Cancer In Women: Two Most Important Things You Can Do To Avoid Cancer

Some risk factors of cancer can be controlled. Here are a few things women can do to reduce their risk of getting cancer.

Women are more likely to develop certain cancers, including breast, endometrial, lung, cervical, skin, and ovarian cancers, than men. Many things can increase a woman’s chance of getting cancer. While some risk factors, like getting older, cannot be controlled, there are things women can do to reduce their risk of getting cancer. So, let’s talk about the steps you can take every day to lower your chance of getting certain kinds of cancer.

According to the US CDC, two of the most important things people can do to avoid getting cancer are: making healthy choices and getting appropriate screening tests.

Make healthy choices to lower your cancer risk

If you’re a smoker, quit it as early as possible. Cigarette smoking causes most lung cancers. Smoking is also linked to a higher risk for numerous other cancers, including mouth and throat, esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, liver, pancreas, larynx, trachea, bronchus, kidney, urinary bladder, and cervix cancers. Nonsmokers! Avoid exposure to secondhand smoke.

Avoid too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays (from the sun and from artificial sources like tanning beds and sunlamps) to lower your risk of getting skin cancer.

Consumption of alcohol can increase the risk of getting seven types of cancer, including bowel cancer, breast cancer, mouth cancer, throat cancer, and liver cancer. Avoid drinking alcohol completely or reduce its intake.

Overweight and obesity is associated with about 40 per cent of all cancers. So, lose weight if you’re obese and keep in a healthy range.