Can You Control Your Risk of Cancer?

Written by Esther Allen-White, MS, RD, LD

Are you tired of hearing that everything causes cancer? Do you feel like it is impossible to avoid it? Do you worry about pesticides, breast implants, artificial additives, cell phones, beef hormones, power lines or artificial sweeteners giving you cancer?

In today’s world, cancer risk is a reality. The latest research has found that there are many things that promote cancer. The researchers separated these things into major and minor cancer risks. The major cancer risks are tobacco, diet, alcohol, obesity, being a couch potato and sun exposure. The minor cancer risks are a family history of cancer, pollution, radiation, viruses and working with hazardous chemicals.

Though both of these groups influence your risk of cancer, there is hope for preventing it.

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We can control cancer’s major risk factors. We can choose to use tobacco, eat poorly, drink alcohol, be sedentary, and get overexposure to the sun. Or we can choose a healthy lifestyle by avoiding tobacco, eating a balanced diet, managing our weight, being physically active, and avoiding too much sun.

By eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day you can reduce your risk by 20%. If you stay away from tobacco in every form you can reduce your risk by 30%. When you eat a plant-based diet, exercise five- six days a week and maintain a healthy weight you can reduce your risk by 30-40%. These numbers are exciting because they prove that you can easily control your chances for cancer.

Taking control of cancer in your life is much simpler than you may have thought. Here are some quick tips to get you started.

Eat an exciting, plant-based diet full of a variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Experiment by adding five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day to your diet.
Maintain a healthy weight for your body.
Be active and forget the couch potato lifestyle.
Drink little, if any alcohol.
Don’t smoke or use tobacco in any form.
Avoid saturated fat and lots of salt.
Use good food safety when cooking and storing food.
Enjoy a healthy life filled with friends and family.

Remember to enjoy your life and focus on being healthy overall. This will give you the best results and help control your cancer risk.

Source: Everything Doesn’t Cause Cancer. American Institute for Cancer Research, 2002.