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| Making
a Difference For Animals Every Day
Healthy
Living
SPRING 2003
Almost
every day, concerned animal advocates contact AAVS asking
how they can make a difference for animals in
laboratories. Often, advocates feel that they are not
doing enough when they shop for only cruelty-free goods or
write letters to their legislators and company CEOs on the
behalf of animals.
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One
way that we can greatly impact the lives of animals
in laboratories is through the lifestyle choices that we
make. Hundreds of thousands of animals suffer in labo-
ratories simply because humans eat meat, smoke, or
engage in other detrimental behaviors that negatively
affect our health, By adopting a healthier lifestyle,
we can help negate the so - called ‘need' for animals in
research, and improving the quality of our own lives
through healthier living ensures
that we can keep
mak ing a difference for animals every day!
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The Centers for disease Control and Prevention reports
that more than 1.2 million new cases of cancer were
diagnosed in 2002 in the U.S. This figure does not in-
clude the 1 million cases of non melanoma skin cancer
diagnosed last year.
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It is estimated that more than 550,000 Americans—
more than 1,500 people a day—died of cancer
in 2002
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Over one third of all cancers are believed to be diet re -
lated. At least 50 percent of all cancers in non-smokers
can he linked to poor eating habits.
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The American Cancer Institute estimates that a diet
rich in vegetables, fruit, legumes, and small amounts
of starch foods, combined with not smoking, can re-
duce the risk of developing cancer by 60-70 percent,
saving 375,000 American lives each year.
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A study of 88,000 women found that those who con-
sumed the most animal fat were twice as likely to de-
velop colon cancer t han those who ate less animal fat.
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The Program on Breast Cancer and Environmental
Risk Factors in New York State states that as much
as 30 percent of breast cancer risk has been linked
to diet.
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Researchers with the Nurses' health Study reported
a 17 percent lower rate of breast cancer
among women who consumed at least two
servings a day of fruits and vegetables
than those who consumed less than one
serving per day. Another study found that
consuming more than five servings a day of
vegetables reduces breast cancer risk by .54
percent.
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According to a 1996 Behavioral Risk
Factors Surveillance System survey, only
28 percent of women surveyed in New
York State said that they consumed at
least five servings of vegetables and fruit
per day.
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Scientists believe that two to five percent of all cancers
are caused by viruses, five percent manifest via genetic
factors, and the balance—over 90 percent—are
caused by our environment and lifestyle choices.
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The National Cancer Institute is currently conduct-
ing a clinical trial study to assess the beneficial
effects of a diet rich in vegetables and fruit.
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Dr. J. Robert Hatherill, author of Eat to Beat Cancer,
states that 30 percent of all cancer diagnoses in the
U.S. are caused by smoking, while 60 percent are
caused by poor diets.
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Smoking not only increases one’s risk of developing
lung cancer, hut it also contributes to bladder,
pancreas, and kidney cancers.
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Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer-related
deaths in both men and women. It claims over 431,000
lives per year in the U.S.
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Current and former smokers make up 90 percent of
patients with lung cancer.
.........................................................................................
Men who smoke one pack of cigarettes a day increase
their risk of developing lung cancer tenfold compared
to nonsmokers. Those who smoke two packs a day are
25 times more likely to suffer from cancer.
...................................................................................................
Individuals who stop smoking lower their risk of
cancer simply by kicking the habit. After 10 years,
ex- smokers’ risk of developing lung cancer lowers
to a third or even up to one half of the risk of those
who continue to smoke.
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The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classi-
fies secondhand smoke as a Group A carcinogen and
estimates that it causes 3000 lung cancer deaths in
non-smokers each year.
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The EPA drew its conclusions regarding secondhand
smoke and its cancer- causing potential after review-
ing data from more than 30 epidemiological studies
examining the effects of passive tobacco smoke.
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Breast cancer rates are much lower in
Africa, China, India, and Japan than in
Europe and North America. While it is
not known exactly why this geographi-
cal difference occurs, it is believed to
he environmentally related. Studies of
women whose mothers or grandmothers
immigrated to the U.S. from Japan
have shown that they have a similar
rate of cancer as western women.
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Scientists believe that some chemicals which are
often found in the environment can mimic the effect
of hormones. This is extremely disconcerting
when one considers that more than half of all breast
tumors depend on estrogen, a female hormone, for
growth.
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Scientists at Cornell University and
Pennsylvania State University estimate that
50 percent of breast cancer risk is associ-
ated with environmental factors, includ-
ing diet, lifestyle choices, and exposure
to pesticides and chemicals.
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Doctors say that yearly exams can de-
tect cancer early or even prevent it. For
example, the number of deaths due to cervi-
cal cancer in the U.S. decreased by 74 percent be-
tween 1955 and 1992 because women began getting
regular Pap tests.
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If ozone levels decrease by one percent, scientists say
that ultraviolet radiation levels will increase, leading
to
a three to six percent increased incidence of skin can-
cers, including up to a 12 percent increase in mortality
from melanoma.
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The international charity Cancer Research, UK
reports that women who consume one alcoholic
drink daily are seven percent more likely to develop
breast cancer than those who do not drink alcohol.
Those who consume six or more alcoholic drinks a
day increase their risk of developing breast cancer
by 46 percent.
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The American Institute for Cancer Research reports
that there is convincing evidence that excessive alcohol
consumption increases risk of developing cancers of
the mouth, pharynx, larynx, and esophagus in addition
to liver cancer.
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Scientists at the University of Helsinki reported
in their study findings that heavy drinkers are 20
times more likely to develop cancer of the mouth.
This figure jumps to 100 times when the drinker
also smokes.
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A report from the National Institutes of Health states
that cancer of the colon and rectum is the second
leading cause of cancer death in the 1.5. In 1991
an estimated 131,000 patients were diagnosed with
colorectal cancer with 55,000 people dying of the dis-
ease. Reportedly, up to 90 percent of colorectal cancer
deaths can he protected by regular screening and early
detection.
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The National Institutes of Health reports that the
direct and indirect costs of cancer in the U.S. to-
taled $156.7 billion in 2001..
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Copied from a page of the AV Magazine of
The American Anti-Vivisection Society
A Non-Profit Educational Organization Dedicated to
the Abolition of Vivisection.
Web Site: www.aavs.org
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