Cancer is on the rise among millennials and Gen Xers—especially colorectal cancer—with alcohol, ultra-processed food, obesity, and environmental factors driving the rise. Recent data from the American Cancer Society shows that colorectal cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death for men under 50, and the second-leading cause for women in the same age group.
The American Cancer Society (ACS) reports that 40% of cancers are linked to modifiable risk factors, while about one in 10 cancers are caused by genetic mutations passed down within a family. Understanding both your health history and ways you can lower your cancer risk through lifestyle changes is why the ACS developed its risk assessment tool, CancerRisk360.
The tool first asks you to answer demographic questions: your age, sex, height and weight, and zip code. Then it moves into questions about your personal health history—such as if you’ve been previously diagnosed with cancer and if you’re fully vaccinated against human papillomavirus (HPV)—your family health history, amount of physical activity per week, and your diet, sun protection, and sleep habits.
A personalized road map to cancer prevention
Once you complete the assessment, you are given a list of science-backed recommendations to lower your cancer risk and feedback letting you know which habits you’re already doing that are helping to lower your risk.
Here are the recommendations I received:
- Protect your skin from UV radiation.
- Cut down on ultra-processed foods.
- Make sure your doctor knows about your family’s cancer history.
- Avoid radon exposure, which is the leading nonsmoking cause of lung cancer.
- Alert your doctor to changes in bowel habits or other new symptoms and know your family history of colorectal cancer.
- Start your cervical cancer screening path at age 25.
- Be familiar with your breasts and family history of breast cancer.
Those recommendations were based on my answers, such as the fact that I don’t protect myself from sunlight much beyond wearing sunglasses and sunscreen, or that I eat ultra-processed foods about one to three times per week. My demographics play a role as well—I am a woman under 25 with limited knowledge of my family’s genetics.
But because I don’t eat red meat or processed meat, drink alcohol, or use tobacco, I didn’t receive any recommendations about cutting back on those.
While the assessment takes only about five to 10 minutes, the questions in each category are specific enough that people will have quite different results.
Other cancer-preventing recommendations
If you carry certain genes linked to cancers, have a family history of cancer, belong to a certain demographic group, or struggle to maintain certain healthy lifestyle factors, the assessment will break down more recommendations to optimize your cancer prevention.
Genetics
Within the family history section are questions about whether you or your family members have been told they carry certain genes linked to risk of different cancers, like BRCA genes, which are associated with higher risk of breast and ovarian cancers.
People of Ashkenazi Jewish descent might be advised to talk to their doctor about or get more screenings for colorectal, ovarian, breast, and prostate cancers because those cancers are more common within that community.
Black women may also receive suggestions for specific screenings since they have a higher risk of developing breast cancer at a younger age, and more aggressive, deadly forms of the cancer, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Physical activity
Over 75% of Americans are also not meeting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s exercise guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week, such as brisk walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity or a combination of both, as well as at least two days of strength training each week. If you fall into that group, the ACS tool may advise you to increase your physical activity, which is associated with a reduced cancer risk.
Sleep
One of the assessment's questions is about how much you sleep per night, since a lack can raise your risk of cancer and 12 other chronic diseases according to research.
The ACS points out that not enough sleep or poor quality sleep can weaken the immune system. With a weakened immune system, your body is less likely prevent abnormal cell growth, which increases the risk for cancer to develop.
Diet
The diet section asks how much red and processed meat you eat, how many servings of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables you get each day, your alcohol consumption, and how often you eat ultra-processed foods. If you eat less than four cups of fruits and vegetables per day, the assessment will advise you to add more to your diet.
Eating a plant-forward diet made up of mostly whole grains, fruits, and vegetables can be crucial to helping lower your cancer risk. That’s in part because those foods are high in fiber, which has numerous benefits including keeping you full to prevent overeating and weight gain, and improving the health of your gut microbiome.
Improving your gut health can also strengthen your immune system, says Nigel Brockton, PhD, vice president of research at the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR). A stronger immune system will give your body the tools to fight off potentially cancerous cells, he says.
A diet that limits ultra-processed foods—such as packaged snacks and baked goods—red meat, and processed meat is also key to cancer prevention. Processed deli meat and sausages in particular have been linked to increased risk of several cancers, especially colorectal cancer, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research. Some processed meats are labeled as carcinogens by the World Health Organization, meaning they have the potential to cause cancer.
If you drink any alcohol, the ACS recommends cutting back or eliminating it from your diet, since research reveals its clear link to cancer.
Radon exposure
One of the recommendations I received was to cut down on my radon exposure. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), radon is a naturally occurring, invisible, odorless radioactive gas. Radon exposure happens when the gas is released from bedrock material and passes through the soil, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). People can be exposed to radon from air that comes through cracks and gaps in the foundation of buildings and homes, or through your water supply.
It is the second-leading cause of lung cancer, and the primary cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers, the EPA says. Because it naturally comes from the earth, we are always exposed to it.
To protect yourself from radon exposure, the ACS recommends getting an at-home radon test, which usually costs less than $30, either from a professional or your state government. The good news is you can fix a radon problem if you have one in your home through a radon reduction system. The average cost is around $1,020, according to U.S. News & World Report.
For more on cancer prevention:
- More millennials and Gen Xers are getting colorectal cancer. Adding these foods to your diet may help
- 6 ways your brain and body benefit when you stop drinking alcohol
- Study confirms link between cancer and at least 10 popular ultra-processed foods
- Working out at these times of day could reduce your risk of colorectal cancer by 11%, new study says
