You’re likely to hear conflicting reports about cancer prevention. Sometimes, advice can be offered that goes against another advice recommended in a study of cancer prevention.
Therefore, if you are interested in cancer prevention, you can benefit from the fact that simple lifestyle changes can make a positive difference. Consider the following cancer prevention tips:
1. Avoid using tobacco
Using any tobacco puts you on a collision course with cancer. Smoking has been linked to different types of cancer – including lung, mouth, throat, larynx, pancreas, bladder, cervix and kidneys. Chewing tobacco has been linked to cancer of the oral cavity and pancreas. Even if you do not use tobacco, exposure to second-hand smoke may increase your risk of lung cancer.
2. A diet is beneficial to your health
Spanish oncologist, Paula Jimenez-Fontesca, confirmed that food does not cure cancer after it has appeared, but that it can help prevent it by following a healthy lifestyle. The following guidelines should be observed:
- Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. Focus your diet on fruits, vegetables, and other foods from sources such as whole grains and legumes.
- Avoid obesity. Make your diet lighter and less fat by choosing foods lower in calories, including refined sugar and fats from animal sources.
- If you choose to drink alcohol, drink it in moderation. The risk of different types of cancer, including breast, colon, lung, kidney and liver cancer increases with the amount of alcohol you drink and the length of time you have been drinking regularly.
- Reduce your intake of processed meat. A report from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, the cancer agency of the World Health Organization, concluded that eating large amounts of processed meat may slightly increase the risk of certain types of cancer.
3. Maintain a healthy body weight and exercise regularly.
Maintaining a healthy body weight may lower your risk of many types of cancer, including breast, prostate, lung, colon and kidney cancers.
As well as for physical activities, too. In addition to helping you control weight, on its own it may reduce the risk of breast and colon cancer.
4. Protect yourself from the sun
Skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, and one of the most preventable. Try the following tips:
- Avoid the midday sun: Stay out of the sun between ten in the morning and four in the afternoon, when the sun’s rays are strongest.
- Stay in the shadows. When you are outside, stay in the shade as much as possible. Wide-brimmed sunglasses and hats also help.
- Cover exposed areas: Wear loose-fitting, tightly-woven clothing that covers as much of the skin as possible. Avoid bright or dark colors that reflect more ultraviolet radiation than lighter or white cotton.
- Don’t forget to use sunscreen: Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, even on cloudy days. Apply sunscreen generously, and reapply every two hours, or more often if you are swimming or perspiring.
- Avoid tanning beds and sunlamps: Where it is harmful as much as the natural sunlight.
5. You should get vaccinated
Cancer prevention includes protection from certain viral infections. Talk to your doctor about getting vaccinated against:
- Hepatitis B: Hepatitis B can increase the risk of developing liver cancer. Hepatitis B vaccine is recommended for high-risk adults – for example, adults who engage in multiple sexual relationships, people with sexually transmitted infections, those who inject drugs, men who have sexual intercourse with other men, health care and public safety workers who may They are exposed to contaminated blood or body fluids.
- Human papillomavirus (HPV): It is a sexually transmitted virus that can lead to cervical cancer and other cancers of the reproductive organs as well as squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck. The HPV vaccine is recommended for girls and boys ages 11 to 12. The US Food and Drug Administration recently approved the use of the Gardasil 9 vaccine for males and females between the ages of 9 and 45.
6. Avoid risky behaviors
Another effective way to prevent cancer is avoiding risky behaviors that can lead to infection, which in turn may increase the risk of cancer. For example:
- Practice safe sex: Limit the number of sexual partners, and use condoms when having sex. The more sexual partners in your life, the more likely you are to develop a sexually transmitted infection such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or human papillomavirus (HPV). People with HIV or AIDS are at higher risk of developing anal, liver and lung cancer. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is most often associated with cervical cancer, but it may also increase the risk of anal, penis, throat, vulva and vaginal cancers.
- Don’t share needles: Sharing needles with people who take intravenous medications can lead to HIV infection, as well as hepatitis B and hepatitis C – which can increase the risk of liver cancer. If you are concerned about medication waiver abuse or addiction, seek professional help.
7. Get medical attention
Self-exams and regular checkups to check for various types of cancer, such as skin, colon, neck and breast cancers, can increase your chances of finding cancer early, when treatment is most likely successful. Ask your doctor about the best cancer screening schedule for you.