Prior research has looked at the individual effects of smoking, alcohol use, body mass index, and physical activity on the risk of pancreatic cancer. However, the combined effect of lifestyle factors is not well-established. Scientists report that having a high healthy lifestyle score reduces the risk of developing pancreatic cancer.
Researchers from the National Cancer Institute and their colleagues analyzed information gathered from the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study, which involved a total of 450,416 adults aged 50 to 71 years. They identified 1057 participants with pancreatic cancer. The researchers also developed a healthy lifestyle score based on 5 healthy lifestyle factors - nonsmoking, limited alcohol use, adherence to a Mediterranean diet, body mass index greater than or equal to 18 and less than 25, and regular physical activity. They found that study participants who scored 5 points on the healthy lifestyle score had a 58% reduction in the risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared to those who scored no points.
Pancreatic cancer has a poor prognosis, even when it is diagnosed early. This large study provides evidence that the combined impact of multiple healthy lifestyle factors may substantially reduces the risk of developing pancreatic cancer.
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