Global Health Experts Say Curbing Drinking and Smoking Can Help Reduce Cancer

Cutting down on drinking alcohol and smoking, in addition to improving diets and increasing physical activity, could help prevent up to 2.8 million cases of cancer worldwide each year, according to the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF).

The group released a report in advance of a United Nations summit on non-communicable diseases, which called on governments to avoid what it called a “public health disaster,” Reuters reports. The WCRF report states that the number of cancers has jumped by one-fifth worldwide in less than 10 years, to an estimated 12 million new cases a year. The group estimates that about one-third of all common cancers can be prevented by lifestyle changes including reducing smoking and drinking.

About seven million cancer cases each year occur in developing countries, and that number is expected to significantly increase, according to the report.