More often we hear another cancer-fighting food or lifestyle change, so it would good to bring some of this information together in one place to show you there is much you can do to prevent cancer. Focusing on prevention now, we may never have to hear that dreaded phrase, “You have cancer.” Here are some proven cancer-fighting actions, with tobacco at the top of the list as the major preventable cause of cancer:
- Don’t smoke or use other tobacco products – smoking cigarettes, cigars, or a pipe is the major cause of lung cancer. Tobacco in the form of snuff causes nasal cancer and chewing tobacco increases the risk of mouth, tongue, and throat cancer.
- Avoid secondhand smoke – this is now easier with bans on smoking in many public places.
- Eat lots of fruits and vegetables – whole grain and fibrous foods probably protect against some types of cancer. Consuming too much saturated fat (found mostly in animal products) may increase the risk of breast cancer.
- Control your weight – obesity is associated with an increased risk for most types of cancer.
- Cook smart – don’t char meat when grilling and avoid frying or cooking foods at high heat.
- Avoid exposure to the ultraviolet (UV) radiation in sunlight – when outdoors, wear a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses and generously apply a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 30 or higher. Most people use less than half the amount of lotion needed to get the sunscreen’s claimed SPF, so remember to reapply it. And whatever you do, don’t succumb to the lure of a quick tan at a suntan parlor.
- Get vaccinated against human papilloma virus (HPV) as a girl or young woman – new HPV vaccine was approved by the FDA in June 2006.
- Know the medical histories, and especially the cancer histories, of close relatives – this means your parents, grandparents, and siblings. This information will help you determine your genetic risk for some cancers and arrange to be screened for early cancer detection with a mammogram for breast cancer; a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test for prostate cancer; a colonoscopy for colon cancer; and a Pap smear for cervical cancer.
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