Everyday habits that may lead to cancer

While healthy eating and quitting smoking are critical to good health, they aren’t the only lifestyle habits that matter. There are many seemingly harmless things you may do every day that could affect your well-being—and increase your risk for cancer.

Here are a few habits you may want to work on, plus tips on how to make changes.

A long commute or binge watching your favorite show: It may not seem damaging, but over time it can affect your health. Many studies have found that sedentary behavior—such as prolonged sitting—is linked to an increased risk of several different cancers, including cancer of the:

• Breast
• Ovaries, the female reproductive organs that store and release eggs
• Endometrium, the lining of the womb
• Colon (large intestine) and rectum
• Prostate

This is partly because excess sitting can lead to widespread inflammation, a cancer risk factor. Too much time spent seated also means a person isn’t getting much physical activity, which plays a role in obesity. Excess weight is a risk factor for several cancers.

As you are able, try to get as much regular physical activity as possible during your day. If you’re watching TV, get up every few minutes to take a few steps. While experts recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate activity each week spread across several days, any movement helps.

Stress doesn’t directly cause cancer. But constant, long-term stress can create conditions in your body that set the stage for disease. It can affect your immune system, for example, making you more susceptible to many different illnesses, including certain cancers.

People who are chronically over-stressed may also engage in unhealthy habits. These include overeating, not exercising, smoking, and drinking too much alcohol, all of which have been linked to different types of cancer. Taking steps to reduce stress in the moment and over the long term can help to offset these habits. Consider these strategies:

• Get regular physical activity; exercise is a proven stress reliever with wide health benefits.
• Practice deep breathing, mindfulness meditation, or other relaxation techniques.
• Make it a point to socialize regularly; talk to friends and loved ones.
• Prioritize getting seven to nine hours of healthy sleep each night. Practicing good sleep hygiene can help.
• Seek immediate stress relievers. Read, listen to music, or write your worries in a journal.

Speak with a healthcare provider about other ways to ease stress that work for your health and lifestyle.

Many foods have added sugars, or sugar that’s added during processing. These include packaged foods like cookies, cakes, and candies, as well as sweetened soda, tea, and fruit drinks. Too much added sugar can affect your health for many reasons. It can cause weight gain and increase your risk for a range of health problems, including cancer.

Added sugar affects certain hormones in the body. One of these is insulin. Insulin helps control levels of sugar in the blood. Another is estrogen, which can cause some types of cancer cells to grow. Too much insulin and estrogen in the body may lead to issues that can increase the risk of cancer.

One immediate, impactful way to cut back on added sugar is to avoid drinking sugar-loaded beverages. A 20-ounce bottle of regular cola alone contains 65 grams of sugar. That’s about twice as much as the American Heart Association says you should get in a single day. Instead of sweet soda, drink water or unsweetened tea. Or try sparkling water (seltzer) mixed with a little bit of fresh fruit.