5 ways to help prevent cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke

If you’re trying to reduce your risk of chronic illness, you could run yourself ragged reading all the latest research on disease prevention.

Or, you could keep things simple. Following just a few straightforward strategies could significantly lower your chances of developing conditions such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. It all boils down to these five guidelines:

1. Say no to cigarettes.
2. Watch your weight.
3. Be active.
4. Stick to a diet focused on produce and whole grains.
5. Limit your alcohol consumption.

According to a 2020 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, adults between ages 40 and 75 with certain key healthy traits and habits developed chronic disease almost 10 years later than people without those traits. Each had a body mass index (BMI) under 25, and did at least two of the following:

• Never smoked
• Drank moderately
• Got sufficient physical activity

A separate, large European study published in 2009 in the Archives of Internal Medicine (now known as JAMA Internal Medicine), derived similar results. In addition to never smoking and getting plenty of exercise, having a BMI under 30 and eating a relatively healthy diet—meaning little meat and plenty of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains—helped the most. People who had all four things going for them enjoyed major risk reductions for a range of chronic illnesses.

How to reduce your risk of chronic illness

Of course, following these guidelines is not as easy as it sounds. But don't worry. There are benefits to abiding by two or three. Even following just one of the guidelines can help lower your odds of disease.

But why not shoot for all five?

Here are some tricks and tools that could help you prevent cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke:

• You can kick tobacco. Really! Start by choosing a quit day, and then take smart steps to prepare yourself for a smoke-free life. Craving to Quit from Sharecare is an evidence-based program that can help.
• Use science-backed strategies to achieve and maintain a weight that’s healthy for you.
• Exercise doesn't have to be hard. There’s an activity out there for everyone, even if you hate working out.
• Whole grains are easier to slide into your diet than you might think. Stock up and get creative.
• Learn how alcohol affects your body—and how you can start scaling back.

Got all that? Great! And if you could use even more convincing, find out how these five important habits may be affecting your RealAge—and learn ways to get healthier today.