How can you help yourself?

Lifestyle Choices

For long term health it is really important to consider all aspects of your life. If you make healthful choices with regard to activity and food consumption then your risk of getting cancer will be reduced. CRUK estimate that up to 40% of cancers are preventable.

The most important aspects of your life to consider are the following:

Improving your diet

There is strong evidence to suggest that eating food rich in fruit and vegetables can reduce the risk of mouth larynx and lung cancer. Likewise there is evidence to suggest that a high fibre diet reduces the risk of bowel cancer.

However, many people incorrectly believe that taking supplements with vitamins can replace those found in fruit and vegetables and this is simply not the case. Food needs to be eaten in its natural form as supplements do not reduce the risk.

A diet rich in red meat or processed meat has been linked to an increase in bowel cancer. Red meat has also been linked to pancreatic and prostate cancer.

Find out more - Nutrition Advice

Physical activity

There is good evidence to suggest that being physically active reduces the risk of bowel, breast and womb cancer as well as many other diseases. People that are active can actually cut their risk of bowel cancer by about a quarter.

Walking is simple, free and one of the easiest ways to get more active, and become healthier. Don’t be put off by thinking that you need to walk for hours.

Sometimes overlooked as a form of exercise, short walks can help you build stamina, burn excess calories, lift your mood and make your heart healthier.

You do not have to walk for hours. A brisk 10-minute daily walk has lots of health benefits and counts towards your 150 minutes of weekly exercise, as recommended by the NHS.

The findings of the study, published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science, suggest that adding the equivalent of a ten-minute brisk walk to the daily routine for inactive men and women aged 60 and above was associated with a noticeable increase in life expectancy.

Tobacco use

Tobacco use increases your risk of getting a number of cancers including lung and bladder cancer.

Stopping smoking will increase your health in many ways including improving your ability to exercise or longer periods of time.

To access a Stop Smoking programme. Please contact your local health centre and speak to the practice nurse about the benefits of smoking cessation and the support available on the NHS.

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