1) Come on!!! Do not smoke!!!
Using any type of tobacco puts you on a collision course with cancer. Smoking has been linked to various types of cancer — including cancer of the lung, mouth, throat, larynx, pancreas, bladder, cervix and kidney. Xhewing tobacco has been linked to cancer of the oral cavity and pancreas. Even if you don't use tobacco, exposure to secondhand smoke might increase your risk of lung cancer.
Avoiding tobacco — or deciding to stop using it — is one of the most important health decisions you can make. It's also an important part of cancer prevention. If you need help quitting tobacco, ask your doctor about stop-smoking products and other strategies for quitting.
2) But... Sip a glass of beer or wine.
Alcohol protects against the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which is known to cause ulcers and may lead to stomach cancer. A study out of Queens University in Belfast found that moderate amounts of wine, beer, lager, or cider might protect against H. pylori; drinking three to six glasses of wine or one to two half-pints of beer a week showed 11 percent fewer infections.
Don’t overdo it: Drinking more than one or two alcoholic drinks a day may increase your risk of mouth, throat, esophageal, liver, and breast cancers.
3) Keep your bedroom dark.
Research shows exposure to light at night may increase the risk of ovarian and breast cancer in women. Light suppresses the normal production of melatonin, the brain chemical that regulates our sleep-wake cycles, which could increase the release of estrogen-fueled cancer. A study showed breast cancer risk was increased among women who didn’t sleep during the times when their melatonin levels were highest.
4) But... Get 15 minutes of sun a day.
Almost 90 percent of your body’s vitamin D comes directly from the sunlight—not from food or supplements. Studies have shown that a vitamin D deficiency can reduce communication between cells, causing them to stop sticking together and allowing cancer cells to spread, according to Cancer.net, a patient information website from the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Vitamin D may also help promote proper cell maturation and reproduction; kinks in these processes can lead to cancer growth. People with low levels of vitamin D have a higher risk of multiple cancers, including breast, colon, prostate, ovarian, and stomach, as well as osteoporosis, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and high blood pressure. But avoid overexposure, which can cause skin cancer—you only need a few minutes a day to produce adequate vitamin D levels.
5) Stand more. Sit less.
New studies suggest that people who spend most of their day sitting are at a 24 percent higher risk for colon and endometrial cancer than people who spend less time in a chair. Other research showed that people who spent more time in front of the TV had a 54 percent increased risk of colon cancer than those who watched less TV. Time to switch to a standing desk? If that's not an option, get up and walk around for a few minutes at least once an hour.
6) Try to walk 30 minutes a day.
More than two dozen studies have shown that women who exercise have a 30 to 40 percent lower risk of breast cancer than less active women, according to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
Moderate exercise lowers blood estrogen levels, a hormone that can affect breast cancer risk. Another study linked four hours a week of walking or hiking with cutting the risk of pancreatic cancer in half. The benefits are probably related to improved insulin metabolism due to the exercise.
7) Drop 10 pounds.
Being overweight or obese accounts for 20% of all cancer deaths among women and 14% among men, notes the American Cancer Society. (You're overweight if your body mass index is between 25 and 29.9; you're obese if it's 30 or more.) Plus, losing excess pounds reduces the body's production of female hormones, which may protect against breast cancer, endometrial cancer, and ovarian cancer. Even if you're not technically overweight, gaining just 10 pounds after the age of 30 increases your risk of developing breast, pancreatic, and cervical, among other cancers.
8) Filter your tap water.
You'll reduce your exposure to known or suspected carcinogens and hormone-disrupting chemicals. A report from the President's CancerPanel on how to reduce exposure to carcinogens suggests that home-filtered tap water is a safer bet than bottled water, whose quality often is not higher—and in some cases is worse—than that of municipal sources, according to a study by the Environmental Working Group. (Consumer Reports' top picks for faucet-mounted filters: Culligan, Pur Vertical, and the Brita OPFF-100.) Store water in stainless steel or glass to avoid chemical contaminants such as BPA that can leach from plastic bottles.
9) Take an aspirin.
While it has been known for a while that a low-dose aspirin a day may help prevent the risk of heart attack, the latest evidence suggests it could also help prevent colorectal or bowel cancer, which strikes over 40,000 Brits each year.
In April, the United States Preventative Service Task Force up-dated its guidelines to recommend all adults aged 50-59 should take a low dose aspirin for ten years.
Though the UK is yet to follow, many medical experts are convinced of aspirin’s benefit. ‘The evidence is strong that taking aspirin for five years or more reduces the risk of developing bowel cancer,’ saysProfessor Peter Johnson,professor of medical oncology at the University of Southampton and chief clinician for Cancer Research UK.
‘It’s also been found that people who do get cancer are at less risk of having it spread if they take aspirin.’ If there is an inherited tendency toward bowel cancer, taking a low-dose aspirin is a good idea, he suggests.
‘Aspirin may work by reprogramming the way the immune system works, affecting the inflammation pathways in the lining of the gut, and thus helping it to recognise very early cancers and remove them,’ Prof. Johnson says. But it comes with risks such as bleeding from ulcers in the stomach, so always consult a GP first.
10) Do a folic acid check.
The B vitamin, essential for women who may become or are pregnant to prevent birth defects, is a double-edged sword when it comes to cancerrisk.
Consuming too much of the synthetic form (not folate, found in leafy green veggies, orange juice, and other foods) has been linked to increased colon cancer risk, as well as higher lung cancer and prostate cancer risks. Rethink your multivitamin, especially if you eat a lot of cereal and fortified foods. A CDC study discovered that half of supplement users who took supplements with more than 400 mcg of folic acid exceeded 1,000 mcg per day of folic acid. Most supplements pack 400 mcg. Individual supplements (of vitamin D and calcium, for instance) may be a smarter choice for most women who aren't thinking of having kids.
11) Up your calcium intake.
Milk's main claim to fame may also help protect you from colon cancer. Those who took calcium faithfully for 4 years had a 36% reduction in the development of new precancerous colon polyps 5 years after the study had ended, revealed Dartmouth Medical School researchers. (They tracked 822 people who took either 1,200 mg of calcium every day or a placebo.) Though the study was not on milk itself, you can get the same amount of calcium in three 8-ounce glasses of fat-free milk, along with an 8-ounce serving of yogurt or a 2- to 3-ounce serving of low-fat cheese daily.
12) Block cancer with color.
Choosing your outdoor outfit wisely may help protect against skin cancer, say Spanish scientists. In their research, blue and red fabrics offered significantly better protection against the sun's UV rays than white and yellow ones did. Don't forget to put on a hat: Though melanoma can appear anywhere on the body, it's more common in areas the sun hits, and researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found that people with melanomas on the scalp or neck die at almost twice the rate of people with the cancer on other areas of the body.
13) Commit to whole grains.
You know whole wheat is better for you than white bread. Here's more proof why you should switch once and for all: If you eat a lot of things with a high glycemic load—a measurement of how quickly food raises your blood sugar—you may run a higher risk of colorectal cancer than women who eat low-glycemic-load foods, found a Harvard Medical School study involving 38,000 women. The problem eats are mostly white: white bread, pasta, potatoes, and sugary pastries. The low-glycemic-load stuff comes with fiber.
14) Eat clean foods.
The President's Cancer Panel recommends buying meat free of antibiotics and added hormones, which are suspected of causing endocrine problems, including cancer. The report also advises that you purchase produce grown without pesticides and wash conventionally grown food thoroughly to remove residues. (The foods with the most pesticides: celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, and blueberries. See the full list ofdirtiest fruits and vegetables here.) "At least 40 known carcinogens are found in pesticides and we should absolutely try to reduce exposure," Sellers says.
15) Drink green tea.
More than 50 studies on the association between tea and cancer risk have been published since 2006, according to the National Cancer Institute. While findings have been inconsistent—partly due to variations in types of tea and differences in preparation and consumption—some papers have found tea drinkers have a reduced risk of breast, ovarian, colon, prostate and lung cancer.
The healing powers of green tea have been valued in Asia for thousands of years. Some scientists believe that a chemical in green tea, EGCG, could be one of the most powerful anti-cancer compounds ever discovered due to the high number of antioxidants.
16) Cut out fries and chips.
When foods are baked, fried, or roasted at high temperatures (think French fries and potato chips), a potential cancer-causing compound called acrylamide forms, a result of the chemical changes that occur in the foods. Studies performed on rats have shown that prolonged acrylamide exposure is a risk for multiple types of cancer. Human studies are ongoing; but even if the results are benign, it’s healthiest to switch from French fries and potato chips to foods like mashed potatoes and pretzels.
17) Eat cruciferous veggies.
People who eat broccoli and its cousins such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, and bok choy at least once per week have a lower risk of kidney cancer compared with people who consume them less than once a month, according to a multinational European study.
18) Eat less high-fat animal protein.
After tracking food choices of more than 121,000 adults for up to 28 years, Harvard researchers found that people who ate three ounces of red meat every day were about 13 percent more likely to die—often from heart disease or cancer—before the study ended than people who didn’t eat meat.
A Yale study found that women who ate the most animal protein had a 70 percent higher risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, while those who ate diets high in saturated fat increased their risk 90 percent. Switch to low-fat or nonfat dairy, choose poultry or fish instead of beef or pork, and use olive oil instead of butter.
19) Eat "resistant starches".
Resistant starch, found in foods like green bananas, rolled oats, and white beans, may help reduce the increased risk of colon cancer from a diet high in red meat. According to the journal Cancer Prevention Research, participants in a study had a 30 percent increase in cell proliferation in the rectal tissue after eating 300 grams of lean red meat a day (about 10 ounces) for four weeks. After adding 40 grams of resistant starches a day while eating the meat, cell proliferation levels went back down to normal.
20) Steam your broccoli.
Broccoli is a cancer-preventing super food—one you should eat frequently. But take note: A study done in 2008 by Italian researchers found that steamed broccoli contains more glucosinolate (the healthy components of the vegetable) than boiled, fried, or microwaved broccoli.
Nutrients leach into the cooking water instead of remaining in the vegetable, according to the Harvard Family Health Guide.
21) Eat garlic.
This pungent herb contains allyl sulfur compounds that may stimulate the immune system’s natural defenses against cancer, and may have the potential to help the body get rid of cancer-causing chemicals and help cause cancer cells to die naturally, a process called apoptosis. The Iowa Women’s Health Study showed that women who consumed the highest amounts of garlic had a 50 percent lower risk of colon cancer compared with women who ate the least.
22) Eat artichokes.
Artichokes are a great source of silymarin, an antioxidant that may help prevent skin cancer by slowing cancer cell growth. To eat, peel off the tough outer leaves on the bottom, slice the bottom, and cut off the spiky top. Then boil or steam until tender, about 30-45 minutes. Drain and eat.
23) Eat wild salmon.
Women who ate fish three times a week or more were 33 percent less likely to have polyps, or growths of tissue in the colon that can turn into cancer, according to a study in theAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Fish, especially salmon, is packed with anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, which are likely responsible for the cancer-fighting effects. Australian researchers found that people who ate four or more servings of fish per week were nearly one-third less likely to develop the blood cancers leukemia, myeloma, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Other studies show a link between eating fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, halibut, sardines, and tuna, as well as shrimp and scallops) with a reduced risk of endometrial cancer in women.
24) Eat onions.
When it comes to cancer-fighting foods, onions are nothing to cry about. Cornell food science researchers found that that onions and shallots have powerful antioxidant properties, as well as compounds that inhibit cell growth, which appear protective against a variety of cancers. The study found that shallots, Western Yellow, pungent yellow, and Northern Red have the richest sources of flavonoids and antioxidants. Not a big fan of onion breath?
Although they have less antioxidant power, you can try scallions, Vidalia onions, or chives for a milder taste.
25) Eat fewer smoked and pickled foods.
Studies find that smoked and pickled foods contain various carcinogens, so, for examples, choose cucumbers over pickles, fresh salmon over lox. Many of these pickled vegetables are common in Japanese and Korean cuisine; the number of people with gastric cancers is higher in Japan and Korea than in the United States.
26) Go for fibre.
Simply increasing your fibre and your fruit and vegetable intake to five portions a day could help prevent 14 different types of cancers, the EPIC study found.
Increasing your intake of fibrous whole grains such as oats, brown rice and wholemeal bread was particularly associated with a lowered risk of bowel cancer and some research has suggested it may help prevent breast and prostate cancers too.
It’s not certain how it happens but some speculate that this also might be linked to gut bacteria.
‘Studies like EPIC show consistently that people who eat lots of fibre, fruit and vegetables have low levels of cancer and the reason could be that these people consequently have a healthy gut microbiome that helps the immune system fight off cancers,’ says Prof Spector.
27) Eat yoghurt.
Our gut bacteria or micro-biome has recently been linked to everything mood to obesity and a growing number of studies are now linking it to a lowered cancer risk.
The latest, published last month in the journal PLOS One, gave one group of mice beneficial bacteria through probiotic supplements and the other non-beneficial bacteria.
The mice receiving the good bacteria produced metabolites known to prevent cancer in their guts and were also better able to metabolise fats, which the researchers said could help lower the risk of cancer.
‘The results are positive and that’s probably because the microbes help break down some of the toxins in the gut that might normally cause cancer, but also because they keep the immune system in great shape generally so it beats off cancer cells,’ says Tim Spector, professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King’s College London, founder of the British Gut Project and author of The Diet Myth (Weidenfeld and Nicholson £8.99).
To keep your gut bacteria healthy, eat a mix of probiotic foods such as live yoghurt, kefir (fermented milk drink) and sauerkraut as well asprebiotic foods such as fruit, vegetables and high fibre whole grains and legumes to feed bacteria and help it grow, Prof Spector explains.
28) Marinate your meat.
In the 1990s the biggest study into nutrition and cancer began tracking the diets of 500,000 healthy people aged 45-79 across ten countries in Europe and Britain to see who would get cancer.
Among the key findings from European Study on Diet and Cancer (EPIC) were that processed and red meat are associated with a higher risk of developing bowel and stomach cancers.
Current recommendations suggest sticking to 70 grams a day (about two rashers of bacon) and according to CRUK, this one change alone could prevent a staggering 8,800 cases of bowel cancer each year.
Research also suggests charred or well-done meats may be associated with increased risk because of cancer-causing heterocyclic amines (HCAs) which form when meat is cooked at high temperatures.
But meat lovers don’t despair, fascinating research from Kansas State University found that marinating meat in herbs such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, sage and marjoram before cooking can lower the HCA components in meat (so could taking the skin off chicken).
29) Caffeinate every day.
Java lovers who drank 5 or more cups of caffeinated coffee a day had a 40% decreased risk of brain cancer, compared with people who drank the least, in a 2010 British study. A 5-cup-a-day coffee habit reduces risks of oral and throat cancer almost as much. Researchers credit the caffeine: Decaf had no comparable effect. But coffee was a more potent protector against these cancers than tea, which the British researchers said also offered protection against brain cancer.
30) Head off cell phone risks.
Use your cell phone only for short calls or texts, or use a hands-free device that keeps the phone—and the radio frequency energy it emits—away from your head. The point is more to preempt any risk than to protect against a proven danger: Evidence that cell phones increase braincancer risk is "neither consistent nor conclusive," says the President'sCancer Panel report. But a number of review studies suggest there's a link.
31) Pick a doc with a past.
Experience—lots of it—is critical when it comes to accurately reading mammograms. A study from the University of California, San Francisco, found that doctors with at least 25 years' experience were more accurate at interpreting images and less likely to give false positives. Ask about your radiologist's track record. If she is freshly minted or doesn't check a high volume of mammograms, get a second read from someone with more mileage.
32) Ask about breast density.
Women whose mammograms have revealed breast density readings of 75% or more have a breast cancer risk 4 to 5 times higher than that of women with low density scores, according to recent research. One theory is that denser breasts result from higher levels of estrogen—making exercise particularly important (see #8). "Shrinking your body fat also changes growth factors, signaling proteins such as adipokines and hormones like insulin in ways that tend to turn off cancer-promoting processes in cells," Walker says.
33) Skip the dry cleaner.
A solvent known as perc (short for perchloroethylene) that's used in traditional dry cleaning may cause liver and kidney cancers and leukemia, according to an EPA finding backed in early 2010 by the National Academies of Science.
The main dangers are to workers who handle chemicals or treated clothes using older machines, although experts have not concluded that consumers are also at increased cancerrisk. Less toxic alternatives: Hand-wash clothes with mild soap and air-dry them, spot cleaning if necessary with white vinegar.
34) Burn off your risk.
Moderate exercise such as brisk walking 2 hours a week cuts risk of breast cancer 18%. Regular workouts may lower your risks by helping you burn fat, which otherwise produces its own estrogen, a known contributor to breast cancer. (Try these 14 Walking Workouts That Blast Fat.)
35) Stop topping your tank.
So say the EPA and the President's Cancer Panel: Pumping one last squirt of gas into your car after the nozzle clicks off can spill fuel and foil the pump's vapor recovery system, designed to keep toxic chemicals such as cancer-causing benzene out of the air, where they can come in contact with your skin or get into your lungs.
36) Pay attention to pain.
If you're experiencing a bloated belly, pelvic pain, and an urgent need to urinate, see your doctor. These symptoms may signal ovarian cancer, particularly if they're severe and frequent. Women and physicians often ignore these symptoms, and that's the very reason that this disease can be deadly. When caught early, before cancer has spread outside the ovary, the relative 5-year survival rate for ovarian cancer is a jaw-dropping 90 to 95%.
37) Avoid unnecessary scans.
CT scans are a great diagnostic tool, but they deliver much more radiation than x-rays and may be overused, says Barton Kamen, MD, PhD, chief medical officer for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In fact, researchers suggest that one-third of CT scans could be unnecessary. High doses of radiation can trigger leukemia, so make sure scans are not repeated if you see multiple doctors, and ask if another test, such as an ultrasound or MRI, could substitute.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/wellbeing/health-advice/8-proven-ways-to-prevent-cancer/
http://www.prevention.com/health/health-concerns/everyday-cancer-prevention-tips
http://www.rd.com/health/conditions/how-to-prevent-cancer/
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/cancer-prevention/art-20044816
