The fight against cancer is yet to be won completely. However, by adopting a healthy lifestyle, one can reduce the chances of developing certain cancers.
Here are some useful cancer prevention tips that health experts suggest:
Eat a healthy diet: Eating a healthy and balanced diet is very important to stay fit. Research also shows a link between eating fruits and vegetables and lower cancer risk. Include plenty of fruits and vegetables in your diet (at least five portions a day) daily as they are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other substances that reduce cancer risk.
Eating sufficient amount of fibre cuts the risk of bowel cancer. Foods such as whole grains, beans, cereals, pasta and pulses are good sources of fibre and should be taken daily. Also, include meat, fish, eggs, milk and other dairy foods in diet.
Limit fat intake: Studies hint that high-fat diets may be linked to several types of cancer, including colon, lung and postmenopausal breast cancer. Therefore, food high in fat should be taken sparingly.
Quit smoking: While using any type of tobacco puts your health at risk to various types of cancer, 90 percent of lung cancer cases are linked to smoking.
Reduce alcohol consumption: Too much alcohol consumption is linked to mouth or oral cancer, voice box (laryngeal) cancer, back of the mouth (pharyngeal) cancer, bowel cancer, liver cancer, kidney cancer and breast cancer.
While women should limit themselves to no more than one alcoholic beverage a day, men should have no more than two.
Watch out for your weight: Keeping a healthy and normal body weight can help reduce the risk of various types of cancer such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer and kidney cancer.
Exercise: Physical activity such as exercise does not only keep your waistline under control fit, but it also plays a key role in preventing heart disease and cancer. Health experts suggest that one should try to exercise for at least 30 minutes every day, even if it’s just a brisk walk.
Prevent prolonged exposure to Sun: Ultraviolet (UV) rays, which comes from Sun, is the main cause of skin cancer. While skin cancer is the most common of all cancers, it is also preventable. To prevent getting skin cancer, one should:
- avoid midday Sun
-apply generous amounts of sunscreen with SPF of at least 15 during outdoor, repeat whenever necessary
-try to stay in shade between 11 am and 3 pm.
Protect yourself against sexually transmitted disease: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted disease and it is also the most common cause of cervical cancer. Chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C responsible for liver cancers are mostly spread through contact with contaminated blood, from contaminated needles or by having unprotected sex.
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which is often transmitted by unprotected sex or sharing of needles, also increases the risk of several types of cancer.
Screening and self-exams: Regular screening and self-exams can help detect various types of cancers early thus avoiding complexity of treatments later.
Genetic testing: Though genetic testing is not recommended for everyone, it can be useful for individual with certain cancers that seem to run in their families.
Compiled by: Salome Phelamei
