Cut your risk of cancer

You can reduce your risk of getting cancer by stopping smoking, keeping fit and eating healthily.

In the UK, around 130,000 people die from cancer each year. However, since the 1990s, survival rates in men and women have improved for most cancers. It's important to know your body and recognise any changes to it so you can get advice about whether they might be serious.

Although there are no proven ways to prevent cancer, you can decrease your risk of getting it.

Stop smoking
Lung cancer is responsible for a quarter of cancer deaths in the UK, and 90% of lung cancer cases are related to smoking.

“Stopping smoking greatly cuts the risk of developing cancer,” says Hazel Nunn, Cancer Research UK’s health information officer. “The earlier you stop, the greater the impact. But it’s never too late to quit. People who quit smoking at the age of 30 live nearly as long as non-smokers, and those who quit at 50 can still undo half the damage.”

'Tell your doctor promptly about any changes to moles or unusual skin growths'

Be sun smart
Taking care in the sun so that you don’t get burned is important for preventing skin cancer. Follow Cancer Research UK’s SunSmart plan to protect yourself:
* Spend time in the shade between 11am and 3pm;
* Make sure you never burn;
* Always cover yourself up with a T-shirt, hat and sunglasses;
* Take care not to let children get burned;
* Use sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15;

Obesity
Apart from quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy weight is the best thing you can do to reduce your risk of getting cancer.

Two-thirds of UK adults are now considered overweight or obese. Obesity causes more than 9,000 deaths in England every year. Being overweight puts pressure on your body, which means it can’t work as well as it should.

Making small changes to your diet and lifestyle can make a huge difference to your health. For advice on losing weight, see the British Dietetic Association's Weight Wise website. 

Alcohol
Alcohol causes an estimated 2,000 cases of breast cancer a year and is linked to cancer of the liver, mouth, oesophagus (food pipe) and lungs. Women shouldn't regularly drink more than two to three units of alcohol a day, and men shouldn’t regularly drink more than three to four units a day. To find out how many units are in a particular drink, take a look at our unit calculator.

Don't binge drink. Alternate between soft drinks and alcoholic drinks, and drink water regularly during the evening and before you go to bed. If you have a session of heavy drinking, take a break from alcohol for 48 hours to let your body recover.

According to Cancer Research UK, drinking four or more units of alcohol a day increases your risk of mouth cancer. When you drink heavily, every additional drink increases your risk even more.

Eating healthily
Around a quarter of all cancer deaths are caused by poor diet. You can improve your diet and lower your risk of developing cancer by following four simple steps:
* Eat more fibre, such as wholegrain bread or wholemeal pasta;
* Have at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day;
* Eat less red and processed meat;
* Reduce your saturated fat intake;.

Exercise
Being active is good for your overall health and can reduce your chances of getting bowel cancer. The recommended amount of physical activity is 30 minutes a day, five times a week, but moving your body in any way is good. Take the stairs instead of the lift, get off the bus a stop earlier and walk, or dance to your favourite song.

Cancer screening
For information on screening, read the cancer screening article or go to the NHS Cancer Screening Programmes website.