have been done to see if pesticides and other pollutants increase the risk of cancer. The results of those studies have been unclear because other factors can change the results of the studies.*
If this list sounds exactly like you’d expect it to, then that’s why it doesn’t make the news very much. Things that “may” be linked to cancer haven’t made the list yet, so I’d focus on reducing risks that are known if that makes you feel better. Neither you nor I are cancer research scientists and probably shouldn’t be making life decisions on studies we can’t really talk about the validity of (*Are their sample sizes big enough? Did that regression work well with the data or should another statistical analysis have been used instead?* And so on.)
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