New Year, New You
- A new year means many people are setting personal goals for themselves; SurvivorNet shares things you can do now to reduce your cancer risk.
- Making resolutions such as eating a healthier diet, exercising more, quitting smoking, reducing your alcohol intake, and attending annual cancer screenings can make a huge difference in your health.
- By living a healthier lifestyle now, it can be a game-changer for years to come when it comes to cancer risk.
Related: Dieting in the New Year? The Pros and Cons of Keto and Whether It Can Treat Cancer
Read MoreEating Healthier
Diet can make a huge difference in increasing or reducing our cancer risk. While there are no foods that necessarily “cause” cancer, studies have shown that nutrition plays a huge role in cancer prevention. Evidence proves there is a definite link between carbs, alcohol, and foods that increase inflammation in the body. Related: Why Do Kentucky & Mississippi Have Some Of The Highest Cancer Rates In The Country?"What we really want people to focus on is something called an anti-inflammatory diet," Krista Maruschak, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center, previously told SurvivorNet. "When I say anti-inflammatory diet, this is really a whole meal pattern that's going to decrease somebody's risk for cancer in the future. Inflammation in the body can cause a whole host of health conditions and co-morbidities, and inflammation is really increased by what we call a pro-inflammatory diet. Things that are pro-inflammatory in your diet are going to be refined carbohydrates as well as high fat, saturated fat meats, processed meats, things like that."
Krista Maruschak explains how cutting “pro inflammatory” foods can decrease cancer risk
If you’re considering switching up your diet for the new year, it’s worth considering cutting down on processed meats, unhealthy carbs, and saturated fats by switching them out with more fruits and vegetables. This helps reduce the amount of inflammation in your body, and also decreases your risk of obesity which is linked to cancer risk.
Exercising More
Whether it’s signing up for an exercise class or just vowing to take a few extra steps each day, increasing the amount you workout can make a huge difference in your long term health. According to new guidelines introduced by the American Cancer Society (ACS) in 2020, adults should aim to get between 150 and 300 minutes of moderate exercise and 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous exercise each week, noting that exceeding that 300 minute mark for moderate activity is actually ideal.
Related: The Role of Diet and Exercise in Cancer Risk
“Moderate” exercise can include anything from walking your pets, dancing around your house, or even just a brisk walk around the block. For those who want to jump right in, “vigorous” exercise may include taking a cycling class, joining a competitive sports team, or pumping iron at the gym. So, when it comes to this particular New Years resolution, the world is your oyster.
“Exercise is important,” Dr. Sagar Lonial, chief medical officer at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, previously told SurvivorNet. “I’m not saying run a marathon, but certainly walk and be as active as you can.”
Dr. Sagar Lonial explains how exercise can influence cancer risk
Reduce Alcohol Intake
Although there's no evidence that alcohol directly causes cancer, it has been proven that excessive drinking puts us at higher risk of a cancer diagnosis. In a number of studies looking at breast cancer risk, researchers concluded that women who drank more than about three drinks in one day were at a one and a half times higher risk of developing breast cancer than non-drinkers.
"Binge drinking, it's not good for anybody," Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, previously told SurvivorNet. "It's also not good for a woman's increased risk of breast cancer. So patients ask me this all the time 'well, how much can I drink?' If you want to have absolutely no risk from alcohol, then don't drink at all. But probably having less than four glasses a week of alcohol is probably okay."
Related: Is Low Cancer Risk Linked to Mormon Lifestyle? Examining Utah's Low Cancer Rates
In addition to breast cancer, there's also been research to link excessive drinking to colon cancer. Experts have told SurvivorNet that they believe high levels of alcohol can predispose people to certain types of cancers including pancreatic, liver, and colon. Additionally, the amount of alcohol you drink may influence surgery for colon cancer.
So, when winding down your evening with a much-deserved cocktail just keep moderation in mind.
Dr. Elizabeth Comen breaks down the link between alcohol and breast cancer
Quit Smoking
Smoking is one of the main risks of lung cancer, and the disease is the second most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Even though people who don't smoke can also be diagnosed with the disease, those who smoke are at significantly higher risk. The tobacco in cigarettes is a carcinogen that causes mutations in lung cells and enables the growth of cancer. In fact, according to the American Cancer Society, about 80% of lung cancer deaths are caused by smoking. Additionally, smoking can influence outcomes of your lung cancer treatment and surgeries.
It’s important to limit your amount of smoking or ideally quit altogether. Even if you've been a heavy smoker for many years, quitting can make a huge difference in reducing your risk of cancer.
Dr. Joseph Friedberg explains how quitting smoking can reduce lung cancer risk
Get Annual Cancer Screenings
With our hectic lives, it can be easy to convince ourselves that skipping one cancer screening won’t be too bad. However, that may not be the case. Attending annual cancer screenings can be a huge help in detecting cancer and catching it early. While these cancer screenings don’t necessarily reduce your cancer risk, it is a huge part of cancer prevention.
Related: 6 Common Excuses for Skipping a Mammogram That You Need to Stop Using!
There are different screening guidelines for each type of cancer, and some important factors to think about can include age, lifestyle (such as smoking), and family history. For example, if someone in your family has battled a certain type of cancer, then guidelines may suggest that you get screened for the disease at a younger age than other people. It’s important to take note of these guidelines and not skip yearly screenings. By delaying these appointments, then signs of cancer may be missed and it’s possible it’ll spread to other parts of the body.
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