Does your home country impact your cancer risk?

North Korean defectors and lifelong South Korean residents have significantly different cancer rates, despite their genetic similarities; new research finds. Presenter Laura Foster unpacks this study, explaining what it tells us about how upbringing and environment contribute to different cancer rates, and how migration can change these risks. A new study has found GLP-1s – drugs typically used to treat diabetes and obesity – could have an unexpected benefit for patients dealing with substance abuse disorders. Laura speaks with Ziyad Al-Aly, a clinical epidemiologist and Veterans Affairs physician at Washington University in St Louis to understand what this could mean for treating drug and alcohol addictions, and what questions still need answers before this treatment can be rolled out. Last weekend, Kenya’s National Environment Management Authority rolled out new waste management rules to better dispose of products containing plastic, but the new laws are expected to increase the price of sanitary pads by 20%. Global health reporter based in Nairobi, Dorcas Wangira joins Laura to unpack what these policies mean for the accessibility of sanitary products, and what alternative solutions are needed to balance access with environmental impact. They also discuss how a drug to treat Parkinson’s disease can be made from waste plastic bottles using a pioneering method. And Jane Chambers reports from Peru about the growing prevalence of anaemia, speaking to local healthcare workers about what steps families can be taken to help their children recover. Presenter: Laura Foster Producers: Jonathan Blackwell and Georgia Christie

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Does your home country impact your cancer risk? is an episode from Health Check by BBC.

This episode is 26:28 long.

This episode was published on Mar 18, 2026.

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