9 Ways to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer

Cancer, as of today, is having a detrimental impact on society in India and across the world. In fact, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that the burden of cancer is increasing with every passing year. It is very urgent to taking charge of your health and understands the risk of developing cancer. Since survival rates improve if cancer is diagnosed and treated early, cancer awareness is very important.

What is cancer?

Cancer is a disease that causes some of the body’s cells to divide without uncontrollably. The uncontrollable growth leads to the formation of a lump of cells called tumors. Some cancers may eventually spread into other tissues.

Awareness is the first step to cancer prevention

Awareness is a critical step that helps break the stigma. When you are aware of cancer, you will have the knowledge to understand what you need to do and what are steps you can take to protect yourself and your family from cancer.

Healthy steps to cancer prevention

While you cannot exercise control over all the causative agents of cancer, you can take control of the things that are in your hand. So, it is high time we take the lead, and take possible steps to lower the risk of developing cancer.

So, take control of your health and adopt these 8 habits in your daily life: -

1.       Eat a healthy diet

The benefits of eating a balanced diet are undeniable. A balanced diet must include fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It is also important to cut down on saturated and trans fats and eat healthy fats such as poly and monounsaturated fats. Plus, limit your consumption of red meat and instead pick chicken, fish or beans.

2.       Maintain a healthy weight

Being overweight means you have excess fat. Obesity can raise your risk for cancer together with other critical illnesses. Hence, it is necessary to maintain a healthy weight as it helps lower the risk of various types of cancer, such as breast, prostate, lung, colon and kidney cancer.

3.       Be physically active

The benefits of staying physically active are many. When you stay physically active, you do not accumulate excess fat and thus lower your risk for a number of serious diseases. If you cannot find time out of your busy schedule to exercise regularly, walking some distance every day or playing a sport or jogging, can be useful.

4.       Quit tobacco

Using any type of tobacco increases your risk of cancer. Smoking or chewing tobacco has been linked to various types of cancer, including mouth, throat, lung, larynx, pancreas, bladder, cervix and kidney. Even exposure to secondhand smoke can increase your risk of lung cancer.

5.       Limit alcohol consumption

Too much consumption of alcohol can raise your risk of cancer and many serious diseases. Heavy drinking can cause liver cirrhosis which in turn leads to cancer.

6.       Limit sun exposure

While sun exposure is good for health, too much exposure can lead to skin cancer. So it’s especially important to protect yourself from the sun using sunscreens and protective gear.

7.       Know your family history

Cancer is also known to be genetic as an inherited faulty gene that can cause cancer. If you have a family history of cancer, you may be at increased risk. Talk to your doctor and take precautionary measures to protect yourself against cancer.

8.       Regular medical screening

There are various cancer screening tests that can help in protection against cancer. Medical tests can help to detect cancer early so that treatment is started at the right time.

9.       Health checkups

Cancer takes a long time to spread and show symptoms and may go unnoticed for a long time. Hence, it is imperative to go for regular health checkups to encounter the early symptoms of the disease and get treated early.

Get insurance

Just as awareness helps you to understand the steps to prevention, a family health insurance plan helps you secure yourself and your family from the financial consequences of a sudden medical illness. So, it is best to ensure your health with a health insurance plan as it provides you with numerous benefits such as regular health checkups, hospitalization and treatment costs, daycare costs, etc. Choose from the best health insurance policies, and take charge of your health today!
Read about what is cancer insurance plan and what it covers!

**To understand exactly about the policy coverage, exclusions, etc read the Policy Wordings carefully.**