The greater majority of cancer may be influenced by environment and lifestyle factors.

That’s what the authors of a new study in the journal Nature argue. External factors such as exposure to toxins and radiation are a major risk factor in developing cancer, the new study says.

Environmental factors play important roles in cancer incidence and they are modifiable through lifestyle changes.

Looking at the increasing incidences of various types of cancers, including lung cancer, the authors concluded that “large risk proportions for cancer are attributable to changing environments” such as smoking and air pollutants. Exposure to the sun and poor diet play a role.

Nearly half of cancers, according to the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, could be prevented if people changed their lifestyle or reduced their environmental exposure to cancer-causing agents.

As you start a new year, ask us for simple ideas that can dramatically improve your health.