How to avoid carcinogens

Cancer is caused by changes in a cell’s DNA. Some of these changes can be inherited, others may be caused by environmental factors – these are known as carcinogens.

Some carcinogens do not affect DNA directly, but lead to cancer in other ways by, for example, causing cells to divide at a faster than normal rate, which could increase the chance of altering DNA.

Here are the list of cancer causing agents:

Smoking

Chemicals in cigarette smoke – specifically benzene, polonium-210, benzopyrene and nitrosamines – cause cancer by directly damaging our DNA including the genes that help protect us from cancer. 

The chemicals in cigarettes enter our blood stream which then get pumped around our bodies by our ever helpful hearts. This is why smoking also increases the risk of at least 13 other cancers including cancers of the larynx, oesophagus, mouth and pharynx, bladder, pancreas, kidney, liver, stomach, bowel, cervix, ovary, nose and sinuses and some types of leukaemia.

Alcohol

When you drink alcohol, the cancer-causing chemical acetaldehyde is formed. And no type of alcohol is better or worse than another.

Acetaldehyde causes cancer by making our liver cells grow faster than normal. These regenerating liver cells are then more likely to pick up changes in their genes that could then lead to cancer. Alcohol can also affect the level of oestrogen in our bodies, and high levels of this hormone can increase the risk of breast cancer.

Meat

The way meat is cooked can also expose us to cancer-causing chemicals, specifically heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

These chemicals are formed when meat is cooked using high-temperature methods, especially at temperatures of above 149C, such as frying or grilling over an open flame. Meats cooked at high temperatures or for a long time tend to form more HCAs. Smoked or charred meats create PAH. HCAs and PAHs damage DNA after they are metabolised by enzymes in the body, a process known as bioactivation.

But some epidemiologic studies found that high consumption of well-done or fried meats was associated with increased risks of colorectal, pancreatic, and prostate cancer.