How to reduce your risk of cancer

The positive lifestyle choices you make — from eating a healthy diet to exercising daily — may do more than help you maintain your weight or boost your energy levels. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), your healthy choices can also reduce your risk of cancer.

In a recent ACS study, researchers found that 4 in 10 cancer cases and about 50% of all cancer deaths in adults 30 years old and older in the U.S. could be caused by lifestyle choices, also known as modifiable risk factors.

Modifiable risk factors linked to cancer include:

• Cigarette smoking (current smoking, former smoking and secondhand smoke)

• Excess body weight

• Alcohol consumption

• Physical inactivity

• Diet

• Infections such as HIV, hepatitis B and C, and HPV

“Smoking is the biggest contributor to the development of cancer,” says Dr. Marilyn Norton, an oncologist with Sharp Community Medical Group and affiliated with Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center. “In fact, smoking contributes to nearly 20% of all cancer cases and 30% of all cancer deaths.”

Smoking, Dr. Norton explains, has carcinogens — substances that can cause cancer — that affect our lungs and can also increase the risk for other cancers, including cancers of the pancreas and bladder. “Carcinogens travel through the body and affect different organs,” she says.

Alcohol is also a carcinogen. When it comes to drinking, Dr. Norton recommends moderation.

“We know that people who have hard alcohol on a daily basis may also not be exercising, eating right, and as healthy as they could be,” Dr. Norton says. “However, having a glass of wine or beer on occasion is not likely to significantly increase cancer risk.”

In general, the ACS advises against the consumption of alcohol. But people who choose to drink alcohol should limit their intake to no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink a day for women.

Other lifestyle changes worth making

Along with avoiding drinking and smoking, the ACS offers the following recommendations for reducing your risk of cancer:

• Keep your weight within the healthy range.

• Be physically active. Adults should get 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity — or a combination of the two — each week. Children and teens should get at least one hour of moderate- or vigorous-intensity daily activity.

• Limit sedentary behavior, including prolonged sitting.

• Follow a healthy eating pattern, which includes foods that are high in nutrients, a variety of fruits and vegetables, and whole grains. Limit or avoid red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, highly processed foods and refined grain products.

“Again, it’s important to remember that moderation is key,” Dr. Norton says. “If you're going to your checkups, having your cholesterol and blood pressure monitored, having your blood work done, staying up to date on vaccinations and screenings, maintaining a healthy diet and weight, and exercising, you’re doing the essential work to help decrease your cancer risk.”

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