12 ways to reduce your cancer risk

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding reduces the mother’s cancer risk.If you can, breastfeed your baby.

Breastfeeding is one particular type of healthy behaviour. There is strong evidence that people can reduce their risk of cancer by adopting healthy dietary and activity behaviours. In European populations, people who follow a healthy lifestyle that adheres to the recommendations for cancer prevention have an estimated 18% lower risk of cancer compared with people whose lifestyle and body weight do not meet the recommendations. This risk reduction was estimated for a healthy lifestyle that includes: being a normal body weight (a body mass index [BMI] between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m²) and avoiding foods that promote weight gain, such as sugary drinks and fast foods; being moderately active for at least 30 minutes per day; breastfeeding (for women); eating mostly foods of plant origin; limiting intake of red meat; avoiding processed meats; and limiting consumption of alcoholic drinks.