Six steps to reduce your cancer risk
The majority of cancers are preventable. Dr. Vikash Sewram, director of Stellenbosch University’s African Cancer Institute gives us six steps you can take now to reduce your risk of cancer.
- Don’t smoke – 33 percent of all cancers are caused by smoking.
- Protect yourself from excessive sunlight – everyone, not only fair-skinned people, should limit their time in the sun and wear sunscreen or cover up if they do go out.
- Limit the use of alcohol – excessive use of alcohol can cause cancer of the mouth, throat, voice box, gullet, liver and breast.
- Follow a healthy diet – eat your fruits and vegetables and limit your fat intake.
- Watch your weight and do regular exercise – being overweight increases your chances of breast, uterus, kidney, colon and prostate cancers and decreases your chance of survival.
- Regular screening – women should have regular pap smear tests every three years from age 21 and mammograms bi-annually after the age of 40 years. Men between the ages of 40 and 75 years old should get their prostates checked.
Read more World Cancer Day coverage from Health-e
- South Africa braces for an increase in cancer cases
- Cancer myth busters: Five common myths – and truths – about cancer
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