New Delhi, December 31 (IANS). The resolution made regarding lifestyle in 2025 can prove to be a booster dose for life. It can prevent deadly diseases like cancer from affecting you. Sporadic changes made in lifestyle can prove to be a boon for health.
According to WHO and American Cancer Society, we can reduce cancer risk by adopting a good lifestyle. This can prevent some cancers from growing.
According to a report by the Global Cancer Observatory, 19 million cancer cases are reported every year in the world. India ranks third in cancer cases. The opinion of experts is almost the same. Everyone believes that if you want to avoid cancer then correct your lifestyle. This also includes diet.
What are those measures that can protect anyone from various types of cancer? Apart from diet, what are other habits that can be abandoned to take care of your health? Dr. Niranjan Naik, Senior Director, Department of Surgical Oncology, Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram, says that cancer risk can be reduced by balanced diet, regular exercise, less tobacco consumption, avoiding alcohol and quitting smoking.
Elders have also been saying, ‘As is the food, so is the body’. It is clear that good diet is necessary to improve lifestyle.
Experts agree that a good diet means a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains. That’s because they contain a good amount of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals which help in protecting the cells from damage. One special thing has to be taken care of. That is, one should not eat too much processed food items and red meat. Excessive consumption of processed meats (e.g., sausage, hot dogs) and red meat is linked to colorectal and other cancers. The advice is to opt for plant-based foods and lean protein sources.
Oncologists are of the opinion that it is also important to control weight. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of many cancers, including breast, colorectal and kidney cancer. Maintaining a healthy weight through a balanced diet and exercise can help reduce this risk.
Cancer can also be prevented by regular exercise. According to Dr. Naik, regular exercise controls weight, increases immunity and all these reduce the risk of cancer. A target of doing at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week should be fixed. Additionally, even small increases in daily physical activity, such as walking, gardening, or climbing stairs, can have a positive impact on overall health.
If someone thinks that smoking attacks only the lungs, then he is somewhat mistaken. Because it causes problems in the mouth, throat, urinary bladder, pancreas, kidneys and pregnancy in women.
Smoking is the leading cause of cancer, especially lung cancer. It also causes cancer of the mouth, throat, bladder, pancreas, kidney and uterine cervix. Quitting smoking significantly reduces the risk of this type of cancer. At the same time, passive smoking is also not good for health.
Drinking alcohol is also a habit, if you get rid of it, you can prevent liver, breast and colon cancer.
These are the talks about diet and exercise, but the oncologist has another opinion that people should be serious about vaccination. Human papillomavirus vaccine (for females) and hepatitis B vaccine must be administered at the scheduled time. These vaccines allow the infection to increase, which increases the risk of cancer.
Dr. Naik advocates paying attention to one more thing. And that is to manage stress. According to the doctor, chronic stress indirectly increases cancer. For this, it is important to meditate, take long deep breaths, do yoga and make adequate sleep a major part of the lifestyle.
These are some tips that reduce cancer risk, keep you healthy and can make life run faster!
–IANS
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