How to Reduce Your Risk of Bladder Cancer With Healthy Lifestyle Choices
Although certain risk factors cannot be changed, making healthy choices every day can help lower your likelihood of developing bladder cancer.
Avoiding smoking, drinking water and staying hydrated are the three most important lifestyle decisions you can make to reduce the risks of cancerous chemicals in your urine. These will help dilute chemicals present in urine that could potentially harm you.
1. Avoid Smoking
Genetics, aging and other factors cannot be controlled; however, healthy lifestyle choices often correlate with a lower risk of bladder cancer. Examples include quitting smoking, eating nutritiously and staying physically active.
Smoking: Cigarette smoke contains many hazardous chemicals that can lead to cancer in various parts of the body, including the bladder. Furthermore, it weakens your immune system and alters DNA in cells, making it harder for your body to fight off cancerous growths.
Urologic oncologists, or doctors who treat bladder cancer, advise their patients to quit smoking in order to lower the likelihood of recurrence. Furthermore, they encourage them to make lifestyle changes for better overall health and quality of life.
* Stay Hydrated: Drinking plenty of water can help protect you against bladder cancer by diluting harmful chemicals in your urine. Aim for six to eight glasses of water daily.
Eating Healthily: Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can reduce your risk for developing bladder cancer. Fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants which may protect the bladder from damage.
Exercising Regularly: Exercise can reduce your risk of bladder cancer by improving muscle strength, balance and coordination. Furthermore, it will boost energy levels and lift your spirits.
Exercise not only helps you shed pounds, but it’s also good for your overall wellbeing. Obese people have an increased risk of developing bladder cancer, so if you are overweight it’s essential to eat healthily and get plenty of exercise each day.
According to a study published in the journal Investigative and Clinical Urology, patients with squamous cell bladder cancer who increased their intake of fresh fruits and vegetables experienced a decreased risk of disease progression. Furthermore, telephone or Skype-based dietary counseling programs have been proven effective at increasing total vegetable intake among these individuals.
2. Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated is one of the most effective strategies for preventing bladder cancer. It flushes out toxins and carcinogens from your urine, making it safer to pee.
Additionally, exercising helps you reach your highest potential by helping your body break down toxins and waste more rapidly. This can prevent urinary tract infections or kidney stones from forming which could result in dehydration or bladder issues.
Drink eight 8-ounce cups of water daily, or two liters. Keep a reusable water bottle handy and create an automatic refill schedule throughout the day.
Staying hydrated is an effective way to lower your risk for bladder cancer, but it’s essential not to overdo it!
Smoking is the single most effective way to reduce your bladder cancer risk. Studies have revealed that smoking significantly increases this risk by about 50%.
Smoking causes your body to produce more toxic chemicals called tar, which can accumulate on the inner lining of your bladder and increase your risk for cancer. You can reduce this risk by quitting smoking or using less hazardous products like e-cigarettes and vaping instead.
Drinking plenty of water can dilute the toxic chemicals in your urine, helping them to come out more quickly. To achieve this effect, be sure to drink enough liquid until your urine appears light yellow or white in color.
Studies have indicated that people who drink more water tend to have a lower risk of developing bladder cancer, though the exact cause remains uncertain. Other factors such as eating more fruits and vegetables or restricting meat consumption could also play a role.
3. Eat a Healthy Diet
Bladder cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers among both men and women alike, caused by abnormal cells that grow in the bladder. Eating a nutritious diet can help lower your risk for bladder cancer by decreasing inflammation in your system.
Eating a nutritious diet can reduce your risk for many health issues, such as heart disease. Aim to include plenty of produce like vegetables and fruits in your meals along with whole grains and plenty of water in your fluid intake.
Eating too much red meat, particularly processed forms such as hot dogs and sausages, may increase your risk for bladder cancer. According to a 2018 study, processed red meat significantly increases this risk.
Foods high in carbohydrates and dietary fiber, such as fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes and seeds may help prevent or reduce bladder cancer. Eating a diet rich in antioxidants may also protect against this development since they reduce free radical damage caused by free radicals.
In addition to a nutritious diet, make sure you drink eight cups of fluids each day. Doing this can help avoid constipation and bladder cancer.
Enhancing your physical activity levels through activities such as walking, running, biking or swimming may reduce the risk of bladder cancer. Studies have linked this type of exercise to numerous benefits like reduced weight, improved blood flow and enhanced detoxification.
Additionally, you should avoid foods that are high in sugar, salt and fat as these can increase your risk for bladder cancer and other types of cancers. A balanced diet should include plenty of fresh produce like fruits and veggies as well as whole grains and lean proteins.
4. Exercise Regularly
Exercise regularly not only increases energy levels and stamina, it can lift your moods, and it may help you maintain a healthy weight; but it may also lower the risk of other health problems like heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Physical activity can be any type of movement that puts your muscles to work. This could include walking, dancing or running, among other activities.
Studies have demonstrated that people who engage in physical activity tend to live longer than those who don’t. Exercising not only benefits your body, but it’s also an effective way to manage stress.
The American Institute for Cancer Research suggests getting 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity each week – that’s approximately 3 hours of physical activity daily.
For those who do not regularly exercise, it is wise to start slowly and increase their levels of fitness over time. They may want to consult an exercise physiologist – a university-qualified health professional who can design an tailored exercise program specifically tailored for them.
A recent study has demonstrated that women who engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity have lower bladder cancer risks than those who do not exercise at all. Researchers analyzed data from the National Health Information Survey (NHIS) on 222,163 women who took part for at least one year.
Results revealed that women who exercised regularly had a 47.6% lower risk of bladder cancer mortality compared to those who didn’t exercise at all. Thus, the authors of the study recommend that exercise become part of every woman’s routine rather than something she does when she feels motivated.
5. Avoid Drinking Alcohol
Bladder cancer is a relatively common form of cancer that develops in the cells lining the bladder. It’s more common among men than women, and there are several risk factors for developing bladder cancer such as smoking, having a family history and exposure to certain chemicals present in the environment.
Once you receive a diagnosis of bladder cancer, it can be an incredibly stressful time. But there are ways to make life more manageable and reduce the likelihood of recurrence.
1. Avoid Smoking: Cigarette smoking is the single greatest risk factor for bladder cancer, increasing your likelihood of developing it up to three times.
2. Stay Hydrated: Drinking plenty of water and other fluids can reduce your risk for bladder cancer by encouraging you to urinate more often.
3. Maintain a Healthy Diet: Eating foods rich in antioxidants and other essential nutrients can help protect you against cancer.
4. Exercise Regularly: Physical activity can improve your overall wellbeing and lower the likelihood of developing cancer.
5. Steer Clear of Alcohol Consumption: Studies have revealed that drinking alcohol significantly increases your risk for several types of cancer, including bladder cancer. Not only can it cause irritation to the bladder but it can also lead to toxic chemical accumulation within your body. Therefore, it’s best to abstain from alcoholic beverages altogether.
In addition to alcohol, there are other harmful substances in your body which could raise your chances of developing cancer. For instance, tobacco smoke contains carcinogens – toxic chemicals that may trigger cancer development.
The American Cancer Society recently revised its guidelines for preventing cancer. One of the new recommendations is never drinking alcohol – limit yourself to no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men.