Unexpected Ways to Lower your Risk for Cancer

”Prevention is the best medicine” as the saying goes. The process of becoming healthy can be a difficult and lifelong challenge. However, that shouldn’t stop us from taking whatever small steps we can in order to better or health, whether by making small changes in our diet, fitness routine or lifestyle.  

The incidence of and death from disease such as high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity is constantly on the rise, cancer is now believed to affect 90,000-100,000 people in Malaysia alone. It is estimated that one in every four Malaysians will develop cancer by the age of 75 and is considered the third leading cause of death in the country, contributed to by not only to factors such as smoking but to being overweight and a poor diet. That being said, it is possible to avoid joining the statistic by changing your habits in some slight unexpected ways.

Alcohol/Caffeinated Coffee Consumption

            Although beer might not be the first thing to come to your mind when thinking about health benefits, studies have shown that low consumption of alcohol can reduce risk for renal cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Coffee, and it’s derived caffeine on the other hand, has always been contested and swung between being beneficial or detrimental to one’s health. However, in relation to cancer, coffee without its natural caffeine removed has been shown to lower the risk for colon, uterine, breast, head and brain cancer. Not bad.

                                                Image Courtesy of webmd.com

 

Aspirin/Ibuprofen

            Anti-inflammatories typically used to treat headaches, fevers and/or body aches, it has been shown that taking two pills a week could reduce breast cancer risk between 21-28%. The fact that it’s an anti-inflammatory has also been linked to being beneficial for long term heart health.

 

Green Tea

            A staple in asia, the chinese have long known the benefits of enjoying a hot cup of tea everyday. But recent studies have gotten into the specifics, saying that three cups a day can prevent breast cancer by 50% due to green tea’s high antioxidant content. Adding lemon will not only add to the flavour of your tea but increase the effectiveness of these antioxidants by up to 10 times!

Image Courtesy of onsugar.com

 

Shot Glass of Sunscreen/Clothing Colour

            In a country where, except for the exception of torrential rains ever so often, is extremely bright and sunny, protecting your skin is especially important. However, you don’t necessarily have to slather a whole tub of sunscreen on your body to stay protected. Dermatologists suggest around 1.5 ounces for ideal protection, around the contents of one shot glass. Dressing in red and blue clothing has also been shown to be better at blocking out the sun’s UV rays better than colours like white and yellow.

 

Opening Your Windows

            Indoor air has been measured to be 5 times more contaminated than the air tat exists outside our homes according to the EPA. Opening your windows for at least 15 minutes a day can significantly lower your risk for several types of cancer.

Image Courtesy of personal.psu.edu

Insurance provider AXA Affin has recently joined with the National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM) to raise awareness for this debilitating disease and support those who have suffered from it on their path to recovery. For every post that links to their 110 Cancer Care website by bloggers like myself, they will sponsor one day of funding for daycare usage at the NCSM Treatment Centre for a patient.

If you are interested in collaborating and helping out in this endeavor, please contact Danial @ danial.lissborg@lionandlion.com to see what you can do.

For more information, feel free to visit their site at: https://www.110cancercare.com/

 Article written by: Danial Lissborg

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