Cancers are so prevalent that it is estimated that a large percentage of Americans can expect to be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives. However grim this statistic sounds, there are ways of changing our odds for the better. In many cases, the lifestyle of the person is as important as genetic predisposition.
In fact, cancers such as lung cancer are overwhelmingly caused by tobacco smoking and other pollutants, rather than genetics or some factors you cant influence. New treatments such as l are discovered every day, but if you can avoid cancer, shouldn’t you do your best to do it? So, what can you do to help your chances of staying healthy?
Smoking
Smoking is not only directly linked to cancers of the mouth, tongue, throat, and lungs, but it can also lead to a series of different medical complications. We have known for a long time that smoking is unhealthy, and we keep discovering new things about it.
However, some people still find it hard to quit smoking or are unwilling to do so. The damage smoking does to your body is reversible, but it takes time, so the sooner you quit, the sooner your body can start regenerating and your likelihood of getting cancer decreases.
Alcohol
Even though it is considered relatively harmless intoxicant, the truth is far from this. Casual and moderate drinking may be harmless or even beneficial for you, but extensive drinking has extremely negative consequences for the whole body.
In terms of cancer, drinking can lead to cancers of the mouth, throat, liver, and breast. The likelihood of getting cancer increases with the amount of alcohol you intake, and it is particularly likely if you both smoke and drink heavily.
Diet and Obesity
A healthy diet and an active lifestyle are important to stay healthy and live longer. However, it may be a bit tricky to figure out what healthy is. For instance, calcium is beneficial for our bones and some other processes. Despite that, it can also be linked to the increased likelihood of getting prostate cancer.
Artificial sweeteners have been hailed as great alternatives to the sugar overuse. However, these artificially created compounds tend to have some adverse effect on our bodies. The link between artificial sweeteners and cancer are inconclusive, but not non-existent.
Grilled meat is the staple of many peoples diet in the USA. However, meat which has been charred or treated otherwise at very high temperatures contains various substances which can cause cancer in animals and potentially in humans.
Closely linked to diet, obesity can lead to a number of health problems. Cancers of various parts of the digestive system are just the tip of the iceberg, but they are also linked to other illnesses caused or promoted by obesity, including heart problems, diabetes, and high blood pressure.
Sun Exposure
Even though the Sun is vital to all life on Earth, in our modern time overexposure to it can cause a lot of problems. The protective ozone layer around our planet has been devastated and strong UV radiation can reach us.
UV rays can alter our cells DNA, thus causing skin cancer. Light skinned people are particularly susceptible to the adverse effect of the sun. That, however, doesn’t mean that dark skinned people are immune to it. Fortunately, we have found ways of protecting ourselves.
The first line of defense is clothing. Try to cover as much skin as possible; that includes your head, so wear a hat, preferably one with a wide brim. Your eyes can be protected with sunglasses which block UV rays.
If you do plan to expose your skin to the sun, make sure you wear sunscreen, even when you feel it is not as hot. And don’t forget to reapply it after you’re done swimming.
If you follow these guidelines, not only can you protect yourself from cancer, but you can also increase the quality of your life.