"Our study showed an excess mortality, meaning these are people that would not have died, had it not been for Katrina, " said Dr. Kevin Stephens, who is director of the New Orleans Health Department and the study author.

CNN: Doctor's free clinic a 'tiny Band-Aid' to pain of Katrina

Dr Harpal Kumar, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said leading a healthy lifestyle did not guarantee a person would not get cancer but the study showed "we can significantly stack the odds in our favour".

BBC: Over 40% of cancers due to lifestyle, says review

Another more recent study showed that seeing the golden arches triggers neurological changes that increase our reading speed.

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