Tips to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer

Tips to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer

While genetics and other factors out of our control play a role, current research indicates that about 40% of cancers can be prevented through lifestyle modifications. This means that many individuals have power over their cancer risk through the daily choices they make regarding diet, exercise, substance use, environment and screening. In this article, we will review evidence-based strategies that can potentially help lower your odds of developing cancer during your lifetime.

Eat a Nutritious Diet

What you put on your plate each day significantly impacts your health. A balanced, mostly plant-based diet is linked to a reduced risk of several cancers including colorectal, breast, ovarian and prostate cancer. Here are some dietary tips supported by research:

• Emphasize fruits and vegetables. Aim for at least 5 servings of a rainbow array of colorful fruits and vegetables each day. Cruciferous veggies like broccoli and leafy greens contain fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals that protect cells from damage.
• Choose whole grains. Go for 100% whole wheat bread, brown rice, oats and quinoa rather than refined grains. Fiber, antioxidants and other beneficial nutrients are stripped away during the refining process.
• Limit red and processed meats. Red meat has been tied to colorectal cancer while processed meats like ham, sausage and hot dogs carried links to various cancers due to preservative nitrites. Aim to eat red meat sparingly, if at all, and rarely have processed deli meats.
• Emphasize plant proteins. Beans, lentils, nuts and soy products provide protein without the risks from beef, pork and lunch meats.
• Consider a mostly plant-based diet. Research on vegetarian and vegan diets indicates reduced cancer risk profiles compared to omnivorous counterparts. Plants consistently show protective properties versus meats, which may promote cancer development when eaten frequently or in large portions.
• Drink water. Hydrate regularly to help digestion and cancer prevention versus sugar-sweetened or alcoholic beverages that lack nutrients. Water keeps cells functioning optimally.
• Limit alcohol intake. Even one glass of wine, beer or liquor a day is associated with a higher cancer risk, per research. If drinking, do so sparingly.
• Watch portions. Overeating, obesity and weight gain increase insulin and inflammation tied to worse cancer prognoses and lower survival rates. Practice portion control.
• Use spices. Turmeric, ginger, garlic and other spices are high in antioxidants and have displayed anti-cancer properties in studies. 

Maintain a Healthy Weight

One of the strongest influences on cancer risk people can control is their weight. Excess body fat increases inflammation and hormone disruptions linked to cancer development and growth. Here are tips for staying a healthy weight:

• Manage calorie intake intelligently. Count calories and cut back so you are maintaining rather than gaining. Slow, sustainable weight loss via calorie counting works best.
• Increase physical activity. 150 minutes of moderate cardio like walking or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise weekly reduces cancer risk notably. Exercise in a variety of forms most days.
• Get adequate rest. Lack of sleep can raise obesity risk. Aim for 7-9 hours of high-quality shuteye per night.
• Practice mindfulness. Non-judgmental awareness of emotions without acting on temptations for unhealthy foods supports conscious eating habits.
• Watch portion control. Analyze the serving size of foods both at restaurants and home. Half plates of vegetables and quarter plates of grains or proteins help control calories.
• Make exercise fun. Pick activities you enjoy like dancing, hiking, sports or yoga to stay motivated over the long term. Variety prevents boredom.

Quit Smoking and Vaping

Possibly the single biggest preventative measure for cancer is avoiding tobacco use. The carcinogens in cigarettes, pipes and cigars are firmly tied to lung cancer as well as numerous other malignancies. Additionally, vaping is increasingly linked to certain cancers too. Give yourself the best chance by:

• Committing to quit if still smoking. Quitting is hard but vital to reducing cancer to non-smoker levels eventually.
• Avoiding initiation if not yet a smoker. Starting down the tobacco path is never worth the risks to health and finances.
• Using patches, gum or medications if needed to stay smoke-free. Substitute safer nicotine sources than lighting up.
• Dodging secondhand smoke exposure. Don't inhale others' toxin emissions in public places or homes of smokers. Ventilate if brief exposure occurs.
• Staying clear of thirdhand smoke residue. Carcinogens linger on surfaces long after cigarettes are out. Frequent cleaning may help limit risk from residues.
• Being wary of vapes and e-cigarettes. While marketed as safer than traditional cigarettes, vaping's long-term consequences are unknown and not regulated. Consider caution around vaping too until more research emerges.

Practice Safe Sun Habits

Unprotected ultraviolet light exposure significantly increases melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer risks. To shield skin:

• Seek shade from 10am-4pm when UV is most intense.
• Cover up with long sleeves, pants, broad-brimmed hats.
• Wear broad-spectrum sunscreen daily rated SPF 30+ whether sunny or overcast. Apply generously 15-30 minutes before sun exposure and reapply every 2 hours or after swimming.
• Examine your own skin regularly and see a dermatologist at least yearly for professional inspection if at higher risk due to moles, blistering sunburns in childhood or light skin. Early detection saves lives.
• Get vitamin D safely through diet, supplements and brief careful sunshine rather than excessive burning rays.

Limit Environmental Toxins

Certain chemicals, metals and fumes found at home, work or in surrounding areas may raise cancer odds. Follow this advice:

• Do not smoke indoors or allow others to smoke around you. Secondhand smoke lingers on surfaces long after ashes cool.
• Check radon levels in your home which contributes to lung cancer deaths second only to tobacco smoke. Fix levels over 4 pCi/L via sealed foundations or ventilation.
• Ventilate paint, glue and solvent fumes through open windows while remodeling or performing hobbies with these materials.
• Filter home tap water to address lead or other carcinogenic contaminants if levels exceed standards.
• Address creosote, fuel or chemical storage safety if living near power plants or industrial zones. Remediate soil or move residences when possible if living on landfills, mining zones or heavily contaminated sites.
• Check consumer products for formaldehyde, phthalates, BPA and other risky chemical permeations which might especially impact children and pregnant/breastfeeding individuals.
• Get the lead out via plumbing overhauls if living in older housing stock. Lead harms nearly every body system including raising cancer threats.
• Communicate health concerns respectfully to employers regarding workplace air/water quality or industrial byproducts if risks seem significant. Set limits or find new safer job roles when needed.

Get Cancer Screenings

A minority of cancers can form without any modifiable lifestyle influences. Thankfully, early detection empowers better prognoses. Consult screening guidelines based on age and discuss these tests with your doctor:

• Colonoscopy beginning at age 45 to find and remove pre-cancerous polyps before they become symptomatic malignancies. Non-invasive stool tests can also detect indications.
• Mammograms every 1-2 years after age 40 along with clinical breast exams to find tumors earlier when most treatable.
• Cervical cancer screening with Pap tests beginning at age 21 and HPV tests every 5 years up to age 65 can catch pre-cancers of the cervix for preemptive treatment.
• Prostate exams and PSA blood tests beginning at age 55-60 for higher risk men in consultation with doctors on whether benefits outweigh potential harms of overdetection and overtreatment.
• Skin checks annually if at high melanoma risk from past blistering sunburns or many moles. Doctors watch for changes in existing moles or new suspicious lesions.
• Lung cancer screening yearly with low-dose computed tomography scans between ages 50-80 only if 30 pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years.

Additional Lifestyle Factors

While diet, weight, exercise, sun avoidance and not using tobacco are strong foundations for cancer risk reduction, additional lifestyle habits deserve focus:

Minimize Stress

Chronic stress puts physical strain on the body that may worsen cancer outcomes according to research. Find healthy stress relief through meditation, yoga, social support, laughter and nature time.

Get Regular Checkups

In addition to cancer screenings, wellness exams by an internist catch other health issues early and monitor chronic conditions that influence cancer susceptibility like diabetes or heart disease.

Practice Safe Sex

Certain sexually transmitted infections correlate with elevated cancer risks so always use condoms for barrier protection. Get vaccinated against HPV to prevent virus strains that commonly cause cervical and other anogenital cancers.

Get Immunized

Vaccines guarding against hepatitis B virus infection, HiBM, pneumonia and seasonal flu reduce cancer odds versus being unvaccinated according to evidence.

Limit Recreational Sun

While brief sensible sunlight yields vitamin D, remember sunbathing and tanning salon bed use carry irrefutable risks. Always protect skin from intentional UV exposure.

Stop Harmful Chemical Use

Avoid smoking marijuana or other substances via pipes or bongs, which can promote lung, head and neck cancers over time due to combustion byproducts.

Conclusion

In summary, small adjustments in daily habits through diet, activity levels, sun protection and limiting toxin exposures offer cancer risk reduction benefits backed by science. Early detection testing empowers the best prognoses should cancer unluckily occur regardless of preventative efforts. Committing to a few positive lifestyle changes can meaningfully lower lifetime cancer odds for better long-term health.