Cancer - bring down your risk with healthy habits | TheHealthSite.com

Cancer is a dreaded disease, but it is also preventable. Read on to know how you can bring down your risk by cultivating a few healthy habits.

World Cancer Day is organized by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) and celebrated each year globally on February 4. The theme for 2020 is “I can, we can”. It acknowledges that everyone has the capacity to address the cancer burden. As the World Health Organisation says, we can work together to reduce cancer risk factors, overcome barriers to early diagnosis, treatment and palliative care and improve cancer control to achieve global targets to reduce premature mortality from cancer and NCDs. This day is dedicated to creating awareness about the disease and saving millions of preventable deaths by raising awareness and education about this disease and pressing governments and individuals across the world to take action against the disease.

Related Stories

• World Cancer Day on February 4: How to reduce chronic inflammation risk naturally
• World Cancer Day on February 4: Cancer may be hereditary, but you can asses your risk with genetic testing
• Aspirin may curb colorectal cancer recurrence, tumour growth

Let us look at a few things that you can do to bring down your risk of this disease.

Avoid smoking

Tobacco use is a leading cause of deaths across the world. Smoking can cause cancers of the lung, mouth, throat, larynx, pancreas, bladder, cervix and the kidneys. Exposure to second-hand and third-hand smoke also increases your risk of these cancers. Even chewing tobacco is risky as it can give you oral cancer and also cancer of the pancreas. Even if you don’t use tobacco, exposure to secondhand smoke might increase your risk of lung cancer. So, avoid tobacco to keep cancer away.

Follow a healthy diet

Healthy nutrition will significantly bring down your risk of this disease. It will also boost your overall health and help you lose weight. Include fruits and vegetables in your diet. Plant based foods are good and reduce your risk of many cancers. Stay away from processed foods and avoid excess salt.

Exercise

This will help you maintain a healthy weight and be fit. Obesity is also a cause of this disease. Regular exercise will bring down your risk of breast, prostate, lung, colon and kidney cancers.

Protect yourself from harmful UV rays

Sun exposure can cause skin cancer. Apply sunscreen when going out in the sun and reapply every 6 hours. Use one with a high SPF. Avoid the midday sun. Tanning beds and sunlamps are also not advisable.