Breakthrough: 'Small changes can dramatically lower cancer risk'

During February, Cancer Prevention month, Breakthrough want people across Ireland to commit to one small change they can make to help lower their cancer risk. They can share it on social media with the hashtag #MySmallChange.

Dr Aoife Ryan, Dietitian and Lecturer in Nutritional Sciences in University College Cork and Principal Investigator with Breakthrough states: "We can help prevent cancer by knowing what causes it. Through scientific research, we know that our risk of developing cancer depends on a combination of our genes, our environment and aspects of our lifestyle.

"We have control over many of these factors and, in some instances, can directly alter our chances of developing cancer. Cancer is caused by damage to our DNA, the chemical instructions that tell our cells what to do. Things in our environment, such as our lifestyle, can damage our DNA.”

The Eight Key Recommendations from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) are:

(1) Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight

(2) Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day

(3) Limit consumption of high calorie foods and avoid sugary drinks

(4) Eat more grains, vegetables, fruit and beans

(5) Limit consumption of red meats and avoid processed meats

(6) Limit alcohol consumption

(7) Limit consumption of salty foods and foods processed with salt

(8) For cancer prevention, don’t rely on supplements