U.S. Has 7th Highest Cancer Rate in the World

Experts Say Lifestyle Changes Needed to Reduce Nation's Cancer Rates

About 300 of every 100,000 Americans develop cancer each year, which means the U.S. has the seventh highest cancer rate in the world.

“We are higher than we should be, and this is not the type of list you want to be on top of,” says Alice Bender, MS, RD, a nutrition communications manager at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) in Washington, D.C.

The new rankings were compiled by the AICR,using World Health Organization (WHO) estimates. The American Cancer Society and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in France are planning to issue a report on the same data in the coming weeks.

The U.S. ranks 10th in the world for cancers in men and 8th for cancer in women, the report shows.

Our lifestyles have a lot to do with our ranking, she says. “Americans are more likely to be overweight, drink more alcohol, and don't engage in as much physical activity as people in other parts of the world,” Bender says.


The good news is that scientists estimate up to one-third of the most common cancers can be prevented by maintaining a healthy weight, being more physically active, and eating more healthfully.

“The high cancer incidence in the U.S. and other countries is not inevitable,” she says. “Lifestyle changes can really make a difference."

For example, maintaining a healthy weight throughout life could prevent more than 100,000 incidences of cancer, she says.

“Eating less red meat and more whole grains and vegetables, which are rich in fiber and a lot of helpful phytochemicals and antioxidants, can help maintain a healthy weight,” she says.

Avoiding tobacco smoke and sunburns could also help reduce cancer rates, she says.

There are clear links with dietary patterns and many cancers, says Timothy Harlan, MD, the medical director at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans.

“Getting more fruit and nuts, whole grains, veggies, legumes, fish, as well as consuming less red meat (and lean meats), dairy (preferably processed dairy), quality oils and fats, and moderate alcohol, one can have a dramatic impact on weight, heart disease, diabetes, and cancers,” he says in an email.

“I believe that these sorts of statistics are helpful to understand the global issue [but] it is important to take them in context,” he says in an email. “Smoking, pollution, environmental exposure, and genetics all play a role in cancers right alongside diet and exercise.”

Homophobic Men Most Aroused by Gay Male Porn | Psychology Today

Homophobia Associated with Penis Arousal to Male on Male Sex

Even a man who thought that women want to have sex with their fathers, and that women spend much of their lives distraught over their lack of a penis is right sometimes. This person, the legend that is Sigmund Freud, theorized that people often have the most hateful and negative attitudes towards things they secretly crave, but feel that they shouldn't have.

If Freud is right, then perhaps men who are the most opposed to male homosexuality have particularly strong homosexual urges for other men.

One study asked heterosexal men how comfortable and anxious they are around gay men. Based on these scores, they then divided these men into two groups: 

• men that are homophobic
• and men who are not homophobic

These men were then shown three different video's (all were 4-minute in duration). 

1. one video depicted "straight" sex
2. one video depicted "lesbian" sex 
3. one video depicted "gay male" sex

A Penile Plethysmography Device

While this was happening, a device (see diagram to the left) was attached to each participant's penis. This device has been found to be triggered by sexual arousal, but not other types of arousal (such as nervousness, or fear - arousal often has a very different meaning in psychology than in popular usage).

When viewing lesbian sex and straight sex, both the homophobic and the non-homophobic men showed increased penis circumference.

For gay male sex, however, only the homophobic men showed heightened penis arousal.

Heterosexual men with the most anti-gay attitudes, when asked, reported not being sexually aroused by gay male sex videos. But, their penises reported otherwise.

Homophobic men were the most sexually aroused by gay male sex acts.

About the sample study...

The authors investigated the role of homosexual arousal in exclusively heterosexual men who admitted negative affect toward homosexual individuals. Participants consisted of a group of homophobic men (n = 35) and a group of non-homophobic men (n  = 29); they were assigned to groups on the basis of their scores on the Index of Homophobia (W. W. Hudson & W. A. Ricketts, 1980). The men were exposed to sexually explicit erotic stimuli consisting of heterosexual, male homosexual, and lesbian videotapes, and changes in penile circumference were monitored. They also completed an Aggression Questionnaire (A. H. Buss & M. Perry, 1992). Both groups exhibited increases in penile circumference to the heterosexual and female homosexual videos. Only the homophobic men showed an increase in penile erection to male homosexual stimuli. The groups did not differ in aggression. Homophobia is apparently associated with homosexual arousal that the homophobic individual is either unaware of or denies.

SOURCE: Homophobic Men Most Aroused by Gay Male Porn | Psychology Today