HealthInfo West Coast-Te Tai Poutini
Reducing my risk of cancer
Making healthy life choices and taking part in screening programmes can reduce your chance of getting cancer.
Being smokefree will make the biggest difference and it's never too late to stop being a smoker.
Eating well while aiming for a healthy weight is important.
- Limit the amount of red meat you eat to no more than 700 g (uncooked weight) a week.
- Avoid processed meat such as bacon, ham, salami and corned beef.
- Have at least seven servings of vegetables and fruit each day along with some grain foods. Choose mostly wholegrains and those naturally high in fibre, such as wholegrain bread and cereal and brown rice.
- No supplements have been found to reduce cancer risk – the foods you eat are what make a difference.
Alcohol is linked to several cancers including bowel and breast cancer. Avoiding alcohol or keeping within safe drinking levels will reduce your risk.
Spend less time sitting and keep active, aiming for at least 30 minutes a day of activity.
Being sun-smart can reduce your risk of all types of skin cancers.
Breastfeeding for 6 months or more reduces the risk of breast cancer.
HPV vaccination reduces the risk of cervical cancer and mouth, throat, penile and anal cancers.
As well as finding cases of cancer, screening programmes can find changes before they become cancer. New Zealand has national screening for cervical, breast and bowel cancers. Some men choose to have a screening test for prostate cancer.
HealthInfo recommends the following pages
- Cancer Society – Reducing your cancer risk
Information about things you can do to reduce your risk of cancer.
- World Cancer Research Fund International – Cancer prevention recommendations
A package of healthy lifestyle choices, which together can make an enormous impact on people's likelihood of developing cancer and other non-communicable diseases over their lifetimes.
On the next page: Inherited cancer & BRCA genes
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed December 2021.
SourcesReview key: HICCR-38555
