According to a new study, reaching your goals can reduce your risk of developing cancer by up to a third.
Researchers from Cardiff University in the examined data from 343,150 people aged 40 to 69 across the UK who made healthy lifestyle choices like giving up smoking or drinking, maintaining a low BMI, exercising regularly and eating nutritious food.
After five years, the team found that those adopted all of these behaviours saw a 25 percent reduction in bowel cancer and a 35 percent reduction in breast cancer – two of the most common forms of the disease.
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In fact, in a summary of the findings - first published in the journal ecancermedicalscience - researcher Professor Elwood explained that each individual habit reduced the risk by eight per cent.
“The number of healthy lifestyles followed by participants was inversely associated with the risk of cancer,” he said.
“This study adds powerful evidence to the literature showing large health benefits from healthy behaviours.”
And yup, these results may not come as a huge surprise, but it does emphasise just how important it is to stick to resolutions like these long-term.
“The take-home message is healthy behaviours can have a truly tangible effect,” Elwood added.
“A healthy lifestyle has many benefits additional to cancer reduction – it costs nothing and has no undesirable side effects… and is better than any pill.”
