How men can reduce their cancer risk
Stop smoking
Despite successful efforts to reduce smoking in Western Australia, almost one in five men continues to smoke. Quitting smoking has major and immediate benefits at any age, and smokers don't have to do it alone!
Talk to your doctor or call the Quitline 13 78 48 for confidential counselling. For extra support to quit, register for one of the Cancer Council WA's Fresh Start courses.
Find out more about stopping smoking.
Avoid or limit alcohol
A lot more men (31 percent) than women (22 percent) drink at a risky level. Despite evidence suggesting that alcohol is protective for heart disease, there is no evidence to support any reduction in cancer risk. In fact, drinking alcohol increases the risk of many different types of cancer including mouth, liver and bowel cancers.
We recommend limiting or avoiding alcohol: no more than 2 standard drinks a day for men. Men who drink more than 6 standard drinks in a day increase their short-term risk of health and social problems.
Find out more about avoiding alcohol.
Be SunSmart
Cancer statistics suggest that men aren't as vigilant about protecting their skin as women. On an average summer weekend, 20 percent of men are sunburnt, compared to 15 percent of women.
Skin cancer is mainly caused by UV radiation from the sun so it's simple to lower your risk by reducing your sun exposure. Be SunSmart and save your skin by combining these five simple steps:
- Slip on sun protective clothing
- Slop on SPF 30+ sunscreen
- Slap on a hat
- Seek shade
- Slide on some sunglasses
And remember to take extra care between 10am and 3pm when UV radiation is most intense.
Find our more about skin cancer.
Move your body
Physical activity is the one area where men outperform women. Still, around four in ten men don't do enough physical activity each day for good health.
Physical activity doesn't have to be very hard to be effective, but vigorous activity offers some additional benefits. If you are not physically active, try gradually increasing the amount of physical activity that you do every day.
Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate activity every day for good health. This can be accumulated in blocks of 10 minutes. Sixty minutes of activity, including some vigorous intensity exercise, is more likely to reduce your cancer risk.
Find out more about physical activity.
Stay in shape
Alarmingly more than 2 out of every 3 men aged 25-64 years are overweight or obese.
If you are overweight the first step is to stop gaining weight. Then try for steady weight loss. Be more physically active and eat according to your energy needs. Aim for a body mass index (BMI) in the healthy weight range between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m2.
Another useful measure is waist circumference. Men should aim for a waist circumference of less than 100cm.
Find out more about maintaining a healthy weight.
Eat for health
Average energy (calorie, kilojoule) intake for adult men has been steadily increasing over time. Yet more than 80 percent don't eat enough vegetables for good health and more than half don't eat enough fruit.
A healthy diet; rich in fruit, vegetables, breads, cereals; with moderate amount of lean meat and dairy foods can reduce your cancer risk.
Men should aim to eat at least 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables every day for good health. Fresh fruit and vegetables are the best, but frozen, dried or canned are good alternatives.
It is recommended that men eat at least 5 serves of breads and cereals each day. Try to include a variety of wholegrain foods, which have been shown to be helpful for weight control.
Diets high in red and processed meat increase the risk of bowel cancer. We recommend eating only moderate amounts of red meat, up to 3-4 times a week and limiting consumption of processed meats (salami, bacon and ham). Poultry, seafood, eggs, nuts and legumes are good alternatives to red meat.
Find out more about healthy eating.
