4 ms·

You need to read The Emperor of All Maladies[1]. If you think cancer is just an effect of our environment, you are wildly, disasterously, and disappointingly mi

• vostrocity 12y ago
  I have not read that book, but I will throw this in for the sake of counterargument. That said, I don't believe anyone is saying cancer is "just" an effect of environment. "Cancer is caused by both internal factors (such as inherited mutations, hormones, and immune conditions) and environmental/acquired factors (such as tobacco, diet, radiation, and infectious organisms). The link between diet and cancer is revealed by the large variation in rates of specific cancers in various countries and by the observed changes in the incidence of cancer in migrating. For example, Asians have been shown to have a 25 times lower incidence of prostate cancer and a ten times lower incidence of breast cancer than do residents of Western countries, and the rates for these cancers increase substantially after Asians migrate to the West." [1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2515569/ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2515569/