Cancer.
We’ve all grown to hate this word.
This debilitating disease, in its many different forms and variations, is one of the leading causes of death worldwide.
In 2018 alone, there were 18.1 million new cancer cases, and 9.5 million cancer-related deaths worldwide.
But these numbers are expected to grow. By 2040, it’s projected that new-cases-per-year are expected to rise to 29.5 million, while the number of cancer related deaths is expected to rise to a staggeringt 16.4 million.
So, what can be done to help turn the problem around?
Well, it’s a complex issue, with a lot of factors in play.
But in your own personal life, there are some basic health and wellness steps that you can take to significantly decrease your cancer risk.
They may not be 100% effective. But these 5 tips may help to tip the scales, and seriously decrease your odds of developing some version of this deadly, debilitating disease.
Let’s dive in and take a closer look.
1. Eat A Healthier Diet
Diet can play a huge role in cancer prevention. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, drink alcohol in moderation, and limit your intake of processed meats. For best results, try sticking to a Mediterranean diet, supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil.
2. Stop Using Tobacco
All types of tobacco products significantly raise your cancer risk.
Smoking, chewing tobacco, and even secondhand exposure to tobacco smoke all carry a hefty level of blame in being risk factors.
For best results, quit using tobacco altogether. Need help quitting? Get it. It’s better than increasing your cancer risk over the long term.
3. Protect Your Body From The Sun
Skin cancer is not only one of the most common types of cancer—it’s also one of the most preventable types.
For best results, avoid direct sunlight in the ‘sunniest’ periods of the day. Make sure to wear sunscreen, avoid using tanning beds, and wear clothing that protects your skin from the sun’s powerful UV rays.
4. Stay Physically Active, And Maintain A Healthy Body Weight
According to experts, maintaining a healthy body weight may help to lower your risk of some specific types of cancer.
But staying physically active also helps. Try to spend at least 150 minutes every week exercising with ‘moderate aerobic’ activity. Or, you can opt for 75 minutes of ‘vigorous’ activity.
5. Practice Safe Sex
Using condoms while having sex, and limiting your number of sex partners, are both effective ways to reduce your risk for certain types of cancers.
You can contract diseases like HIV and HPV from unprotected sexual activity, and both viruses could increase your risk of developing cancer at some point in your life.
This is another thing that can be prevented simply by engaging only in ‘safe sex’ practices with partnes you trust.
In Conclusion
There you have it.
5 tips that’ll help you to limit and/or lower your long term cancer risk.
Also, don’t forget to stay in contact with your doctor, and to get regular medical care when it’s needed.
You know what they say—an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.