Don't smoke? Doesn't matter. You could still be doing damage to your long-term health.
By Emily Main, Rodale News
You don't smoke. You live a generally healthy life, so you're in the clear as far as unhealthy habits are concerned, right?
Not so fast! It seems like every day, a new study comes out finding
that habit X is "as bad for you as smoking," whether it's sitting all
day or eating too much fat. So is there any legitimacy to those claims?
We checked out a bunch of those studies to find out what the researchers
mean when they claim that those things are as bad for you as
cigarettes, and in most cases, they're not lying. The following six
unhealthy habits either expose you to the same contaminants in cigarette
smoke or lead to cancer rates equivalent to those caused by smoking.
Fortunately, these are easy to fix with a few modifications to your
daily routine so you (and your heart and your lungs) can be glad you
don't in fact smoke.
PLUS: A recent
report projected that cancer will be the leading cause of death in the U.S. by 2030. Take control of your life and
learn how to cancerproof your environment!
#1: Sitting all day.
Even if you exercise regularly, habitually sitting for prolonged
periods, whether at a desk or in a car, is being increasingly linked to a
variety of health problems. According to Alberta Health Services-Cancer
Care in Canada, inactivity is linked to nearly 160,000 cases of breast,
colon, prostate, and lung cancer every year, about two-thirds as many
cancer cases caused by smoking.
Make it right: Make it a habit to take breaks on-the-move at
work, and even make (or buy) a standing workstation so you're less apt
to sit all day. At home, resist the temptation to veg out in front of
the TV. Go for a short walk around the block to relax, spend a few
minutes cleaning, or schedule a gym date with your significant other.
PLUS: 9 Health Problems You Can Cure With Exercise
#2: Eating too much meat and cheese.
Animal proteins are rich in IGF-1, a growth hormone that can promote
the growth of cancer cells. And a study from the University of Southern
California published in the journal Cell Metabolism recently found that
people on high-animal-protein diets during middle age were four times
more likely to die of cancer than people on low-protein diets--a
mortality risk factor comparable to smoking.
Make it right: Replace some of your animal proteins with
these yummy vegetarian protein sources.
The same study found that diets high in plant-based proteins like
beans, which have protein levels equivalent to some meats, didn't
trigger the same increase in cancer rates. In general, middle-aged
adults should be eating 0.8 grams of protein for every 2 pounds of body
weight daily. Interestingly, the study found that once you pass the age
of 65, eating lots of animal protein isn't as harmful because your
body's production of IGF-1 begins to slow down.
RELATED: The 15 Grossest Things You're Eating
#3: Cooking with natural gas.
If you're one of the 34 percent of Americans whose home is equipped
with a gas stove, you're getting an added dose of carbon monoxide,
nitrogen dioxide, and formaldehyde every time you cook a meal. Those
same three contaminants are common in secondhand cigarette smoke, and a
December 2013 study in
Environmental Health Perspectives found that all three contaminants in homes with gas stoves regularly exceeded public health guidelines.
Make it right: Use your vent hood when you use your gas oven or
cooktop. Ventilating a gas range can reduce pollutant levels by 60 to 90
percent, even if the fan seems wimpy. Also, cook on your back burners:
Most vent hoods aren't properly centered over a cooktop; using the back
burners will help your vent hood capture the most pollution.
#4: Cooking with the wrong oil.
Even if you rely on an electric stove at your house, you aren't immune
to cooking's polluting effects. Studies on restaurant and residential
kitchens have shown that high-heat cooking with shortening and soybean
oil (usually just called "vegetable oil" in the U.S.) releases
particulate matter, aldehydes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, all
compounds found in cigarette smoke and linked to airway inflammation.
Make it right: Pick the type of cooking oil best suited your use.
For instance, olive oil isn't good for frying or high-heat cooking but
is fine for cooking at low temperatures or in salad dressings. Avocado
oil, on the other hand, is great for high-heat cooking. Look for the
"smoke point" on oils that you buy to make sure the oil matches your
needs. And don't forget to run the ventilation hood!
PLUS: 4 Cooking Oils That Belong In Every Kitchen
#5: Tanning indoors.
A recent study in the
Journal of the American Medical Association estimated that
indoor tanning causes roughly 420,000 cases of skin cancer in the U.S. every year. Smoking, by comparison, causes 226,000 cases of lung cancer.
Make it right: Learning to love pale skin is step number one.
But if you really want a natural glow, eat more carrots and tomatoes,
suggests a study published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.
Both foods are rich in carotenoids, which will boost your skin tone, and
you won't have to worry about exposure to sketchy ingredients in
sunless tanning sprays and lotions.
#6: Not getting enough sleep.
This will make you really cranky: Chronic sleep deprivation triggers
high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, obesity, and a host of
other health problems. One study even found that not getting at least
six or seven hours of sleep led to mortality rates on par with those
seen in cigarette smokers. Even getting poor-quality or fragmented
sleep--when you don't necessarily fully wake up, but the cycle from
light to deep sleep gets interrupted--can speed the growth of tumors.
PLUS: 10 Sleep Habits That Cause Weight Gain
Make it right: Don't assume that being tired is normal. If you
feel like you aren't getting enough sleep regularly, talk to a health
professional to see if you might be suffering from a condition such as
sleep apnea that is interfering with your sleep.
