Department of Health, Taipei City Government

According to the statistics for the top 10 causes of death by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, malignant tumors have been ranked as the top cause of death in Taipei City for 49 consecutive years, and approximately 13,000 new cancer cases occur in Taipei City every year. Apart from family history and genetic variation resulting in cancer, smoking, alcohol, unhealthy diets, lack of physical activity, and obesity cause chronic diseases. They are also major risk factors that cause cancer; family and friends gathering together to enjoy all kinds of feasts and snacks that are filled with health risks; people reducing physical activity when it is cold outside, all of these are factors that count towards increased health risks. The Taipei City Government Department of Health is here to provide 5 tips to prevent cancer: 1. Have a balanced diet, 2. Maintain physical activity, 3. Conduct daily weight measurements, 4. Stay away from smoking, betel nuts, and alcohol, 5. Undergo screenings to stay away from cancer and chronic diseases.

Master the 6 Phrases for “MyPlate” for a balanced diet

When cooking and making dishes, people can steam food instead of frying and deep-frying, use a variety of healthy in-season ingredients, increase the proportion of vegetables, and season with less oil, less salt, and less sugar; in addition, when having meal gatherings, people can refer to the Ministry of Health and Welfare Health Promotion Administration’s “MyPlate” of drinking a cup of milk every morning and evening; eat a fist-sized portion of fruit every meal; eat more vegetables than fruit; have more rice than vegetables; eat a palm-sized amount of beans, fish, eggs, and meat; and have a teaspoon of nuts and seeds. Follow these 6 principles to enjoy feasts with zero burden.

Weekly “Exercise 150” to maintain Physical Activity

Family and friends gather, chat, and sit down for extended periods of time. In addition, there aren’t that many suitable outdoor activities when the weather is cold. People are recommended to maintain regular physical activity by making good use of the “Weekly Exercise 150” of doing moderate exercise for at least 150 minutes per week. These include activities that raise the heart rate and are mildly exhausting such as speed walking, calisthenics, and hiking. In addition, when friends are getting together, they can make an appointment to go hiking, or take public transportation and get off a few stops earlier to walk to their destination when visiting family and friends. Regular physical activity not only enhances physical fitness, but also lowers blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and has many other benefits.

Daily Measurement of Weight for Healthy Lives

BMI is one of the important indicators of health, and a healthy BMI of adults over 18 years old [BMI = weight (kg) ÷ height (meter) ÷ height (meter)] should be between 18.5 and 24. A BMI that exceeds this range will lead to obesity and result in diabetes and metabolic syndrome. In addition to measuring weight every day, people should pay attention to weight changes, and then remind themselves to improve their diet and exercise to control their BMI and promote health. Director Shier-Chieg Huang of the Taipei City Government Department of Health has urged the citizens of Taipei to measure their weight after getting up every day, pay attention to having a balanced and healthy diet, and increase physical activity to live healthily and happily till they are 100 years old.

Do not Smoke or Chew Betel Nuts, Avoid Excessive Drinking during Gatherings, and Forget about Pressure from Health Issues

The Taipei City Government Department of Health is reminding people that smoking not only causes lung damage, but also causes cancer. Betel nuts themselves are a carcinogen that causes oral cancer and if used together with alcoholic beverages, they will aggravate the damage done to the human body and increase the risk of cancer. Using oral cancer as an example, the simultaneous use of tobacco, alcohol, and betel nuts will increase the risk of cancer by 123 times. It is recommended that gatherings of family and friends should focus on health, not using tobacco products and betel nuts as social activities, and moderately consuming alcohol to be healthy and stress-free.

Colorectal Cancer and Breast Cancer Are the No. 1 Cancers in Men and Women – Participate in the “Taipei Integrated Health Screening” to Stay Healthy

According to the 2019 Cancer Registration Report of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Health Promotion Administration, the top 10 sites where cancer develops for people in Taipei City are the female breasts; lung bronchus and trachea; prostate; colon and rectum; uterus; liver and intrahepatic bile duct; thyroid; oral oropharynx and hypopharynx; ovary fallopian tube and broad ligament; and stomach (occurrence is shown in the appendix). The occurrence of cancer for people in Taipei City was observed by gender; the standardized incidence of male cancer was 286.4 per 100,000 people with colorectal cancer being the highest; the standardized incidence of female cancer was 294.3 per 100,000 people, with breast cancer ranking the highest. Looking at the incidence and deaths of cancer from the Six Cities, Taipei City has been the city with the lowest cancer incidence and death rate for 11 consecutive years. However, compared to 10 years ago (2010), the overall standardized incidence for cancer increased by 2.6%, and the mortality rate decreased by 9.7%. The Taipei City Government Department of Health is calling on medical evidence as it indicates that regular cancer screening can reduce the risk of death from cervical cancer by 70%, breast cancer by 41%, colorectal cancer by 35%, and oral cancer by 26%. People should proactively participate in screenings to complement their healthy daily diets, regular physical activities, and withdraw from smoking, alcohol, and betel nuts to reduce the life-threatening risk of cancer.