{"id":27767,"date":"2022-01-04T14:20:40","date_gmt":"2022-01-04T14:20:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.cancerresearchuk.org\/?p=23913"},"modified":"2024-11-03T15:14:06","modified_gmt":"2024-11-03T15:14:06","slug":"lets-get-to-the-bottom-of-it-7-common-cancer-myths-unpicked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ogkologos.com\/en\/lets-get-to-the-bottom-of-it-7-common-cancer-myths-unpicked\/","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s get to the bottom of it \u2013 7 common cancer myths, unpicked"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"An<\/div>\n

Google the word \u2018cancer\u2019 and millions of results will appear.<\/span><\/p>\n

Like anything on the internet, some will lead to useful, accurate information, while others will be inaccurate, or even dangerously misleading.<\/span><\/p>\n

Often, it can be hard to distinguish fact from fiction. Much of the inaccurate information can look and sound perfectly plausible. But if you scratch the surface a little, many continually perpetuated \u2018truths\u2019 become unstuck.<\/span><\/p>\n

From 5G to sharks with cancer, we want to set the record straight with 8 commonly asked questions about cancer that are often rooted in misinformation.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Can 5G or Wi-Fi cause cancer?<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"AnAfter evaluating the best scientific evidence,<\/span> there are no good explanations for how 5G mobile could cause cancer.<\/span><\/p>\n

You may have heard the myth that 5G networks emit radiation that can damage our DNA and cause cancer. But when it comes to radiation, the amount of energy released is what matters.<\/span> Whilst it\u2019s true that 5G networks transmit radio frequency radiation (radio waves),<\/span> it\u2019s not the kind that can cause cancer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Higher energy radiation (often called ionising radiation), such as UV rays from the sun, releases enough energy to damage DNA. But both 4G and 5G networks transmit radio frequency radiation (radio waves), which is very weak (non-ionising). This means that it does not have enough energy to damage DNA and there is no direct way it can cause cancer.<\/span><\/p>\n

4G and 5G do use higher frequency waves than older mobile networks, but they still don\u2019t have enough energy to damage DNA and cause cancer.<\/span> Mobile phones<\/span><\/a>, phone masts<\/span> and Wi-Fi also rely on the same, non-ionising radiation.<\/span><\/p>\n

You may have come across alarming headlines in the past linking mobile phones to cancer. But these are often based on studies carried out on cells or rats in a lab.<\/span><\/p>\n

These types of studies often use doses of radiation that are far higher than those emitted by mobile phones and over a much longer period of time than people would ever be exposed to in real life.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is also occasionally speculation that Wi-Fi can cause cancer, but again this isn\u2019t supported by evidence. Radio waves produced by Wi-Fi are very low energy. They are even weaker than those produced by mobile phones, and well within<\/span> international guidelines<\/span><\/a> that the UK adheres to.<\/span><\/p>\n

As 5G and 4G, mobile phones and Wi-Fi are still relatively new technologies, research is on-going. We can\u2019t completely rule out long-term effects and we will continue to monitor the evidence in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n

But overall, there\u2019s no good evidence of a link with cancer.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Do microwaves cause cancer?<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"AnJust like the radio waves used by mobile phones, microwave radiation is non-ionising.<\/span><\/p>\n

This means the radiation is too weak to damage DNA and it can\u2019t directly cause cancer.<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite some common misconceptions, microwaves do not make your food radioactive and it\u2019s safe to stand in front of the microwave oven when it\u2019s on.<\/span><\/p>\n

When it comes to cancer risk, what you eat, not how you heat it up, is what matters.<\/span><\/p>\n

To reduce your cancer risk, a<\/span> healthy, balanced diet<\/span><\/a> is more important than individual foods. This includes eating fruit and vegetables, wholegrains (like brown rice or brown pasta) and healthy sources of protein (like beans, lentils or fresh chicken), whilst reducing your intake of processed and red meat, and foods high in sugar, fat and salt.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Can an acidic diet cause cancer and can an alkaline diet cure cancer?<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"AnSome research may have misled people to believe this is true but acidic diets, which includes eating things like meat and eggs, won\u2019t cause cancer and alkaline diets, high in green vegetables and fruit, can\u2019t cure it.<\/span><\/p>\n

While lab research on cells has shown that acidic environments can help cancer cells to grow, this doesn\u2019t reflect how cancer cells would behave in the human body, which is much more complex.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, this research has led to false information spreading that very \u2018acidic\u2019 diets can increase cancer risk. And, on the other side of this coin, that foods high in \u2018alkaline\u2019 can prevent or even cure cancer.<\/span><\/p>\n

If this were true, it would mean that what we eat could change our body\u2019s levels of acid, also known as our pH levels. But this isn\u2019t possible as our pH levels have to be tightly regulated within a certain range to keep us alive.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s our kidneys\u2019 job to make sure our pH levels stay within a very strict and narrow healthy range. What you eat can\u2019t change this for a meaningful amount of time, and any extra acid or alkali from your food comes out in your pee.<\/span><\/p>\n

And, although it\u2019s the case that cancer cells can\u2019t live in a very alkaline environment, neither can any of the other cells in our body.<\/span><\/p>\n

Put simply \u2013 there\u2019s no good evidence to prove that diet can manipulate whole body pH, or that it has an impact on cancer.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Other myths \u2013 does sugar feed cancer?<\/span><\/h3>\n

These 7 examples are not a finite list of cancer myths.<\/span><\/p>\n