10 Ways to Prevent Cancer

Cancer is one of the most devastating diseases to modern society. It's a random killer given a face in the thousands upon thousands of victims it takes or affects each year. Collectively, we fear cancer. We fear that we already know the grim prognosis every time we experience abnormal symptoms for any duration of time. There are things we can do to battle this disease.

Early detection through regular screenings is the best strategy for beating cancer. The American Institute for Cancer Research has been looking at evidence linking cancer prevention to nutrition, fitness and weight management. Their report, published in 2007, represents five years of work. Findings are based on the collaboration of hundreds of experts and thousands of studies, and certainly bring to light the essence of PureHealth. Evidence proves that striving for optimal health through weight management, proper nutrition and regular exercise will decrease your risk for cancer. Experts feel that one-third of cancer can be prevented by improved lifestyles. Use these principles and apply them to your life today starting with the tip on the next page.

1: Watch Your Weight

Be as lean as possible, but not underweight. Know what the Body Mass Index chart is and where you fall. Refer to the National Institutes of Health Web site, www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/. Start with a simple goal of just lowering your reading. Eventually, you want to be in the low range of normal. One of the most significant risks for cancer is abdominal fat. The excess weight in the waist becomes a gland in the body, secreting an unnecessary and unhealthy amount of extra hormones, like estrogen. These hormones can lead to the over-stimulation of body tissues, resulting in cancer.

2: Be Active

Be physically active for at least 30 minutes each day. Certainly increased activity will help with weight management, but it does much more than that. Just by introducing regular physical activity into your regimen, you lower the risk of cancer. It improves digestive function, bolsters the immune system and allows for stable levels of hormones. Choose activities you enjoy and gradually work on increasing the time you spend exercising.

3: Avoid Sugar and Processed Foods

Avoid sugary drinks and limit consumption of processed foods. What's important here is that if sugary drinks like soda or juice, and processed grains like cereals and chips, are anything more than the occasional (and by occasional, I mean once or twice a week) part of your diet, your risk of obesity increases and with it, your risk of cancer. Processed foods are made to enhance taste and extend shelf life. The fat and sugar poured into them to achieve this goal promote a slower metabolism and pack on the pounds. They do not sustain the body, and will actually lead to increased consumption.

4: Eat Plants

Think of food a different way. Go for a plant-based diet. Michael Pollan says it best in his book In Defense of Food, "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." They are words to live by. At every meal, strive for two-thirds of your plate to be fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains. Like fitness, a plant-based diet is more than just the promotion of weight loss. The vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals and unknown host of cofactors provided by fruits and vegetables protect against cancer. The fiber provided by a plant-based diet improves digestion and decreases cancer risk.

Ensure a daily intake of at least five servings of fruits and vegetables. Choose whole grain breads and beans. Opt for whole fruits and consume less than one serving of juice daily. Substitute water or unsweetened tea for sugary beverages.

5: Limit Red Meat

Limit intake of red and processed meats. Consuming more than 18 ounces of red meats (beef, pork and lamb) in a week has been shown to increase the risk of colorectal cancer. Evidence of this connection is only growing, while many people consume more than this amount daily. Learn to consume a more plant-based diet and make lean meat choices like free-range chicken, turkey or wild caught seafood. Cancer risk increases with the intake of any processed meat, including sausage, ham, bacon and hot dogs. These items include carcinogens, which lead directly to cell damage.

6: Limit Alcohol

Limit the consumption of alcohol. Though there is evidence that moderate alcohol can be beneficial in preventing heart disease, if your goal is to limit cancer risk, it's recommended you avoid alcohol completely. The average daily guideline is two or less drinks for men, and one drink for women.

7: Reduce Salt

Limit salt intake. Too much salt in the diet is a risk for stomach cancer. Daily intake should be below 2,400 mg. The salt shaker is not the only culprit, as processed food products, canned foods and processed meat are often loaded with salt.

8: Choose a Balanced Diet

Choose a balanced diet with a variety of foods over supplements. Studies favor plant-based diets over those consisting of supplements for cancer prevention. There is more to fruits and vegetables than just their individual vitamins and minerals. For instance, we can extract the antioxidants from blueberries, but they have so much more to them than that single antioxidant. The truth is, we may never know all of nature's complexities.

9: Take Supplements

Certain supplements are still recommended:

• Folic Acid. All women of childbearing age should supplement to decrease the risk of neural tube defects in developing babies.
• Vitamin D and iron. All pregnant and nursing mothers, as well as those with low levels. Those who rarely go outdoors, cover up when outdoors, don't eat meat or fatty fish, or live in higher latitudes should consider supplementation.
• Children multivitamins. Be sure they include vitamins A, C and D
• Multivitamin. Older persons with low calorie needs should consider supplementation with a balanced multivitamin.

10: Breastfeed

The benefits of breastfeeding and cancer risk are two-fold. While mothers who breastfeed are protecting themselves from breast cancer, the babies are gaining a lower risk of obesity, and thus a lower risk of cancer.

For more information, see the links on the next page.

Lots More Information

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Sources

• World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research. Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective. Washington DC: AICR, 2007.
• The American Institute for Cancer Research Web site. Recommendations for Cancer Prevention. http://www.aicr.org/site/PageServer?pagename=dc_home_guides