Reducing your risk of cancer Ngā hātepe e whakawhāiti ai i tō tūraru mate pukupuku
The causes of cancer are complex. There is no way to guarantee you will not get it, but there are lots of ways to reduce your risk. Making healthy life choices, lifestyle changes and taking part in screening programmes are the best ways to reduce your chances of getting cancer.
Screening programmes
As well as finding cancer, screening programmes can find changes before they become cancer. Aotearoa New Zealand has national screening programmes for:
Some men choose to have a screening test for prostate cancer.
Self checks and body awareness
There is a long list of symptoms that may be related to cancer, but they could also be related to other medical conditions.
Having an awareness about what is ‘normal for you’ will let you discuss any changes with your healthcare provider.
Some changes to be aware of include:
- an increased abdomen (tummy) size or bloating
- pain around your abdomen, pelvis or back
- needing to wee (urinate) more often
- changes in your 'normal' bowel habit — this could be looser or more frequent poos, or alternating hard poos (constipation) and runny poos (diarrhoea)
- blood in your poo
- extreme tiredness (fatigue)
- changes in your breasts
- changes to your skin, freckles or moles.
Be smokefree
Smoking tobacco is a known cause of many types of cancer. There is no safe level of smoking, so it is important for your health to stop using tobacco completely.
It is never too late to stop being a smoker.
Eat well
Eating well while aiming for a healthy weight is important.
- Limit the amount of red meat you eat to no more than 700 g (uncooked weight) a week.
- Eat little, if any, processed meat such as bacon, ham, salami and corned beef.
- Have at least 7 servings of vegetables and fruit each day along with some grain foods. Choose mostly wholegrains and those naturally high in fibre, such as wholegrain bread, legumes, cereal and brown rice.
- Limit fast foods.
- No supplements have been found to reduce cancer risk. The foods you eat are what make a difference.
Drink less alcohol
Alcohol is linked to several cancers including bowel cancer and breast cancer.
Drinking any amount of alcohol regularly, even at low levels, can increase your risk of some cancers. If you do drink alcohol, limit the amount you drink. Avoiding alcohol is the safest option.
Be physically active
Spend less time sitting and get active. Aim for at least:
- 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity most days
- 2 sessions of muscle strengthening activities each week.
Immunisation
The HPV vaccine reduces the risk of:
- cervical cancer
- mouth cancer
- throat cancer
- penile cancer
- anal cancer.
Be sun smart
Being sun smart and sun safe can reduce your risk of all types of skin cancers.
- Try to avoid the sun between 10am and 4pm, September to April.
- Find shade outdoors, if possible.
- Cover up by wearing long-sleeved tops and pants.
- Wear a wide-brimmed hat and UV-protective sunglasses.
- Use high-SPF sunblock on exposed skin.