National Cancer Awareness Day 2019: 6 Simple Lifestyle Tips for Students to Prevent Cancer

‘National Cancer Awareness Day’ was started in the year 2014 by the former Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan. A life-threatening disease, spreading knowledge about the prevention, causes, and treatment of cancer is extremely important. Though many cancers cannot be treated, there are a number of strategies and techniques that can help reduce the risk of cancer. Therefore, it becomes important to inculcate certain lifestyle habits that can help prevent cancer. So amidst your academics, you should adopt these simple lifestyle tips that will help keep cancer at bay:

• Eat a healthy diet: A healthy and well-balanced diet is extremely important in all walks of life. A healthy diet comprises of fruits, vegetables, nuts, dairy products, whole grains, legumes, and beans. You should eat light meals and less high-calorie foods, including refined sugars and unhealthy fats. If you are a non-vegetarian, you should avoid lean cuts of meat. You should limit processed meat as well.
• A healthy body weight: Obesity increases the risk of many diseases including cancer. Therefore, it is very important to stay lean and keep yourself fit. One should eat fewer calories, less junk food and focus on regular physical exercise in order to lose weight.

• Avoid using tobacco: Time and again excessive use of tobacco products has been directly linked to several types of cancer, including lung, breast, throat, colorectal, skin, bladder, mouth, blood and cervical. Therefore, it is better late than never! One should quit smoking and other tobacco products in order to prevent cancer.
•  Avoid unnecessary exposure to radiation: One should always protect themselves from the harmful ultraviolet radiation in sunlight. This increases the risk of melanomas and other types of skin cancers. Wearing full-sleeves clothes and using sunblock can be some of the ways to protect yourself from the sunlight.
• Exercise regularly: No matter what some sort of physical activity is of the utmost importance when it comes to healthy living. It has been linked to a reduced risk of colon cancer and other cancers as well. Exercise will help you burn calories, stay fit and active.

• Get regular medical care: One should go for self-exams and screenings at regular intervals of time. This can increase your chances of discovering cancer at an early stage.

Today let’s spread the word that prevention is better than cure!