Although alcohol and cigarettes are best known to cause long -term health problems, experts warn that other types of addictions can increase the risk of cancer.
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When we talk about addiction, smoking or alcohol consumption usually comes to mind. Most of us are aware that these are behaviors that can lead us to poor health and, potentially, to a cancer diagnosis. Statistics speak for themselves: six million people smoke, 24% consume too much alcohol and two thirds are overweight or obese and, since 1995, cancer cases have increased every year.
But there are other addictions that go unobserved and can be as harmful to our health, The Telegraph shows. Dr. Raphael Cuomo, an epidemiologist specialized in cancer and professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of California, San Diego, draws attention to these lesser -known addictions, which can increase the risk of cancer.
Dr. Cuomo says that people should take addictive behaviors more seriously. In his new book, Crave: The Hidden Biology of Addiction and Cancer (appetite: hidden biology of addiction and cancer), he explores how our supposed sugar addictions and excessive time in front of the screens could reshape human biology, making them more susceptible to cancer.
Addictions we don't see
“These are the addictions that we may not take as seriously-as the constant need to stay on the phone and sail on social networks, the constant need to taste processed foods.”he says.
They may not be classified as carcinogens, but the doctor says that these habits trigger cellular changes that exhaust our health and can make us more vulnerable to the disease. These low -degree dependencies have long long -term consequences, Dr. Cuomo points out.
Dependence on screens
“Even when you just look on the phone and see something interesting, it gives you an easy euphoria, a dose of dopamine and you want more.”says Dr. Cuomo. This process, of exposure to captivating images and videos mixed with less interesting content, is known as “variable reinforcement”, which the doctor compares with the game to a slot. “It makes you run and run, hoping you will get that dose of dopamine. We hope that the euphoria of something interesting will appear in the news flow. Companies that make these products know these mechanisms and are made in view of this ”he explains.
The addiction to the screens is not widely recognized from a medical point of view, but the compulsive impulse taking through our devices causes increases in the stress hormone, cortisol. “Cortisol will prevent the relaxation to repair DNA ruptures and will also prevent our immune system from eliminating damaged cells ”says Dr. Cuomo.
“When you constantly look at the screens, especially late at night, you are exposed to blue light, which suppresses melatonin”he says. This is a hormone that supports our biological clock and protects against cancer.
Sugar addiction
Last year, in an international conference, a group of experts officially recognized the addiction to unhealthy foods that are extremely processed as a condition.
“When we consume sugary or unhealthy foods, they taste good and make us feel good.”he says. Sugar triggers the release of dopamine and serotonin neurotransmitters, which are associated with pleasure. This pattern makes people repeatedly look for calorie -rich and high foods, which Dr. Cuomo thinks it is a sugar addiction.
The problem is that when sugar enters our system, it increases insulin levels and stimulates insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), a hormone that promotes cell growth. In short outbursts, these answers are normal, but when they are repeatedly experienced, the cells begin to divide and multiply faster, says Dr. Cuomo.
“Repeatedly, over time, this will promote the development of tumors,” points out the doctor.
The types of foods that we are most likely to become addicted-which are high in sugar, refined carbohydrates and additives-also trigger inflammation, which affects our immune system and could make it less equipped to identify and eliminate abnormal cells.
How do you combat addictive behaviors
1. Approaching the main cause
We resort to addictive behaviors as a way to eliminate stress and a source of comfort. “We are looking for some kind of distraction that will prevent us from facing our problems, to relax,” says Dr. Cuomo.
Approaching the source of stress or trigger that makes you get to food or phone can help replace it with healthier behaviors, the doctor suggests.
2. Forced break
“I think if you can live seven days without something, then you tend to start free of addiction,” says Dr. Cuomo, who advises people to try to impose a time when they do not touch sugar or screens.
“Create barriers”recommends Dr. Cuomo. These include avoiding the purchase of sugary foods or placing them in a more uncomfortable place, such as the top shelf of a closet. To reduce the use of certain applications, they can be removed from the phone.
3. Respecting a sleep program
A regular sleep program can help regulate the level of cortisol and melatonin and can interrupt the cycle of compulsive rewards search, equipping yourself better to avoid unhealthy habits.
“Do the same every night before bed. Ly up at the same time every evening and wake up at the same time every morning, even on the weekend ”suggests Dr. Cuomo.
