The saying “Health is Wealth” is something we all firmly believe in. There is no greater treasure than having good health in this world. When you are fit, walking on your feet, being able to do physically anything and not dependent on anyone is surely the best feeling to have. But we cannot say this about everyone on this planet, as some of us are deprived of such a blessing because cancer takes the best of us. Cancer is a fatal disease to say the least but, if you are fortunate enough you might be able to overcome it. Today, we are going to discuss five ways to minimize the risk of cancer, including these habits in your lifestyle will help you avoid cancer.

1. Quit Smoking

As we all know smoking is injurious to health but, what we do not realize is the fact that itis also one of the major causes of developing cancer in the body. According to a survey, smoking causes around 480,000 deaths in the USA every year. People often develop smoking habits due to the company they are in and are unable to get rid of it. This habit leads to inevitable health disasters in the long run and cancer being the most deadly of all. It is better to avoid smoking even if you are occasional smoker or a passive one.

2. Alcohol Intake

This might take some by surprise but alcohol use is strongly linked to cancer. The higher the alcohol intake, the higher the risk of developing cancer. Alcohol can lead to various cancers such as mouth, throat, colon, rectum and liver. For those who have regular usage of alcohol are prone to develop any of these cancers especially liver as it most likely to affect the organ responsible for filtering and processing the food intake of the body. For people who have drinking habits, it is never too late to pull out from the bad habit to keep the organs strong and healthy.

3. Adapt to a Healthy Diet

A healthy diet is always essential, not just in lowering the risk of cancer but other diseases as well. People who exercise on a regular basis and indulge in physical exertion are highly unlikely to develop any sort of disease or virus as their immune system becomes very strong over time. But exercise only covers a certain part of your health, the major contribution in developing a strong immune system mainly depends on diet. The misconception which has prevailed for long among people is that exercising regularly keeps you healthy and you can eat whatever you wish as long as you are working out on daily basis. What people do not understand is the fact that even if you exercise regularly, it becomes ineffective if you are not having a balanced diet. Consuming junk and processed food is also one of the major causes of cancer especially in youngsters who are huge addicts of junk and processed food items. Excessive intake of these food items can cause stomach cancer which is the most dangerous and can prove to be fatal.

4. Practice Safe Sex

Having safe sex is also very important to reduce the risk of cancer. The sexually transmitted infections like HIV or HPV can lead to different kinds of cancer like anus, cervical, vulva and vagina.  High-risk strains of HPV have increasingly been found to cause many types of cancer. It is recommended to use protection during intercourse. The Hepatitis B virus can also be spread from person to person through unprotected sex. It can cause long-term liver infections that can increase a person’s chance of developing liver cancer.

5. Protect your Skin from Sun

Vitamin D is essential for optimal health and necessary for your bones but, too much of exposure to the sun can lead to skin cancer. According to doctors, the right time to soak the sun to get the maximum vitamin D is between 10 am to 3 pm. At this time, the UVB rays are intense and it is also said that the body is more efficient in making vitamin D.

People who usually opt for public transport and have to walk to make the distance are advised to use hats or sunscreen in order to minimize excessive exposure to sunlight and prevent the risk of developing skin cancer. 

Conclusion

Everyone wants to have a healthy lifestyle, but very few follow the right steps to actually lead and maintain it. We all know how painful and dreadful a disease cancer is yet, we become almost ignorant to this fact and continue with our habits of smoking, drinking, unhealthy diet etc. We need to understand that having limitations in life not only disciplines us in so many ways but also prevents us from developing fatal diseases. Certain cancers are preventable through vaccination so it is recommended to go for regular checkups and screenings. This will help to increase the chance of early detection of cancer and help to prevent it.