Only 5 to 10 percent of cancer is caused by genetic reasons. Rest 90-95% of cancer is caused by various environmental factors. The risks factors include alcohol, diet, less physical exercise, tobacco, pollution, viruses, radiation and other external factors around us.
The experts at Capitol Hospital will discuss the lifestyle changes you can make to reduce your risk of getting cancer.
Certain lifestyle changes can go a long way in making sure that the risk of you acquiring cancer reduces. What kind of plastic you are using to store food and water, what kind of food you have: junk or healthy, the alcohol you consume and the number of cigarettes smoked all together constitute your cancer risk.
These positive lifestyle changes will not only reduce your cancer risk but also will help you live a healthy life. Making these changes doesn’t necessarily means that you won’t get cancer, but the risk definitely decreases.
Few of them are discussed below :
EAT HEALTHY DIET
Diet is a very important constituent when it comes to the risk of cancer. For instance, diets rich in smoked foods, fast food like pizza, French fries and burgers can increase your risk of getting cancer. Foods made with hydrogenated oils too can promote cancerous growth.
A healthy diet goes a long way in keeping you fit, energetic and reducing cancer risk. Processed foods, canned products, and preservatives present in packed foods all lead to an increase in cancer.Carcinogens that are ingested, such as nitrates, nitrosamines, pesticides, and dioxins, come from food or the way the food is prepared or the preservatives and added flavors.
Foods which are high in fiber content, fruits like oranges and vegetables like cabbage, broccoli etc. are good for your healthand reduce the risk of cancer.
Eating a healthy diet also reduces your risk of heart diseases and diabetes and numerous other problems that can arise from not having ahealthy diet.
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QUIT SMOKING
Smoking is a major cause of lung cancer. Quitting smoking not only reduces your risk of cancer but many other diseases that one can get affected by because of the smoke one inhales. Apart from lung cancer, it causes cancers of the esophagus, larynx, mouth, throat, kidney, bladder, liver, pancreas, stomach, cervix, and colon.
Each cigarette can damage DNA in many cells of the lung but the damage which is in the same cell can lead to cancer. Best bet is to stop smoking and reduce the risk.
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PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND OBESITY
Obesity is the root cause of so many problems. Cancer is one of them.Obesity is linked toincreased insulin in theblood. Surplus body fat also affects the immune system.
Regularly exercising and keeping your BMI and weight under control can reduce the risk of cancer in your body.
Exercise also makes us feel refreshed and energetic in our day to day routine.
In women, weight gain and breast cancer are much more prominent than in men. After menopause, most of the estrogen is made by the fat tissues and not by the ovaries. If the fat tissue is more, more estrogen is produced by the body and this can lead to an increased risk of breast cancer.
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