The first step to avoiding cancer, diabetes, heart attacks is by understanding your health risks. There are key health risks to consider. Health risks are your risk factors which may or may not be modifiable. These risks tell you how likely it is for you to develop certain diseases. By knowing the risk factors of a disease, you can compare those factors to your own risks to determine your chances of developing a disease. Cancer, diabetes, heart attacks are some of the most common health conditions that people are always worried about. Here are some of the risk factors of cancer, diabetes, heart attacks that you should know about.

  • Cancer
  • Cancer is a general name for a group of diseases characterized by the presence of abnormal cells that damage the body. There are several types of cancer, such as Lung Cancer, Bone Cancer, Leukemia, and Colon Cancer. Here are some risks factors of cancer that you should know about.

    • Age may determine your susceptibility to cancer. The older you are, the higher your risk of getting cancer
    • Tobacco smoking increases your risk of getting lung cancer. You may also get this kind of cancer through second hand smoke.
    • Radiation may damage your cells and may cause them to develop abnormally, leading to cancer.
    • Sunlight. UVA and UVB are very harmful to your skin.
    • Chemicals. If you are exposed to harmful chemicals, you may develop cancer. Some chemicals that you have to be very careful of and avoid are asbestos, nickel, benzene, and cadmium.
    • Some viruses and bacteria also put you at high risk of getting cancer. Human Papilloma virus causes cervical cancer. People infected with HIV have a high risk of getting cancer such as lymphoma.

  • Diabetes
  • Diabetes is a kind of disease that affects how your body metabolizes your blood sugar. This condition has 3 classifications, which are diabetes types 1 and 2 and Gestational diabetes. Diabetes is a very common disease. Some people may not even know they have it until the condition starts getting worse and shows serious symptoms. Type 1 diabetes commonly occurs during childhood, while type 2 diabetes may happen during adulthood. Gestational diabetes happens when a pregnant woman’s blood sugar peaks during her pregnancy. This condition may eventually go away after pregnancy.

    If you have a family history of diabetes, you are at high risk of developing the illness. Certain infections and diseases of the pancreas may lead to type 1 diabetes. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes are mostly modifiable, like obesity.

    Heart Attack

    Like Cancer, your risk of getting a heart attack mostly depends on the lifestyle that you have. If you smoke, drink a lot and have a sedentary lifestyle, you are at high risk of heart attack.

    Cancer, diabetes, heart attacks can be avoided by modifying your lifestyle. This is why it is very important to know the risk factors of these diseases. By knowing the risk factors of cancer, diabetes, heart attacks, you can easily evaluate yourself and your lifestyle and identify the things you have to change.