How to prevent cancer

One in three women will be diagnosed with cancer before their 85th birthday. This startling figure may be enough for you to evaluate your lifestyle habits and make a change for the better.

The risk of being diagnosed with most cancers increases with age. While cancer can affect the young, cancer is four times as likely to be detected in people who are aged over 60 years old.

Let’s get physical

According to experts, the earlier you start menstruating, the greater the lifetime risk of developing breast cancer. However, increased physical activity from the time girls get their first period can decrease their risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer by 25%.

If you engage in physical activity for about half an hour each day, women can have up to a 50% reduced risk of developing breast cancer.

Eat less red meat, reduce salt and alcohol

You may think red meat is good for you, but eating it every day may heighten your risk of bowel cancer by up to 5% to10%.

Professor Ray Lowenthal, a cancer specialist at the Royal Hobart Hospital and the University of Tasmania, tells Body and Soul magazine, alcohol intake can also be an indicator of whether or not you will develop cancer.

Experts claim drinking three or more alcoholic beverages a day means you have a 10% to 20% per cent increased risk of developing cancer, and high salt intake has been linked with stomach cancer.

Kids can cause cancer

Children can play a role in whether or not you will be diagnosed with cancer as a result of the changes to breast tissue after pregnancy and breastfeeding. American researchers allege pregnancy permanently changes breast tissue, but the good news is women can lower their risk of developing breast cancer with each child they have. However, the risk of cervical cancer increases in women who have two or more children, suggesting it may be a result of injury to the cervix when the baby leaves the uterus.

Genetics

About 5% to 10 % of common cancers are linked to genetics, the National Health and Medical Research Council claims. However, Body and Soul magazine reports the Sydney Cancer Centre suggests even if a person is genetically predisposed, an environmental risk would need to occur to bring about the increased risk of cancer.