7 Ways to Reduce Your Cancer Risk

Researchers say if we stopped using tobacco, grew thinner, exercised regularly, avoided diets rich in red meat, and ate diets rich in fruits and vegetables, we would prevent two-thirds of all cancers. Here are 7 steps -- all within your control -- that you can take to reduce your cancer risk.

 1: Avoid tobacco in any form

Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the U.S., accounting for at least 30% of all cancer deaths, and 87% of lung cancer deaths. More people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined. In New England, 8,060 people will die of lung cancer this year.

Here's the good news:

- Smokers who quit at age 35 gain an average of 8 years of life expectancy

- Smokers who quit at age 55 gain about 5 years

- Even long term smokers who quit at 65 gain 3 years

- People who stop smoking before age 50 can cut their risk of dying in the next 15 years in half compared with those who continue to smoke.

- 10 years after quitting, the lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker's.

Think because you don't smoke you're safe?  Wrong!
If you are breathing smoke from someone else's cigarettes, you are at risk. Evidence shows that there is no "safe" level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke is classified as a "known human carcinogen," and each year about 3,000 nonsmokers die of lung cancer caused by secondhand smoke.

Call to quit - today!
If you or someone you love uses tobacco, call 1.800.227.2345 to get the help you need to quit. Or, visit www.cancer.org/smokeout.

2. Maintain a healthy weight throughout life

In the United States, overweight and obesity contribute to 14% - 20% of all cancer deaths. Being overweight are clearly associated with increased risk of developing many cancers, including breast (in postmenopausal women), colon, endometrium, kidney, and esophagus, and it is suspected to raise risk of other types of cancer, as well.

The best way to reduce body fat is to restrict caloric intake and increase physical activity. To reduce calories, reduce your portion sizes (ditch the supersizing), avoid high-calorie foods such as fired foods, cookies, cakes, candy, ice cream, and soft drinks. If you have pounds you need to shed, we can help.

Fat tissue increases estrogen levels and high estrogen levels increase breast cancer risk. Obesity also leads to high levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) in the circulation. This could prevent early-stage cancer cells scattered throughout the body from dying, since insulin-like growth factor inhibits the action of cell suicide genes. Fat cells also release inflammatory chemicals into the circulation that can stimulate the growth of cancer cells. The good news is that regular or moderate exercise lowers the levels of inflammation and IGF-1 -- even if the exercise does not lead to a healthy weight. And, regular exercise also lowers blood-estrogen levels in women, helping protect against breast cancer.

Being overweight in youth tends to continue throughout life, so keeping a healthy (not obsessive) watch on your weight is a good thing.

3. Adopt a physically active lifestyle.
 


Adults: Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity, in addition to usual activities, on 5 or more days of the week; 45 to 60 minutes of intentional physical activity are preferable.

Children and adolescents: Engage in at least 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous physical activity at least 5 days per week.

Body Mass Index (BMI) Calculator   
 
Calorie Counter   
 
Exercise Counts   

Target Heart Rate Calculator   

Nutrition and Activity Quiz 

Watch an American Cancer Society podcast about fitting exercise into your busy day.

4. Eat less red meat and more fruits and vegetables

The American Cancer Society recommends you:

- Eat 5 or more servings of vegetables and fruits each day. (This isn't as hard as you think. One serving equals 1 medium apple, banana, orange, etc.; 1/2 cup of chopped, cooked, or canned fruit; 1 cup of raw, leafy vegetables; and 1/2 cup of other cooked or raw vegetables, chopped.)  The brighter the vegetable the more antioxidants it contains. Antioxidants include vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids, and many phytochemicals that help prevent damage to cells in the body from chemical reactions with oxygen. Whether they actually reduce cancer risk is open to debate.

- Limit French fries, chips, and other fried vegetable products, and avoid all trans fats.  Major sources of trans fats are margarines and snack foods that contain partially hydrogenated oils, but fortunately trans fats are disappearing from supermarket foods and restaurant fare.

- Choose whole grain rice, bread, pasta, and cereals over processed (refined) products.

- Limit intake of refined carbohydrates (starches), such as pastries, sweetened cereals, and other high-sugar foods.

- Limit intake of processed meats and red meats - both of which have been linked to colon cancer.

- Choose fish, poultry, or beans instead of beef, pork, and lamb.

- When you eat meat, choose lean cuts and eat smaller portions.

- Prepare meat by baking, broiling, or poaching, rather than by frying or charbroiling. Cooking meat and fish at high temperatures causes cancer-causing agents to form. Two ways to alleviate this are to use a marinade that contains lemon or vinegar marinade before you put the meat on the grill, and to avoid having the fire flare up.

5. If you drink alcoholic beverages, limit your intake.

Drink no more than 1 drink per day if you are a woman, and no more than 2 per day if you are a man. Alcohol consumption is an established cause of cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, and breast. Regular consumption of even a few drinks per week has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in women, and a new study suggests that no amount of alcohol is safe for women. How alcohol affects breast cancer is not clear. It may be because alcohol increases estrogen levels in the blood, reduces folic acid, or has a direct effect on breast tissue.

Read more about cancer and alcohol.

6. Play it safe in the sun

More than 1 million skin cancers are diagnosed each year in the United States. That's more than cancers of the prostate, breast, lung, colon, uterus, ovaries, and pancreas combined.

Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays. Much of this exposure comes from the sun, but some may come from manmade sources, such as tanning beds. Follow these practical steps -- they provide the best protection when used together:

- Cover up: When you are out in the sun, wear clothing to protect as much skin as possible. The ideal sun-protective fabrics are lightweight, comfortable, and protect against exposure even when wet.

- Use a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher. If it's more than 2 years old, replace it. Look for one that protects against a 'broad spectrum' of the sun's rays.

- Use 1 ounce of sunscreen (a "palmful") to cover your arms, legs, neck, and face. For best results, reapply every 2 hours -- even more if you are swimming or sweating. Apply it a half hour before going outdoors. Don't forget to protect your lips by using a lip balm with SPF. And don't skip it just because it looks overcast outside: UV light still comes through on hazy days.

- Wear a hat: A hat with at least a 2- to 3-inch brim all around is ideal to protect your neck, ears, eyes, forehead, nose, and scalp.

- Wear sunglasses that block UV rays: Invest in a pair of wrap-around sunglasses with at least 99% UV absorption to block damaging UVA and UVB light.

- Limit direct sun exposure during midday: UV rays are most intense during the middle of the day, usually between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. It's best to plan your outdoor activities outside that timeframe, if possible.

- Avoid tanning beds and sunlamps: Tanning lamps give out UVA and frequently UVB rays, as well. Both UVA and UVB rays can cause serious long-term skin damage, and both contribute to skin cancer. Our advice: skip the tanning bed and try a bronzing lotion or self-tanning cream.

Listen to an American Cancer Society podcast about enjoying the sun - safely.

Take the sun safety quiz.

7.  Be Proactive - Get screened

If you can't prevent cancer, the next best thing you can do to protect your health is to detect it early. Getting regular check-ups is the best way to do this.  For people age 20 or older having periodic health exams, a cancer-related checkup should include health counseling, and depending on a person's age and gender, might include exams for cancers of the thyroid, oral cavity, skin, lymph nodes, testes, and ovaries, as well as for some non-malignant (non-cancerous) diseases.

- All women should begin cervical cancer screening about 3 years after they begin having intercourse, but no later than age 21 years old. Screening should be done every year with the regular Pap test or every 2 years using the newer liquid-based Pap test.

- Beginning at age 30, women who have had 3 normal Pap test results in a row may get screened every 2 to 3 years. Another reasonable option for women over 30 is to get screened every 3 years (but not more frequently) with either the conventional or liquid-based Pap test, plus the HPV DNA test.

- Women 70 years of age or older who have had 3 or more normal Pap tests in a row and no abnormal Pap test results in the last 10 years may choose to stop having cervical cancer screening.

- Women age 40 and older should get a mammogram every year. Thanks in part to mammography, the breast cancer death rate in the United States continues to drop more than 2 percent per year, a trend that began in 1990. The steady drop in the breast cancer death rate means that this year alone, about 15,000 breast cancer deaths were avoided that would have occurred had rates not begun to drop. Women can feel confident about the benefits associated with regular mammograms for finding cancer early. However, mammograms also have limitations. A mammogram will miss some cancers, and it sometimes leads to follow up of findings that are not cancer, including biopsies. We have a free email mammogram reminder (www.cancer.org/mammogramreminder ) to alert women 40 and older to schedule their yearly mammogram. Share it with a loved one!

- Men and women age 50, who are at average risk for colon cancer, should begin regular testing.

Click here to read a more comprehensive list of screening tests men and women should get, and when.

Keep up with cancer news
If you are interested in keeping up with cancer issues, read Dr. Len's Blog (www.cancer.org/drlen ). Dr. Lichtenfeld is deputy chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society. He directs the Society’s Cancer Control Science Department, which produces the Society’s widely recognized guidelines for the prevention and early detection of cancer and guidelines for nutrition and physical activity for cancer survivors.
Click here to read his remarks about alcohol and cancer.

Don't believe everything you read: Rumors, myths, and truths

If you ever have questions or concerns about cancer,
call the American Cancer Society, 24/7, 365 days a year at:
1.800.227.2345. We can help.