Cancer. It’s one of the most feared illnesses of the 21st century. So, given the choice, people who care about their health will want to take active steps to prevent the development of cancer, as well as learn about the best ways to manage the illness if they’re diagnosed with it.
There are some different rules to prevent different cancers from developing, but there are some general similarities in preventing all cancers that need to be explored. Here, we’ll walk you through how best to prevent cancer.
Stop Smoking
Irrespective of whether it’s ovarian, cervical, or throat cancer, one of the best ways you can prevent cancer is by stopping smoking. It’s a well-known fact, backed by years of research, that smoking tobacco heightens the chance of throat, mouth, lung, and heart cancer developing. Plus, it’s bad for you because of the addictive elements of tobacco and nicotine, too.
If you’re looking for help to stop smoking, please contact your medical doctor or an organization like moffitt.org for advice and support. Both your doctor and the Moffitt Cancer Center are big on preventing cancer.
Maintain A Healthy Weight
Ok, so it’s well known that the BMI or body mass index, isn’t a particularly reliable measure of weight and health. However, if you’re overweight, obese, or morbidly obese, you’re at a higher risk of developing, well, a lot of different types of cancer, with the most commonly associated cancers being breast, colon, and uterine cancer.
So, try to maintain a healthy weight. It’s usually not too bad if you’re a few pounds overweight; just try to keep your health in good condition and prevent any sudden changes in weight gain.
Eat Healthy
You need a healthy diet to think, function, and just be healthy. You can’t expect to feel and be well if you’re not eating the right things. If you have concerns about your diet, then it’s best to contact your medical doctor or a nutritionist to help you choose the right foods to keep you well.
Ideally, you’ll want to get in your 5-a-day of fruit and veg, as well as eat lean meats and fats. Try to minimize sugar, as well as caffeine and alcohol. These are all the best options to keep cancer risks low, and it’ll help you look and feel good, too.
Keep Up Physical Activity
If you go to the gym or go swimming a few times a week, great! If you have a dog and walk for around an hour a day each day, that’s great, too! You don’t need to be running marathons to keep your cancer risks down, as even engaging in a brisk walk for 30 minutes a day can help. Being sedentary, or a couch potato, increases your chances of developing some cancers (like colon cancer) by 25%. So, get up, move around, and be active.
Limit Alcohol Consumption
Alcohol consumption, much like smoking, can cause the cells in the mouth and throat to become more porous and open. So, how does this link to cancer? If you smoke, this change can impact how the chemicals you’re breathing in are absorbed by the body, increasing the chances of cancer developing. A glass of wine a few days a week is ok, but anything more needs to be looked at with your doctor.
