Many people have cancer, heart disease, or both in their family medical histories. What should you do if you’re at risk for either illness?
While cancer and heart diseases are on the rise, there are steps you can take to lower your risk for developing these conditions and, in some cases, prevent them. It’s important to understand how to live a healthy lifestyle and make sure you stick to any guidelines your doctor or medical provider gives you. You can also follow these tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help lower your risk for developing cancer and heart disease.
Tips to Lower Cancer Risk
According to the CDC, making healthy choices is a key part of preventing cancer. There are three main ways you can help lower your risk of developing cancer:
- Getting screened regularly can help detect some cancers early. Cancer treatments typically work best in the early stages.
- Stay up to date on vaccines, including the HPV vaccine and hepatitis B vaccine. Vaccines can help prevent some kinds of cancer.
- Not smoking, avoiding or limiting alcohol consumption, eating balanced meals, and exercising regularly can also help prevent certain kinds of cancer.
Tips to Prevent Heart Disease
The CDC recommends living a healthy lifestyle to keep your blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol at normal levels to lower your risk for heart disease and heart attack. There are two main ways to do this:
- Choose healthy habits. Avoid smoking, choose healthy food and drinks, exercise regularly, and maintain a healthy weight.
- Take charge of your medical conditions by checking your cholesterol, controlling your blood pressure, managing diabetes, taking medicines as directed, and working with your healthcare team.
The Bottom Line
Cancer and heart disease may not be entirely avoidable, but it’s still important to do your part to lower your risk and take steps to prevent it. If you think you might be at risk for cancer or heart disease, talk with your doctor or primary care physician about your lifestyle, family medical history, and other important risk factors.
You can learn more about cancer and heart disease prevention at www.cdc.gov/cancer/prevention and www.cdc.gov/heart-disease/prevention
