- Green tea contains polyphenols, which have been shown to reduce cancer risk.
- Regularly eating cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower may lower the risk of several cancers.
- Aspirin has been found to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in some people.
- High fiber intake is associated with a lower risk of developing colorectal cancer.
- Chronic stress can weaken the immune system, potentially increasing cancer risk.
- HPV vaccines can significantly reduce the risk of cervical and other HPV-related cancers.
- Regular dental check-ups can help detect oral cancers early, improving survival rates.
- Consuming garlic has been linked to a reduced risk of stomach cancer due to its anti-inflammatory properties.
Cancer is one of the most widely found diseases of all time in the world. It causes the highest number of deaths. Cancer is also a significant contributor to people’s inability to work. Despite these disheartening statistics, medical professionals have made significant strides in their understanding of cancerous cells, which has allowed them to improve both the diagnosis of cancer and the treatment of it.
However, rather than merely sitting around and waiting for discoveries, there are many things that you can do right now to prevent cancer. Screening tests can help detect cancers in the early stages of their development; however, you should always remain vigilant for the indicators of the disease.
Which Signs Should You Observe For Cancer?
The following should always be kept under observance:
- A mysterious weight loss and increase
- Indigestion or difficulty swallowing
- Hoarseness or a persistent hacking cough
- Modification in bladder or bowel behaviors
- A wound that does not get better over time
- Bleeding or discharge that is not normal
- Enlargement of the breast or the development of a lump there or elsewhere
- Noticeable change in a mole or a wart
What Are The Factors That May Lead To Cancer?
It is quite important to know how to protect yourself from cancer. There are some factors which doctors and researchers think are essential in protecting yourself from cancer. These are:
1# Persistent Inflammation
Protect yourself against the harm that persistent inflammation may cause. The scientific community has shown that persistent, low-grade inflammation may develop into a “silent killer”. This can play a role in developing various illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and others. With the passage of time, this chronic inflammation may cause damage to DNA. This consequently may lead to cancer.
2# Tobacco Usage
Please stay away from tobacco in any of its forms, including inhaling secondhand smoke. The body’s immune system may be weakened by the toxins in cigarette smoke, making it more challenging to eradicate cancer cells. When this occurs, cancer cells continue to proliferate unchecked.
The toxins in tobacco smoke may alter or damage a cell’s DNA. DNA serves as the “instruction handbook” for the cell, directing how it should develop and function normally. When a cell’s DNA is harmed, it might expand uncontrollably and become a cancer tumor.
Smoking causes most lung cancers, as doctors have long known. It still holds true today, when smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke is to blame for about 90% of lung cancer fatalities.
Tips to Prevent Cancer
Maintain A Healthy Diet
Among countless cancer prevention tips, a healthy diet is the most critical. Reduce your consumption of foods high in saturated fat and red meat, which have been linked to an increased risk of colon cancer and more advanced prostate cancer. Your intake content of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains should be increased. It is important to add cancer-fighting foods to your diet.
Engage In Regular Physical Activity
There is a correlation between regular exercise and a lower risk of colon cancer. Regular exercise has been shown to lower a woman’s risk of developing breast and possibly reproductive cancers. Even if you maintain your current weight through training, the benefits it provides will still be beneficial.
Stay Lean
The risk of developing many types of cancer is raised when obese. You should not consume extra calories and destroy more through physical activity.
Remember, a healthy diet does not need to be high in calories. Many low-calorie vegetables and fruits are high in nutrition and necessary components essential for cancer prevention.
Avoid Alcohol
Alcohol consumption is not a healthy habit. If you choose to drink, set a limit of only one drink per day on average for yourself. Consuming an excessive amount of alcohol raises one’s risk of developing cancer of the mouth, esophagus (food pipe), larynx (voice box), liver, and colon. Consuming excessive amounts of alcohol also raises a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer. A significant number of alcohol-induced cancers are further exacerbated by smoking.
Radiations
Please stay away from radiation when it’s unnecessary. Imaging studies should only be obtained when required. Check your home for residential radon, which is linked to an increased risk of developing lung cancer.
Take precautions to protect yourself from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation, which can cause melanomas and skin cancer. But you don’t need to be concerned about radiofrequency radiation or electromagnetic radiation coming from power lines of high-voltage or microwaves or cell phones. They are not known to cause cancer. Doctors always recommend wearing sunscreen and using some type of protection, like a hat or umbrella, before going into the sunlight.
Contamination of the Outside Air
A combination of compounds in the air and small dust-like particles make up outdoor air pollution. Artificial pollutants like factory or automobile exhaust emissions and burning coal or wood smoke are examples of this. But it also draws from natural resources, including dust carried by the wind.
About 1 in 10 lung cancer occurrences are brought on by outdoor air pollution. Particles in air pollution might harm DNA in cells in several ways, leading to lung cancer. For instance, minute particles may mass up in the lungs and alter cell division. This could induce DNA damage, which might cause cancer.
Stay away from benzene, aromatic amines, asbestos fibers, polychlorinated biphenyls, and other industrial and environmental toxins (PCBs). Environmental pollution and toxins inhaled too much are other significant causes of cancer.
Save Yourself from Infections
Stay away from infections linked to an increased risk of developing cancer, such as hepatitis viruses, HIV, and the human papillomavirus. Many are spread sexually or through the use of contaminated needles.
Sleep Well
Make getting enough quality sleep a top priority. The evidence that sleep deprivation is linked to cancer, while present, is not very strong. However, not getting enough quality sleep or any sleep is associated with weight gain, a risk factor for cancer. Enough sleep also increases immunity in your body against all diseases.
Adequate Vitamin D
Ensure you are getting an adequate amount of vitamin D. Many authorities currently recommend vitamin D. The goal must be to attain 800 to 1,000 IU per day without a supplement. The evidence suggests that vitamin D may help reduce the risk of prostate cancer, colon cancer, and other malignancies. However, this has not yet been shown conclusively. But you shouldn’t put too much stock in the other supplements.
Takeaway
Cancer is a fatal disease that has a very petrifying effect. The patient and his family all suffer, as the thought of being a cancer patient is traumatic. The emotional damage which the disease brings disturbs the whole family.
Although there is no guarantee taking preventive measures and keeping yourself away from different hazardous elements will keep you safe, one still has to go for preventive procedures. Especially the intake of chemicals and exposure to radiation is very harmful to the body in many other aspects.
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