Reduce your cancer risk

You can reduce your risk of cancer by having a healthy lifestyle. Find out about stopping smoking, eating a healthy diet, keeping fit and drinking less alcohol.
It's important to know your body and recognise any changes, such as lumps or unexplained bleeding, and get advice about whether they might be serious

In 2009, 156,900 people in the UK died from cancer. However, since the 1990s, survival rates in men and women have improved for most cancers. here are no proven wa!s to prevent cancer, "ut !ou can reduce !our ris# of $ettin$ it. %is# factors !ou can do somethin$ a"out include smo#in$ and "ein$ overwei$ht, and there are other thin$s !ou can do to reduce !our ris#.

ealthy lifestyle
&eadin$ a health! lifest!le can help lower !our ris# of developin$ certain cancers. 'ou can do this "!( eatin$ a health! "alanced diet maintainin$ a health! wei$ht drin#in$ less alcohol stoppin$ smo#in$ protectin$ !our s#in from sun dama$e

!ating a healthy balanced diet )tories a"out various foods and diets lin#ed to preventin$ cancer are often in the news. his is "ecause a lot of research is $oin$ on into diet and cancer. *ut it isn+t eas! to stud! the lin# "etween diet and cancer "ecause there are so man! different factors involved, and cancer can ta#e !ears to develop. ,o sin$le food or supplement can prevent cancer from developin$. -verall, research shows a lin# "etween eatin$ certain $roups of foods .rather than an! specific foods, vitamins or nutrients/ and a reduction in cancer ris#. 0atin$ a health! "alanced diet ma! lower !our ris# of developin$ cancer. 1 health! "alanced diet contains( plent! of fruit and ve$eta"les( tr! to eat at least five portions a da! plent! of "read, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starch! foods( choose whole$rain foods where possi"le as these contain more fi"re some meat, fish, e$$s, "eans and other non2dair! sources of protein

some mil# and dair! foods 3ust a small amount of foods and drin#s hi$h in fat or su$ars, such as ca#es, crisps and "iscuits

0atin$ a health! "alanced diet will help ma#e sure !our "od! $ets all the nutrients it needs. Fibre 0vidence consistentl! su$$ests that eatin$ plent! of fi"re can reduce the ris# of "owel cancer. 4iets hi$h in fi"re can help #eep !our "owel health! and prevent constipation. 5i"re2rich foods include whole$rain pasta, "read, "rea#fast cereals and rice. 6ulses, fruit and ve$eta"les are also $ood sources of fi"re. Red and processed meat 7eat is a $ood source of protein, vitamins and minerals, such as iron and 8inc. *ut evidence shows that there is pro"a"l! a lin# "etween eatin$ red and processed meat, and the ris# of "owel cancer. 6eople who eat a lot of these meats have a hi$her ris# of $ettin$ "owel cancer than people who eat small amounts. *eef, por# and lam" are all red meat. 6rocessed meats include "acon, sausa$es, salami and ham. If !ou eat more than 90 $rams of red or processed meat a da! .the e9uivalent of a"out three thin2cut slices of roast "eef, lam" or por#, where each slice is a"out the si8e of half a piece of sliced "read/, it is recommended that !ou cut down to :0 $rams. 'ou can find out more a"out eatin$ red and processed meat. "eta#carotene supplements *eta2carotene, often found in antio;idant supplements, has "een found to increase the ris# of lun$ cancer developin$ in smo#ers and people who have "een heavil! e;posed to as"estos at wor#. It is possi"le that ta#in$ lar$e amounts of "eta2carotene supplements would also increase the ris# of cancer in other people. $aintaining a healthy weight In 0n$land, over 60< of the population is overwei$ht or o"ese. *ein$ overwei$ht or o"ese can increase !our ris# of some cancers, such as( "owel cancer pancreatic cancer oesopha$eal cancer "reast cancer if !ou are a woman who has "een throu$h the menopause cancer of the wom" .uterus/ #idne! cancer

*ein$ a health! wei$ht can reduce !our ris# of developin$ cancer. 'ou can find out whether !ou are a health! wei$ht "! usin$ the *7I health! wei$ht calculator. 'ou can find information and tips on how to start losin$ wei$ht. %rinking less alcohol 4rin#in$ alcohol is #nown to increase !our ris# of some cancers, includin$(

mouth cancer phar!n; and lar!n; cancer oesopha$eal cancer colorectal cancer in men "reast cancer

It is pro"a"l! a cause of other cancers such as colorectal cancer in women and liver cancer. =omen shouldn>t re$ularl! drin# more than 22? units of alcohol a da!, and men shouldn>t re$ularl! drin# more than ?2@ units a da!. A%e$ularl!A means ever! da! or on most da!s of the wee#. Use the alcohol unit calculator to find out how man! units are in different alcoholic drin#s. &topping smoking &un$ cancer is responsi"le for around a 9uarter of cancer deaths in the UK, and 90< of lun$ cancer cases are related to smo#in$. A)toppin$ smo#in$ $reatl! cuts the ris# of developin$ cancer,A sa!s Ha8el ,unn, Bancer %esearch UK>s health information officer. A he earlier !ou stop, the $reater the impact. *ut it>s never too late to 9uit. 6eople who 9uit smo#in$ at ?0 live nearl! as lon$ as non2smo#ers, and those who 9uit at 50 can still undo half the dama$e.A here is support to help !ou stop smo#in$. 'rotect your skin from sun damage a#in$ care in the sun so that !ou don>t $et "urned is important for preventin$ s#in cancer. 5ollow Bancer %esearch UK>s)un)mart plan to protect !ourself( )pend time in the shade "etween 11am and ?pm. 7a#e sure !ou never "urn. Bover !ourself up with a 2shirt, hat and sun$lasses. a#e care not to let children $et "urned. Use sunscreen with a sun protection factor .)65/ of at least 15.

Keep an e!e on an! moles or frec#les !ou have. If the! chan$e at all .for e;ample, $et "i$$er or "e$in "leedin$/, see !our C6 as this can "e an earl! si$n of cancer. he earlier s#in cancer is cau$ht, the easier it is to treat, so see !our C6 as soon as possi"le. =e need sunli$ht on our s#in so that our "odies can produce vitamin 4, which is essential for health! "ones. %ead a"outsunli$ht and vitamin 4 to find out how much sunli$ht !ou need.

(now your body

It>s important to #now !our "od! and reco$nise an! chan$es, such as lumps or une;plained "leedin$, and to $et advice a"out whether the! mi$ht "e serious.
6a$e last reviewed( 0@D12D201? ,e;t review due( 0@D12D2015