(Also read: Lung cancer: the Coffee Region would be the region with the highest prevalence in Colombia)
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in men in Colombia.
Prostate cancer is the most common in men in Colombia.
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Do not smoke or consume tobacco. Tobacco use has been linked to different types of cancer, especially including cancer of the lung, mouth, throat, larynx, pancreas, bladder, cervix, and kidney.
Even inhaling secondhand smoke could increase the risk of lung cancer. Staying away from tobacco, or deciding to quit using it, is an important part of cancer prevention.
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Eat a healthy diet. According to experts, while eating healthy foods can’t guarantee cancer prevention, it may reduce your risk. In this sense, it is key: consume more fruits and vegetables, limit the consumption of processed meats.
People who follow a Mediterranean diet, with extra virgin olive oil and mixed nuts, may have a lower risk of breast cancer.
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Keep a healthy weight. A healthy weight may reduce the risk of developing some types of cancer. These types of cancer can include breast, prostate, lung, colon, and kidney cancer.
Physical activity also contributes. In addition to helping you control your weight, physical activity alone may reduce the risk of developing breast and colon cancer.
- Avoid the sun. Skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer and one of the most preventable. In this sense, the recommendations are: avoid the sun between 10:00 and 16:00. Stay in the shade. Cover the skin Use sunscreen.
- Vaccinated. Protection against certain viral infections can help you avoid cancer. In that sense, the vaccines you should consider getting: hepatitis B and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV)
- Avoid risky behaviors. Another effective cancer prevention tactic is to avoid risky behaviors that can lead to infections that could, in turn, increase the risk of cancer. Among them: practice safe sex and don’t share needles.
- Go regularly to the doctor. Regular self-exams and screening for various types of cancer (such as skin, colon, cervical, and breast) can increase your chances of finding cancer early, when treatment is most likely to be successful. .
