The Health Promotion Administration (HPA) yesterday issued a set of 10 measures to prevent cancer as part of its efforts to help the public combat a disease that is expected to affect 22 million people worldwide annually over the next two decades.
“According to the current cancer statistics, the number of new cases of cancer has been on the rise annually in Taiwan, from about 91,000 in 2010 to 93,000 in 2011,” HPA Director-General Chiou Shu-ti (邱淑媞) said in a press release issued yesterday.
Chiou said the noticeable increase can be attributed to a number of factors, including aging demographics, lifestyle changes, the prevalence of obesity and the growing public awareness about the importance of screening for cancers.
Citing a global cancer report compiled by the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer in February, Chiou said that while the UN agency estimated new cancer cases could jump from 14 million per year in 2012 to 22 million by 2032, nearly one-third of cancers could be prevented.
“One of the 10 things to do to prevent such disease is to avoid tobacco, betel nuts and excessive consumption of alcohol. Research has linked 22 percent of cancer-related deaths to smoking and has identified betel nut as a first-class cancer-causing substance... There is also scientific evidence showing that drinking alcohol, be it red wine or beer, could increase a person’s risk of cancers and obesity,” Chiou said.
Chiou said the second preventive measure is to maintain a healthy weight, as excess weight has been proven to raise susceptibility to colorectal, breast, endometrial, pancreatic, stomach and esophagus cancers.
“Statistics show that after menopause, obese women are 1.5 times more prone to breast cancer than women of normal weight, while overweight people face double the chance of developing stomach and esophagus cancers than thinner people,” she added.
Another effective method is to get vaccinated against hepatitis B, infection of which is the most significant risk factor for liver cancer, and against human papillomavirus, which could lead to several gynecological cancers, such as cervical cancer, Chiou said.
Other preventive measures recommended by the agency include exercising 30 minutes per day, which could reduce the risk of colorectal, breast and uterine cancers; increasing intake of fruits, vegetables and mixed grains, while cutting down consumption of red meat and processed meat products; opting for low-calorie and less salty foods; avoiding over-dependence on nutritional supplements; and undergoing regular screening tests for cancers.
“In addition, new mothers are advised to breastfeed their baby for the first six months after birth, because breast milk contains a variety of nutrients that can lower the child’s chance of obesity. Doing so can also help adjust the mother’s hormones and decrease her breast cancer risk,” Chiou said.
Chiou said cancer patients who are now in remission should not only follow the above measures, but should also work to improve their quality of life to prevent recurrence.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all