According to WHO, cancer is no. 4 leading cause of death worldwide, particularly lung cancer, but according to the same agency, about 1 in 3 cases can be prevented. Here are 12 ways to reduce the risk of getting cancer.
Table of Contents
FOOD AND DRINKS RELATED
Take in More Fruits and Vegetables
Cancers cells are feeding much from meat protein so if we don’t eat much of those but instead eat more vegetables and fruits it will starve the cancer cell and would kill some of them. Fruits and vegetables help maintain good cells preventing them from getting damaged and may turn into bad cells or cancer cells. The recommended daily intake of fruits and vegetables is at least 2 and a half cups you can even substitute one of two meals or even your whole meals of the day.
Minimize Eating of Red and processed meat
Red meat includes beef, veal, pork, lamb, mutton, horse, and goat. Processed meat refers to meat that has been processed through different ways such as fermentation, salting, smoking, curing, or other ways to flavor or improve preservation.
The American Institute for Cancer Research recommends no more than 18 ounces of these a week, or a little over a pound. This recommendation was based on epidemiological studies suggesting that small increases in the risk of several cancers may be associated with high consumption of red meat or processed meat.
Minimize Sugar Intake
Food and drinks with high sugar content have more calories per ounce compared to other foods. If these calories are not burned they accumulate as fats and will cause a weight increase. We have already discussed that extra weight increases the risk of getting cancer. Diabetes is also a common risk of high sugar foods and drinks.
Do not rely on food supplements
There are so many food supplements that you can find on the market, some of them are scientifically formulated but many are done in small-scale production systems. They are labeled “no therapeutic claim” because it is what it is. So, do not substitute it for a full diet of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Take is as supplements because that is really is. Relying on supplements can destroy the balance of nutrients that your body needs. So do not rely on them to prevent cancer.
Drink Moderately
Our body can only tolerate a certain amount of alcohol. Excessive alcohol can increase the risk of getting cancer in our digestive system, those organs that directly come into contact with alcohol like our throat, stomach, liver, and colon. It is also known to cause breast cancer. A simple explanation is alcohol destroys our body tissues, and the cells of these tissues may turn into bad cancer cells. How much is too much? Men have a higher tolerance than women, when you got drunk that is a clear indication of too much alcohol, or it already affects your normal body functioning.
EXERCISE AND DIET-RELATED
Maintain the right Weight
Right weight can be calculated easily using an online weight calculator. This depends on your age, sex, and height. It is important to maintain such weight because it has been known that having extra weight can increase your chances of having several types of cancer, including those that occur in the esophagus, pancreas, colon, kidneys, and thyroid gland.
Exercise Regularly
Exercise is a must. Good nutrition comes from 80% right food intake and 20% exercise. Exercise directly reduce the risk of colon, breast, and uterus cancer. It helps in food digestion use of extra calories and the prevention of developing certain cancer-causing hormones. It helps in good blood circulation thereby distributing oxygen and nutrients in all parts of the body. Do not live without exercise.
CLINICAL RELATED
Get Vaccinated for HPV
A certain virus called Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the culprits of cervical cancer in women. It is also one of the leading causes of vaginal cancer, cancer of the penis, anus mouth, and throat. This is passed from person to person through sex. So, practice single-sex partners only.
Have a Hepatitis B Vaccine
There is a vaccine for Hepatitis B. Avail of it from your doctor. It is said that people who have hepatitis B virus have a very high risk of getting liver cancer. So better prevent yourself from getting one. It is likely to be transmitted through sex or anything that can transmit blood from one person who has one to the other. Be careful with using the same needles, and even in Barbershops when the razor is contaminated with a small amount of blood can transmit to the next customer.
Have a regular test
Spotting cancer early will help a lot in terms of making interventions. It’s not very expensive to do a cancer cell count a simple CBC can already detect cancer cells in our body. So do it every year or every 6 months.
SOME GOOD PRACTICES
Put on Sunscreen or sunblock lotion
Sunscreen is a kind of lotion that protects the exposed part of our skin from the ultraviolet rays of the sun. Ultraviolet rays are known to cause skin cancer. So whenever you have activities directly under the sun it’s good to put on sun sunscreen lotion or sunblock. Be careful though in using commercial sunblock or sunscreen lotion, read the label and be sure that it has a sun protection factor of at least 30.
Practice safe sex and get a vaccine against this virus. For women get that vaccine from 9 to 26 years old and men get it between 9 to 21 years old.
Avoid Smoking
Smoking is no doubt cause cancer on parts that directly come in contact with the smoke from cigar and tobacco, the mouth esophagus, and lungs. It even affects the heart as nicotine is mixed with blood and carries it to the heart. It is a deadly cancer-causing practice. Imagine this, in America alone, even if the number of smokers has dropped significantly yet tobacco is still the no.1 killer of preventable death. So do not waste your money on something that will surely kill you. [1]
