Smoking cigarettes is bad. We all know that. There are commercials for it. Billboards for it. Shoot, even the label of every pack of cigarettes has a warning from the Surgeon General, yet people still do it. And for those who don't do it, you think you may be better off? Well, think again.
Doing any of these see seemingly harmless things could be worse than smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.
Causes of lung cancer
Check out these 7 potential causes of lung cancer:
1. Sitting all-day
Sitting for lengthy periods of time causes many health problems, whether you are sitting at your desk at work, on your couch in front of the TV or in your car.
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According to 2014 research, inactivity is associated with almost 160,000 cases of breast, colon, prostate, and lung cancer every year – this is around two-thirds as many cases as caused by smoking.
In addition to cancer, you are also at risk of heart disease, diabetes, depression, and even premature death – even if you exercise regularly! Try to avoid sitting for prolonged periods and take frequent breaks at work.
2. Using Vegetable Oil
Who knew cooking could pollute the air? Apparently a number of studies in residential and restaurant kitchens have found that high-heat cooking with vegetable oil, also known as shortening or soybean oil, releases particulate matter, aldehydes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are all found in cigarette smoke and have been linked to airway inflammation. Instead of veggie oil, switch to olive oil.
READ: 5 Veggies That Boost Lung Function
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3. Cooking on the stove
Did you know that every time you cook, you get a dose of carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and formaldehyde? Those are the same contaminants present in secondhand cigarette smoke. Use a vent hood to reduce the pollution levels if you can’t discontinue using a gas stove.
4. Not getting enough sleep
Sleep deprivation not only makes you cranky and inefficient, it also hampers
your body productivity in a multitude of other ways.
Lack of sleep can trigger high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes and obesity. Even fragmented sleep can accelerate the growth of tumors. A study suggests that getting less than six or seven hours of sleep led to mortality rates equivalent to those in cigarette smokers.
5. Smoking Hookah
The social aspect of smoking is one of the reasons many people get started in the first place. The same is true of smoking hookah, which many believe to be better for your body than cigarettes. Sadly, this method of inhaling tobacco is just as bad, actually worse. One 2013 study revealed the water pipes actually expose users to higher levels of benzene, which has been linked to leukemia.
6. Eating too much meat and cheese
You might think eating a lot of meat is good for you as it contains protein, but animal proteins are rich in IGF-1, a growth hormone that can stimulate the growth of cancer cells.
The University of Southern California recently published a study that found that middle-aged people consuming high-animal-protein diets were four times more likely to die of cancer than people consuming low-protein diets – a death risk similar to that posed by smoking.
The solution is to switch some animal proteins with vegetable proteins as the study also found that plant-based proteins did not cause the same increase in cancer rates even though the protein levels were equivalent. However, once you cross the age of 65, the production of IGF-1 in your body slows down so animal protein isn’t as harmful then.
7. Keeping It All Bottled Up
When we're angry, many of us hold it in because it's not the right time or place to let it out, but you need to! Find an outlet to let out your anger. A University of Boston study found that people who didn't find an outlet for their anger (exercising, music, working out, creative outlets, etc) were 48% more likely to have some sort of heart disease or complication. So, make sure you "whoosh" somewhere, someway!
