In 2009, 156,900 people in the UK died from
cancer. However, since the 1990s, survival
rates in men and women have improved for
most cancers.
There are no proven ways to prevent cancer,
but you can reduce your risk of getting it.
Risk factors you can do something about
include smoking and being overweight, and
there are other things you can do to reduce
your risk.
Healthy lifestyle
Leading a healthy lifestyle can help lower your
risk of developing certain cancers. You can do
this by:
eating a healthy balanced diet
maintaining a healthy weight
drinking less alcohol
stopping smoking
protecting your skin from sun
damage
Eating a healthy balanced diet
Stories about various foods and diets linked to
preventing cancer are often in the news. This
is because a lot of research is going on into
diet and cancer. But it isn’t easy to study the
link between diet and cancer because there
are so many different factors involved, and
cancer can take years to develop.
No single food or supplement can prevent
cancer from developing. Overall, research
shows a link between eating certain groups of
foods (rather than any specific foods, vitamins
or nutrients) and a reduction in cancer risk.
Eating a healthy balanced diet may lower your
risk of developing cancer. A healthy balanced
diet contains:
plenty of fruit and vegetables: try to
eat at least five portions a day
plenty of bread, rice, potatoes, pasta
and other starchy foods: choose
wholegrain foods where possible as
these contain more fibre
some meat, fish, eggs, beans and
other non-dairy sources of protein
some milk and dairy foods
just a small amount of foods and
drinks high in fat or sugars, such as
cakes, crisps and biscuits
Eating a healthy balanced diet will help make
sure your body gets all the nutrients it needs.
Fibre
Evidence consistently suggests that eating
plenty of fibre can reduce the risk of bowel
cancer. Diets high in fibre can help keep your
bowel healthy and prevent constipation.
Fibre-rich foods include wholegrain pasta,
bread, breakfast cereals and rice. Pulses, fruit
and vegetables are also good sources of
fibre.
Red and processed meat
Meat is a good source of protein, vitamins
and minerals, such as iron and zinc. But
evidence shows that there is probably a link
between eating red and processed meat, and
the risk of bowel cancer. People who eat a lot
of these meats have a higher risk of getting
bowel cancer than people who eat small
amounts.
Beef, pork and lamb are all red meat.
Processed meats include bacon, sausages,
salami and ham.
If you eat more than 90 grams of red or
processed meat a day (the equivalent of about
three thin-cut slices of roast beef, lamb or
pork, where each slice is about the size of
half a piece of sliced bread), it is
recommended that you cut down to 70 grams.
You can find out more about eating red and
processed meat.
Beta-carotene supplements
Beta-carotene, often found in antioxidant
supplements, has been found to increase the
risk of lung cancer developing in smokers and
people who have been heavily exposed to
asbestos at work. It is possible that taking
large amounts of beta-carotene supplements
would also increase the risk of cancer in other
people.
Maintaining a healthy weight
In England, over 60% of the population is
overweight or obese. Being overweight or
obese can increase your risk of some cancers,
such as:
bowel cancer
pancreatic cancer
oesophageal cancer
breast cancer if you are a woman
who has been through the
menopause
cancer of the womb (uterus)
kidney cancer
Being a healthy weight can reduce your risk of
developing cancer. You can find out whether
you are a healthy weight by using the BMI
healthy weight calculator.
You can find information and tips on how to
start losing weight.
Drinking less alcohol
Drinking alcohol is known to increase your
risk of some cancers, including:
mouth cancer
pharynx and larynx cancer
oesophageal cancer
colorectal cancer in men
breast cancer
It is probably a cause of other cancers such
as colorectal cancer in women and liver
cancer.
Women shouldn't regularly drink more than
2-3 units of alcohol a day, and men shouldn't
regularly drink more than 3-4 units a day.
"Regularly" means every day or on most days
of the week. Use the alcohol unit calculator to
find out how many units are in different
alcoholic drinks.
Stopping smoking
Lung cancer is responsible for around 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 30 live nearly as long as non-
smokers, and those who quit at 50 can still
undo half the damage."
There is support to help you stop smoking.
Protect your skin from sun damage
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.
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.
Keep an eye on any moles or freckles you
have. If they change at all (for example, get
bigger or begin bleeding), see your GP as this
can be an early sign of cancer. The earlier
skin cancer is caught, the easier it is to treat,
so see your GP as soon as possible.
We need sunlight on our skin so that our
bodies can produce vitamin D, which is
essential for healthy bones. Read about
sunlight and vitamin D to find out how much
sunlight you need.
Know your body
It's important to know your body and
recognise any changes, such as lumps or
unexplained bleeding, and to get advice about
whether they might be serious.
Page last reviewed: 04/12/2013
Next review due: 0
cancer. However, since the 1990s, survival
rates in men and women have improved for
most cancers.
There are no proven ways to prevent cancer,
but you can reduce your risk of getting it.
Risk factors you can do something about
include smoking and being overweight, and
there are other things you can do to reduce
your risk.
Healthy lifestyle
Leading a healthy lifestyle can help lower your
risk of developing certain cancers. You can do
this by:
eating a healthy balanced diet
maintaining a healthy weight
drinking less alcohol
stopping smoking
protecting your skin from sun
damage
Eating a healthy balanced diet
Stories about various foods and diets linked to
preventing cancer are often in the news. This
is because a lot of research is going on into
diet and cancer. But it isn’t easy to study the
link between diet and cancer because there
are so many different factors involved, and
cancer can take years to develop.
No single food or supplement can prevent
cancer from developing. Overall, research
shows a link between eating certain groups of
foods (rather than any specific foods, vitamins
or nutrients) and a reduction in cancer risk.
Eating a healthy balanced diet may lower your
risk of developing cancer. A healthy balanced
diet contains:
plenty of fruit and vegetables: try to
eat at least five portions a day
plenty of bread, rice, potatoes, pasta
and other starchy foods: choose
wholegrain foods where possible as
these contain more fibre
some meat, fish, eggs, beans and
other non-dairy sources of protein
some milk and dairy foods
just a small amount of foods and
drinks high in fat or sugars, such as
cakes, crisps and biscuits
Eating a healthy balanced diet will help make
sure your body gets all the nutrients it needs.
Fibre
Evidence consistently suggests that eating
plenty of fibre can reduce the risk of bowel
cancer. Diets high in fibre can help keep your
bowel healthy and prevent constipation.
Fibre-rich foods include wholegrain pasta,
bread, breakfast cereals and rice. Pulses, fruit
and vegetables are also good sources of
fibre.
Red and processed meat
Meat is a good source of protein, vitamins
and minerals, such as iron and zinc. But
evidence shows that there is probably a link
between eating red and processed meat, and
the risk of bowel cancer. People who eat a lot
of these meats have a higher risk of getting
bowel cancer than people who eat small
amounts.
Beef, pork and lamb are all red meat.
Processed meats include bacon, sausages,
salami and ham.
If you eat more than 90 grams of red or
processed meat a day (the equivalent of about
three thin-cut slices of roast beef, lamb or
pork, where each slice is about the size of
half a piece of sliced bread), it is
recommended that you cut down to 70 grams.
You can find out more about eating red and
processed meat.
Beta-carotene supplements
Beta-carotene, often found in antioxidant
supplements, has been found to increase the
risk of lung cancer developing in smokers and
people who have been heavily exposed to
asbestos at work. It is possible that taking
large amounts of beta-carotene supplements
would also increase the risk of cancer in other
people.
Maintaining a healthy weight
In England, over 60% of the population is
overweight or obese. Being overweight or
obese can increase your risk of some cancers,
such as:
bowel cancer
pancreatic cancer
oesophageal cancer
breast cancer if you are a woman
who has been through the
menopause
cancer of the womb (uterus)
kidney cancer
Being a healthy weight can reduce your risk of
developing cancer. You can find out whether
you are a healthy weight by using the BMI
healthy weight calculator.
You can find information and tips on how to
start losing weight.
Drinking less alcohol
Drinking alcohol is known to increase your
risk of some cancers, including:
mouth cancer
pharynx and larynx cancer
oesophageal cancer
colorectal cancer in men
breast cancer
It is probably a cause of other cancers such
as colorectal cancer in women and liver
cancer.
Women shouldn't regularly drink more than
2-3 units of alcohol a day, and men shouldn't
regularly drink more than 3-4 units a day.
"Regularly" means every day or on most days
of the week. Use the alcohol unit calculator to
find out how many units are in different
alcoholic drinks.
Stopping smoking
Lung cancer is responsible for around 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 30 live nearly as long as non-
smokers, and those who quit at 50 can still
undo half the damage."
There is support to help you stop smoking.
Protect your skin from sun damage
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.
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.
Keep an eye on any moles or freckles you
have. If they change at all (for example, get
bigger or begin bleeding), see your GP as this
can be an early sign of cancer. The earlier
skin cancer is caught, the easier it is to treat,
so see your GP as soon as possible.
We need sunlight on our skin so that our
bodies can produce vitamin D, which is
essential for healthy bones. Read about
sunlight and vitamin D to find out how much
sunlight you need.
Know your body
It's important to know your body and
recognise any changes, such as lumps or
unexplained bleeding, and to get advice about
whether they might be serious.
Page last reviewed: 04/12/2013
Next review due: 0
