Answered questions
Cancer
70 answered questions · 499 studies
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Which cancers does alcohol play a role in?
Alcohol increases the risk of several types of cancer, most strongly for mouth, throat, oesophageal and liver cancer. Even at…
Does glyphosate increase your risk of lymph node cancer?
Whether glyphosate causes lymph node cancer remains unresolved after several large analyses. If you are occupationally exposed…
Moderate evidence
Does linoleic acid in tissue increase the risk of skin cancer?
There are preliminary indications that higher linoleic acid levels are associated with a higher melanoma risk, but the…
Preliminary evidence
What is the role of chronic inflammation in the development of cancer?
Chronic inflammation is a proven driver of cancer: it promotes every step of tumour formation and makes tumours more resistant…
Which cancer screenings are worthwhile, and from what age?
Colorectal cancer screening from age 50 and mammography from age 40 have the best evidence base for the average person; lung…
Moderate evidence
Can you repair DNA damage, or can you only prevent it?
Your body actively repairs DNA damage through multiple well-studied mechanisms, but that repair is not always perfect and…
Strong evidence
Does your telomere length tell you anything useful about your health?
Telomere length is a relevant biological measure, but does not give a clear-cut signal: shorter telomeres increase the risk of…
How can you detect melanoma early?
The best way to detect melanoma early is to check your skin regularly, know the ABCDE features, and consult a dermatologist if…
Moderate evidence
Does alcohol increase your risk of cancer, even at one drink per day?
Yes, even one drink per day measurably increases cancer risk, particularly for breast cancer. No amount of alcohol has been…
Yes · Strong evidence
Does eating less red meat lower your risk of cancer?
Eating less red meat and processed meat probably lowers your risk of colorectal cancer; the association is strongest and best…
Yes · Strong evidence
Why does the risk of cancer increase with age?
Cancer becomes more common with age because DNA damage accumulates, the immune system declines, and damaged dormant cells can…
What is the relationship between cancer and senescent cells?
Senescent cells initially protect against cancer, but when they accumulate they can actually promote tumour growth through…
What does smoking do to your gut and gut microbiome?
Smoking disrupts your gut microbiome and increases the risk of intestinal inflammation, gastrointestinal complaints and…
Does having type 2 diabetes increase your risk of certain cancers?
Type 2 diabetes increases the risk of several cancers, including liver, pancreatic, uterine, and colorectal cancer. If you…
Is it true that artificial sweeteners cause cancer?
The vast majority of population research does not confirm a causal association between artificial sweeteners and cancer. There…
Does working with pesticides increase your risk of cancer?
Working with pesticides is associated in multiple studies with an increased risk of several types of cancer, including…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does maintaining a healthy weight still help after a cancer diagnosis?
For most cancer types, a healthy weight after diagnosis is associated with better survival, but note: unintentional weight…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Can low progesterone levels cause symptoms before menopause?
Low progesterone levels can cause symptoms before menopause, but whether it is the true cause or a secondary finding has not…
Preliminary evidence
Does a chronic hepatitis B or C infection increase your risk of liver cancer?
Yes, a chronic hepatitis B or C infection strongly and demonstrably causally increases your risk of liver cancer. Get tested…
Do lycopene and tomatoes protect against prostate cancer?
Processed tomato products are linked to a lower risk of prostate cancer, but whether lycopene is the cause is not certain.…
Moderate evidence
Does eating burnt food increase your risk of cancer?
Burnt or heavily grilled meat contains substances that cause cancer in animal studies, but whether ordinary exposure…
Preliminary evidence
Does sitting a lot increase my risk of cancer, even if I exercise?
Sitting a lot increases your risk of certain cancers, even if you exercise. In addition to moving regularly, try to reduce…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does fasting or intermittent fasting help prevent cancer?
There is no evidence that fasting prevents cancer in people. Results from animal studies are promising but contradictory. If…
Preliminary evidence
Does a Helicobacter infection in your stomach increase your risk of stomach cancer?
An H. pylori infection demonstrably increases your risk of stomach cancer, but the risk for any individual remains limited.…
Is it true that a low-fat diet protects against breast cancer?
Simply eating less fat probably offers no demonstrable protection against breast cancer. Those who want to reduce their risk…
No · Preliminary evidence
Does eating from plastic packaging increase your risk of cancer?
There are indications that certain substances from plastic packaging, such as BPA and PCBs, are associated with a higher…
Preliminary evidence
Are there dietary patterns that have been proven to reduce your risk of cancer?
The Mediterranean diet and sufficient vegetables and fruit are consistently associated with a lower cancer risk, although the…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does heavy mobile phone use increase the risk of brain tumours?
With normal use, the research shows no increased risk of brain tumours; with more than ten years of use there are weak…
No · Moderate evidence
What does the HPV vaccine do against cervical cancer?
The HPV vaccine provides strong protection against cervical cancer, but works best when received before first sexual contact;…
Is it true that circumcision protects against penile cancer and HPV?
Circumcision early in life is associated with a clearly lower risk of invasive penile cancer and a reduced likelihood of…
Does working at night increase my risk of cancer?
Night work probably increases the risk of breast cancer, and possibly of other types of cancer. If you have been working night…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does aspirin or ibuprofen protect against bowel cancer?
Aspirin demonstrably protects against bowel cancer in people with a hereditary elevated risk (Lynch syndrome) and in people…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does using the contraceptive pill increase my risk of cancer?
The pill demonstrably lowers the risk of ovarian and uterine cancer, but slightly raises the risk of breast cancer with…
Moderate evidence
Does taking vitamin D help against cancer?
If you already have sufficient vitamin D in your blood, extra supplementation probably does not help against cancer. If you…
No · Moderate evidence
Can smoking permanently damage your DNA?
Smoking damages your DNA in multiple ways simultaneously, and some of that damage is permanent; quitting genuinely helps, but…
Does passive smoking (secondhand smoke) increase your risk of cancer?
Passive smoking increases your risk of cancer, with the strongest evidence for lung cancer. The risk is real but smaller than…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Is it true that smoking causes cancers other than lung cancer?
Smoking is causally linked to at least fifteen cancers outside the lung; quitting smoking reduces that risk, and the sooner…
Does green tea protect against cancer?
Drinking green tea is safe and people who drink it develop cancer slightly less often, but whether the tea itself is the cause…
Moderate evidence
Does eating a lot of sugar increase my risk of cancer?
Drinking large amounts of sugary drinks is associated with a noticeably higher risk of certain cancers, especially early-onset…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Should you get tested for hereditary breast cancer?
Breast cancer can be hereditary, and if you recognise multiple cases in your family, it is sensible to discuss this with your…
Yes · Strong evidence
Is a colonoscopy the only way to detect bowel cancer early?
A colonoscopy is not the only way to detect bowel cancer early. Stool-based tests, CT scans and sigmoidoscopy are recognised…
No · Moderate evidence
Does a large belly increase my risk of cancer more than being simply overweight?
A large belly raises the risk of several types of cancer more than being simply overweight, especially in men. Having your…
Yes · Strong evidence
What does eating red meat do to your gut in the long term?
Eating a lot of red and processed meat measurably increases your risk of colorectal cancer, although for most people the…
Can DNA damage in your cells repair itself?
Your cells repair DNA damage continuously and systematically, but the system is not infallible: chronic overload or a defect…
Does drinking coffee protect against liver cancer?
Drinking coffee is consistently associated with a lower risk of liver cancer, and that association is better supported than…
Yes · Strong evidence
What does too much sun do to your DNA?
Too much sun damages your DNA in a way that can demonstrably lead to skin cancer; sun protection and monitoring medication use…
Does poor sleep increase my risk of cancer?
Poor sleep, and sleep apnea and night-shift work in particular, is associated with an increased cancer risk. Whether you…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does metformin lower your risk of cancer or dementia?
People with diabetes who take metformin may develop cancer and dementia less often, but the evidence is mixed and does not…
Preliminary evidence
Which supplements or medications are best not combined with NAD+?
The combination of NAD+ supplements, particularly nicotinamide, with platinum-based chemotherapy is the most concrete reason…
Preliminary evidence
What does telomerase do to the length of your telomeres?
Telomerase keeps telomeres intact for longer by compensating for shortening during cell division, but in most body cells the…
Does niacinamide (vitamin B3) make a visible difference for your skin?
Niacinamide cream (5%) demonstrably improves ageing skin and uneven skin tone, and is safe to use. For people with a history…
Yes · Moderate evidence
Does stress really lower your immune system?
Prolonged stress demonstrably lowers your immune system: fewer active immune cells, a weaker response to vaccines and a…
Can long-term inflammation in your body cause cancer?
Prolonged inflammation is one of the most robustly supported risk factors for cancer. Well-known causes such as smoking,…
Is breast cancer screening worth it?
Participating in breast cancer screening may offer a small benefit, but the chance of unnecessary treatment or a…
Moderate evidence
Should I, as a man, be tested for prostate cancer with the PSA test?
Whether the PSA test is worthwhile depends on your personal risk. Men aged 55 to 69 with an elevated risk, such as a family…
Moderate evidence
Does being overweight increase my risk of cancer, and if so, which types?
Excess weight increases your risk of at least 13 types of cancer, including uterine, colorectal, breast and liver cancer.…
From how much alcohol do I actually face a higher risk of cancer?
Even with light drinking your risk of mouth, throat, oesophageal and breast cancer is already measurably higher. A safe lower…
Does drinking less alcohol meaningfully reduce your cancer risk?
Drinking less alcohol meaningfully reduces your risk of several cancer types, although it takes years before the full effect…
Yes · Strong evidence
Does red and processed meat really increase your risk of colorectal cancer?
Multiple large studies consistently show that high consumption of red meat, and especially processed meat, raises the risk of…
Which lifestyle factors reduce your cancer risk the most?
Not smoking, a healthy weight, regular exercise and little or no alcohol have the strongest and best-supported protective…
Strong evidence
Are DNA methylation tests for biological age worth the money?
The underlying technology has scientific merit, but commercial tests have not yet been independently validated and the…
Moderate evidence
Does eating a high-fibre diet help protect against colorectal cancer?
Eating more fibre, especially through whole grains, is consistently associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer. Whether…
Yes · Strong evidence
Does bowel cancer screening really help (fewer deaths)?
For people between 45 and 75 with an average risk, bowel cancer screening is worthwhile and widely recommended. It…
Yes · Strong evidence
Is there a safe amount of alcohol?
If you want to limit your health risks, stopping completely is the most well-supported choice. Major international health…
Moderate evidence
Is red and processed meat really bad for me?
Yes, and this applies above all to processed meat: the association with colorectal cancer and cardiovascular disease is solid…
Yes · Strong evidence
What can I do myself to lower my risk of cancer?
By not smoking, limiting alcohol, maintaining a healthy weight, and moving enough, you can meaningfully lower your risk of…
Moderate evidence
Is a full-body MRI scan worthwhile as a preventive measure?
For healthy people without elevated risk, the added value of a full-body MRI has not yet been proven: many detected…
Moderate evidence
Which health checks are genuinely worthwhile and which are a waste of money?
Cervical cancer screening (ages 21-65) and lung cancer screening (ages 50-80, 20+ pack-years) have the strongest evidence base…
Moderate evidence
Does exercise lower my risk of cancer?
Regular physical activity is associated with a clearly lower risk of several cancers in large population studies. Alongside…
Yes · Strong evidence
Does eating processed meat such as sausage and ham give me colorectal cancer?
Eating a lot of processed meat measurably raises your risk of colorectal cancer by around 18-21%. Eating less sausage and ham,…
Yes · Strong evidence