8 Tips to Lower Your Cancer Risk

Cancer does not kill as many people as heart disease, but it still claims 560,000 American lives a year. Four major cancers (lung, colorectal, breast, and prostate) account for slightly more than half of these deaths. Important measures for preventing cancer are already at hand.

It's estimated that three-quarters of all cancers occur largely because of external influences, not our genes.

8 Tips

1 Don't smoke. Tobacco use causes more cancer here than anything else. The longer you smoke, and the more you smoke, the likelier it is to be lethal. Besides lung cancer, smoking increases the risk of cancer of the bladder, cervix, mouth, throat, pancreas, kidney, and stomach. It may also promote colon and even breast cancer. Passive smoking (inhaling other people's smoke) causes thousands of deaths a year.

2 Eat more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Diet causes about one-third of all cancer cases, almost as many as tobacco use. Having a diet that consists predominantly of fruits, vegetables, and grains (the current recommendation is at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day) is the most important factor currently identified in the prevention of cancer through diet. Fruits and vegetables contain large amounts of antioxidant vitamins (C and E), as well as folacin, carotenoids, and dietary fiber, which are all important in preventing cancer. Many phytochemicals (plant chemicals) have been shown to have cancer-fighting potential and many are still waiting to be discovered.

3 Eat less animal fat. A diet high in animal fat, especially from red meat, has shown up in several studies as a risk factor for prostate and colon cancer. A high-fat diet is also suspected of being a factor in breast cancer

4 Don't cook meats at very high temperatures, especially over an open flame. This creates compounds known to promote certain cancers--for example, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which form when meats are charcoal-broiled. An occasional barbecue is probably not harmful.

5 Limit you alcohol intake. Moderate alcohol intake can help prevent heart disease. ("Moderate" means no more than one drink daily for women, two for men.) But too much alcohol can cause cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer. Especially when combined with smoking, heavy drinking also contributes to cancers of the mouth, throat, and esophagus, for example.

6 Be active. In the past ten years, studies have suggested that exercise helps prevent breast and prostate cancer, and there's solid evidence it can prevent colon cancer

7 Control your weight. Being significantly overweight puts you at risk for such diseases as stroke and heart disease, and probably also for some cancers (uterine and postmenopausal breast cancer in women; colon and prostate cancer in men).

8 Limit your exposure to the sun. Use a potent sunscreen when you are in the sun. Cumulative sun exposure is responsible for most skin cancers, which account for about 2% of cancer deaths.

Make a few changes, take a few precautions and lower your risk! (www.designingyourhealth.com)

Cheryl Duvall, RN, LMT- She grew up in the healthcare field, has been a nurse for 30 years and has practiced massage for a little longer. She is passionate about health...hers, yours, everyone's health. Cheryl has always enjoyed helping people reach their best in life...health, happiness, wealth. Read more articles...visit www.designingyourhealth.com