Conquer cancer: healthy habits can cut your risk
By Allstate Benefits
Last updated: May 2025
Most people know someone who has had a cancer diagnosis. The American Cancer Society estimates that 2 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer (excluding non-melanoma skin cancers) before the end of 2025. It’s a scary – and often life-changing – diagnosis to receive. Luckily, we’re not powerless when it comes to this disease. Although no cancer is completely preventable, there are things we can do to help reduce our risk.
Healthy habits can reduce cancer risk
There are many heathy lifestyle choices that are proven to reduce the risk of developing many common cancers. Mayo Clinic, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offer these tips:
Avoid tobacco. Both smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke is known to increase your risk for lung, mouth, throat, voice box, pancreas, bladder, cervical, and kidney cancers.
Are you ready to quit? You don’t have to do it alone. Your health care provider has resources that can make it easier. The American Cancer Society offers a smoking cessation help line at 1-800-227-2345. You can also call the national Quit Line at 1-800-QUIT-NOW for access to counseling, referrals to local programs, and free medication.
Eat a balanced diet. Studies have identified certain types of food that may raise or lower your risk of cancer:
- Focus on plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans.
- Limit foods that are high in fats and added sugars, alcohol, red meat, processed meats, refined grains, saturated fat, and trans fat.
Maintain a healthy weight. Carrying extra weight may raise your risk of breast, pancreas, liver, colon, and kidney cancers.
Move. Physical activity helps you to control weight and avoid numerous cancers that are linked to obesity. Regardless of weight, regular physical activity has been shown to lower the risk of breast and colon cancer.
Protect your skin:
- Wear sunscreen with an SPF of at least 30, even when it’s cloudy. Rub a generous amount on your skin and reapply every two hours, or after you’ve been swimming or sweating.
- Wear sun-protective clothes that cover as much of your skin as possible, including your head.
- Wear sunglasses. Melanoma can develop inside the eye.
- Stay in the shade. If you are out in the open, make your own shade with a broad-brimmed hat.
- Avoid tanning beds and sunlamps.
Take a shot. Vaccines can help protect against infections that can lead to cancer, including hepatitis B and HPV.
Get regular medical care. Schedule regular checkups with your health care provider, do self-exams and get your recommended cancer screenings. Doing so will increase the chances of diagnosing cancer in its early stages, when treatment may be more successful.
Stay informed. The more you know about cancer, the more empowered you will be to reduce your risk.
Give your employees the resources they need to stay healthy
Allstate Benefits offers flexible, convenient and cost-effective solutions that can help your employees stay healthy, and help them achieve the best outcome if they should have a cancer diagnosis.
Medical care
With Allstate Benefits, you can choose from thousands of plan designs. Our Self-Funded Program can provide coverage for 2 to 500 employees. Self-funded plans include:
- Core Value reference-based pricing designs that pay benefits based on a multiple of the Medicare reimbursement rate or a derived equivalent, delivering great savings potentials.
- Network-only design that pays benefits for emergency and in-network services only. Savings come from eliminating the high cost of out-of-network services.
- PPO design that pays benefits for both in-network and out-of-network services with secured network savings.
If you’re looking for a more traditional health option, check out our Secure Choice fully insured plans. Secure Choice plans are available for small businesses (up to 50 employee members) in select states.¹
Core Value and Secure Choice designs include convenient, cost-effective access to virtual health. Urgent care providers are available 24/7 to treat common illnesses and injuries, and providers can send electronic prescriptions to the member’s pharmacy of choice.
Cancer support programs
Support for cancer patients is available with both self-funded designs and fully insured plans. Designed by oncologists, these programs focus on education and healthy behavior changes to help employees take control of their care and achieve better outcomes.
Wellness programs
Consider adding a wellness program to your Allstate Benefits self-funded plan. These programs encourage members to make lifestyle choices that improve quality of life, increase life expectancy and reduce health care costs for everyone.
Contact a Group Health sales executive to learn more about how Allstate Benefits can help your employees stay healthy.