Seven Actions That May Reduce Your Risk

The development of cancer may be affected by a number of factors including lifestyle choices, genetics, and the environment. The following list highlights the various cancers associated with different behaviours and what you can do that may help reduce your risk.

1. Healthy Eating Cancers associated with a poor diet: Colon, lung, stomach, mouth, pharynx, esophagus, breast, laryngeal, and bladder. May also be linked to prostate cancer. What you can do: Eat 5 to 10 servings of vegetables and fruit everyday.

2. Physical Activity Cancers associated with inactivity: Colorectal and possibly breast and prostate cancer. What you can do: Be active! Get 30-45 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity on most days of the week.

3. Healthy Body Weight Cancers associated with being overweight: Cancer of the uterus and an unhealthy body weight may also be linked to cancer of the breast and kidney. What you can do: Maintain a healthy body weight. Aim for a Body Mass Index (BMI) between 20-25. Health Canada has a BMI calculator you can try.

4. Live Smoke-Free Cancers associated with tobacco use: Lung, bladder, kidney, pancreas, stomach, cervix, mouth, esophagus, larynx, and acute myeloid leukemia. May also be linked with breast, skin, liver, and colorectal cancer. What you can do: Be a non-smoker. Reduce your exposure to second-hand smoke. Do not chew tobacco.

5. Reduce Exposure to Ultra Violet Radiation (Be Sun Safe/ Avoid Artificial Tanning) Cancer associated with too much sun exposure: Skin cancer. What you can do: Avoid the sun from 11 am – 4 pm. If you must be out in the sun, wear a hat, sunglasses and long sleeves and pants. Use a sunscreen with SPF 15+ with UVA/UVB protection. Avoid tanning beds or sun lamps. See the section on Skin Cancer for more information.

6. Alcohol Cancers associated with excessive alcohol use: Mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, and liver. Probable link to breast and colorectal cancers. What you can do: If you don’t drink, don’t start. If you do drink alcohol, limit your intake to 1-2 drinks/day. No more than 9 per week for women and 14 per week for men. Drink slowly; wait at least one hour between drinks; drink alcohol with food.

7. Safer Sex Cancers associated with unsafe sex: Cervical, liver, anal, and genital. What you can do: Practice safe sex. Limit the number of partners in your life-time. Use condoms. The Region of Waterloo Public Health AIDS and Sexually-Transmitted Diseases (STD) Program offers information on sexual health.

Interested in learning more?
Download these information sheets:

Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Information in Waterloo Region
Health Checklist for Women 50 and Over
Women’s Health Resource List

Visit the Links and Resources Page for more information on organizations and actions that can help reduce your risk.

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Cancer Prevention and Screening