Brain tumors kill more children and adults under 40 than any other form of cancer in Britain.
More than 12,000 Britons every year receive the devastating news that they have this form of cancer, with only one in ten expected to survive over the next decade.
But experts say just a few lifestyle changes can help reduce your chances of getting the disease.
Watching what you eat, how you sleep and managing stress are just some of the things brain cancer specialists themselves monitor in an effort to keep their gray matter in top shape.
Here says Dr Sara Meade, consultant clinical neuro-oncologist at Harborne Hospital in Birmingham, part of HCA Healthcaretells MailOnline which healthy habits she prioritizes to keep her brain healthy.
Dr. Sara Meade, consultant clinical neuro-oncologist at The Harborne Hospital in Birmingham, part of HCA Healthcare
Enjoy being outside in the fresh air and exercising
A walk with the family or a refreshing swim is always a top priority for Dr. Meade.
She believes that doing fun activities that also keep you fit and healthy are essential for your brain health.
“Every day I make it a point to do something I enjoy for my own physical and mental health,” she told this website.
‘This could be going for a swim, which is my favorite fitness and wellbeing hobby, going for a walk with my family, dog or a friend, or even something as simple as stepping outside the clinical area for 20 minutes. to have coffee with a colleague.
‘Engaging in activities that bring joy helps reduce stress and promotes a positive outlook on life. This in turn contributes to maintaining good physical and mental health.’
Being active and a healthy weight can boost your immune system, she says.
Keeping your immune system in top shape can help you perform better. According to Cancer Research UK (CRUK), it is a function of detecting and dealing with cells that can become cancerous.
The charity also emphasizes that being active reduces inflammation which, if left unchecked, can cause our cells to divide more frequently, increasing the risk of cancer.
“While there is no specific risk of brain cancer from not being active, it applies to reducing the risk of all cancers in general,” Dr. Meade points out.
Doing fun activities that also keep you fit and healthy are also vital for your brain health
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Enjoying a balanced and healthy diet
Eating enough healthy food not only keeps your body fit and healthy, but also your mind.
“Eating healthy is a cornerstone of maintaining good health,” said Dr. Meade.
“I believe in the principle of moderation and making good food choices to maintain a healthy balance,” she added.
‘A balanced diet helps provide us with the necessary nutrients for the body and brain to function optimally and supports overall well-being.
‘This habit ensures that I have the energy and focus needed in daily life.’
Fatty fish is an important source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for brain health.
Additionally, eating more fruits and vegetables and fewer fatty and sugary foods will help you maintain a healthy weight overall.
Although a healthy and balanced diet can help reduce the risk of cancer, Dr Meade said it is unlikely that there is one food that will definitively lower the risk.
‘There is no strong evidence that you need to eat anything specific to prevent brain cancer. It’s all about eating well and maintaining a normal weight for overall health,” said Dr. Meade.
According to CRUK, being overweight or obese increases the risk of 13 types of cancer, including meningioma (a type of brain tumor).
One reason for this is that being overweight causes the level of growth hormones in the body increases, causing cells to divide more often.
Each of these additional divisions represents a new potential opportunity for cancer cells to appear, increasing the risk of developing the disease.
Another factor that increases the risk is that immune cells are attracted to parts of the body where there are many fat cells.
This can then cause a spike in inflammation in these areas, which, as previously highlighted, causes cells to divide more quickly, increasing the risk of cancer formation.
By eating more fruits and vegetables and less fatty and sugary foods, you can maintain a healthy weight
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Get enough shut-eye every evening
A good dose of shut-eye can do wonders for our brain health.
“We all function better with healthy sleep patterns,” Dr. Meade said.
‘Although everyone’s sleep needs are slightly different when it comes to sleep duration, good quality sleep is crucial for a healthy mind and maintaining cognitive function.
‘I prioritize getting enough sleep every night to ensure I am well rested and can perform at my best professionally and personally.’
A healthy adult should sleep around 7 to 9 hours a night, but according to the NHS, age and health can change how much sleep we need.
Prolonged poor sleep can have a negative effect on everyone’s mental well-being and also on the choices people make.
In the short term, it can also cause us to feel down, be more irritable with others, eat more and have difficulty concentrating.
A healthy adult should sleep around 7 to 9 hours a night, but age and health can affect how much sleep we need, says the NHS
But in the long term, not getting enough sleep is also linked to greater ‘wear and tear’ on our cells.
This type of cellular disruption is thought to increase the risk of cancerous tumors.
A 2019 study found that people who work night shifts have 30 percent more damage to their DNA than those who work normal hours.
In this study, researchers from the University of Hong Kong looked at about fifty doctors from two local hospitals, half of whom had to work at night and got only two to four hours of sleep. The rest got seven or more.
Another study suggests that fragmented sleep may cause types of inflammation that promote tumor growth and progression. But this 2014 University of Chicago study was conducted on mice, not humans.
But a 2021 study in people over 50 years of age, it was found that there was a higher risk of cancer in those who rated their sleep quality as ‘intermediate’ or ‘poor’.
Dr. However, Meade said more research is needed to confirm whether a lack of good-quality sleep can directly increase cancer risk.
But she added that it doesn’t hurt to make sure you get enough good-quality sleep, and that those who don’t get enough shut-eye may also have other lifestyle factors, such as a poor diet, that could increase the risk of cancer. increase.
She said: ‘People with poor sleep hygiene can often be overweight, have a poor diet, have poor working patterns, so often it all goes hand in hand.
‘It can lead to poor judgment and impaired decision-making. After a bad night’s sleep, you may lean on things you normally don’t like—poor food choices.”
Keeping stress in balance
Staying organized and maintaining a good work-life balance is the key to maintaining a healthy mind, according to Dr. Meade.
“Daily planning and prioritization are essential for a healthy work-life balance,” she said.
“Every day I plan ahead to manage my responsibilities effectively. This habit helps me stay organized, reduce stress, and maintain a balance that supports my overall well-being.”
‘Everyone will have different daily habits and routines that work for them, but these are the habits that I find help improve my mental wellbeing.’
There is some evidence that boosting your mental wellbeing and reducing stress can also reduce your risk of cancer
There is also some evidence that boosting your mental wellbeing and reducing stress can also reduce your risk of cancer.
A paper in 2022 suggested that there could be a link between the body’s exposure to cortisol, the stress hormone, and cancer.
And another study from February this year suggested that stress causes cancers to grow and spread.
Although stress has not been directly linked to the disease, long periods of stress have been linked to high blood pressure and depression, according to the NHS.
It can also be more difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle, such as not smoking and drinking, during stressful situations. These habits can lead to an increased risk of cancer, CRUK warns.
However, the charity says there is not enough evidence to show that ‘those who are more stressed are more likely to develop cancer’.
Although there is no direct connection, Dr. Meade that managing your stress levels will help you have a better “quality of life” overall.
‘It’s about giving ourselves the best opportunities. “Many of us have no control over whether or not we will get brain cancer in our lifetime,” she said.
“For the vast majority of people, there is nothing they have done wrong in their lives to cause this; brain cancer often occurs very randomly and sporadically. But it’s about giving yourself the best chance at longevity and quality of life.”