Reducing your Risk of Cancer

Around 4 in 10 cancer cases in the UK (2015) could be prevented through healthy changes.  

Research has shown that things like stopping smoking, keeping a healthy weight, staying safe in the sun, cutting down on alcohol and eating a healthy, balanced diet can reduce the risk of cancer. 

By making healthy changes now, you can make a difference to your health in the future. It's never too late to start making healthy changes. 

And remember, you can talk to your doctor if you’re worried about your cancer risk. 

Smoking is the single biggest cause of cancer and not smoking is the best thing you can do to reduce your risk of cancer. Harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke damage the cells in our body. If you smoke, stopping completely is the best thing you can do for your health and there are many tools and support services to help you quit. 

Visit our 'Help to quite smoking' page for more information. 

Being a healthy weight has lots of health benefits, including reducing the risk of at least 13 different types of cancer. 

If you struggle to control your weight on your own, you're not alone. There are many weight loss and weight management programmes that are available to help you to lose the pounds and to keep them off.

Visit our 'Weight management' page to find out more. 

Being safe in the sun reduces the risk of skin cancer. Too much UV radiation from the sun or sunbeds damages our skin cells.  

Sun safety tips:

  • Spend time in the shade when the sun is strongest. In the UK this is between 11am and 3pm from March to October. 
  • Never burn 
  • Cover up with suitable clothing and sunglasses 
  • Take extra care with children 
  • Use at least factor 30 sunscreen, and apply regularly and generously 

You can find mor information on sun safety on the NHS website. 

Video Link: Melanoma Focus: How to have fun in the sun 

Cutting down on alcohol reduces your risk of 7 types of cancer. It doesn't matter what type it is - all alcohol can cause damage. Whatever your drinking habits, the less you drink the lower your risk of cancer. 

Cancer Research UK has some great tips for cutting down your alcohol intake. 

You can also find more information about alcohol on our 'Alcohol awareness' page.  

The HPV vaccine helps to prevent cancer by protecting against human papillomavrius (HPV). HPV increases the risk of some types of cancer and causes almost all cases of cervical cancer. The HPV vaccine is offered for free to children aged 11-13, and some other groups.  You can find out more on the NHS website. 

Video Link: The Eve Appeal: What do you know about HPV? 

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