40% of cancers are caused by 30 controllable factors

40% of cancers are caused by 30 controllable factors

Not all cancers are written in your genes. A sweeping new report from the World Health Organization found that up to four in 10 cancer cases around the globe could be prevented with lifestyle changes. In the large international study, researchers identified 30 modifiable risk factors that fuel the disease — including, for the first … Read more

Biggest dementia signs are bad news for teetotalers, slackers

Biggest dementia signs are bad news for teetotalers, slackers

Brain health should be top of mind as we age. Nearly 7 million Americans have been diagnosed with dementia, which slowly erodes memory, thinking skills and the ability to perform basic tasks. Now, economists at the nonprofit research organization RAND have identified several factors that can strongly predict at 60 if you’ll develop cognitive impairment and dementia by 80, including never drinking alcohol … Read more

9 ways to reduce the risk of early-onset cancer: experts

9 ways to reduce the risk of early-onset cancer: experts

Cancer may seem like an old person’s disease, but studies have shown that certain types have become increasingly prevalent in Americans younger than 50. Recent research found that Gen X and millennial Americans are at higher risk of developing 17 cancers compared to older generations. Rates of colon cancer diagnoses, for example, have increased by 15% in adults … Read more

14 behaviors to blame for nearly half of dementia cases: report

14 behaviors to blame for nearly half of dementia cases: report

Vision loss and high cholesterol increase the likelihood of developing dementia, according to a new report that says nearly half of dementia cases could be delayed or prevented by addressing 14 risk factors. The Lancet Commission, composed of 27 dementia experts, previously identified 12 lifestyle struggles responsible for 40% of dementia cases, with hearing loss, … Read more

U.S. life expectancy drops to nearly 30-year low: new OECD report

U.S. life expectancy drops to nearly 30-year low: new OECD report

Life expectancy for Americans has dropped to the lowest levels in nearly three decades, according to a prominent global report. With a middling current average of 76.4 years, the United States has now been eclipsed by nearly every other developed nation, according to recent data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The … Read more