Cut out sugary drinks.
Not only do sugary drinks contribute
to obesity and diabetes, they may also increase your risk of endometrial
cancer. According to research from the University of Minnesota School
of Public Health, women who drank large amounts of sugar-laden beverages
had up to an 87 percent higher risk of endometrial cancer, likely due
to the pounds these drinks can add.
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.
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.
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.
Eat Brazil nuts.
They'€™re rich in selenium, a trace
mineral found in soil that convinces cancer cells to commit suicide and
helps cells repair their DNA. A Harvard study of more than 1,000 men
with prostate cancer found those with the highest blood levels of
selenium were 48 percent less likely to develop advanced disease over 13
years than men with the lowest levels. And a dramatic five-year study
conducted at Cornell University and the University of Arizona showed
that 200 micrograms of selenium daily €”the amount in just two unshelled
Brazil nuts €”resulted in 63 percent fewer prostate tumors, 58 percent
fewer colorectal cancers, 46 percent fewer lung malignancies, and a 39
percent overall decrease in cancer deaths. Make sure to get selenium
from food, not supplements. Research shows that men who consumed
selenium supplements actually had an increased prostate cancer risk.
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.
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.
Make a cancer-fighting dinner.
Two cloves of crushed garlic in
two tablespoons of olive oil, then mix in a can of low-sodium diced
tomatoes. Stir gently until heated and serve over one cup of whole-wheat
pasta. You'll get the cancer-preventing benefits of garlic, plus the
lycopene in the tomatoes protects against colon, prostate, lung, and
bladder cancers, the olive oil helps your body absorb the lycopene, and
the fiber-filled pasta reduces your risk of colon cancer.
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.
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.
Marinate your meat.
The high temperature required to grill
meat (and broil and fry, for that matter) creates compounds called
heterocyclic amines that are linked to cancer. These compounds may
damage DNA enough to spur the growth of tumors in the colon, breast,
prostate, and lymph cells. One University of Minnesota study found that
eating charred meat regularly can increase pancreatic cancer risk by up
to 60 percent. According to research in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry,
marinating red meat in beer or wine for two hours prior to cooking
reduced the amount of these harmful compounds. Kansas State University
research found that rubbing rosemary onto uncooked meats blocks the
formation of these cancer-causing compounds by up to 100 percent. You
can also rub a couple of cut kiwifruit on a low-fat cut of meat as a
tenderizer to help protect the meat during grilling from those harmful
cancer-causing compounds.
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.
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.
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 the American 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.
Snack on kiwi.
Kiwi may be little, but they pack a punch of cancer-fighting antioxidants, including vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein, and copper.
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.
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.
Snack on red grapes.
They're great sources of
resveratrol, an antioxidant that may slow cancer growth in the lymph
nodes, stomach, breasts, and liver. A 2011 study from The University of
Texas Health Science Center found that resveratrol inhibited skin damage
that ultimately leads to skin cancer. Although all grape skins contain
resveratrol, red and purple grapes have the most.
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.
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.
Avoid dry cleaners.
Many dry cleaners still use a chemical
called perc (perchloroethylene), found to cause kidney and liver damage
and cancer through repeated exposure or inhalation. Buying clothes that
don'€™t require dry cleaning, or hand washing them yourself, can reduce
your exposure to this chemical. If you must dry-clean your clothes,
take them out of the plastic bag and air them outside or in another room
before wearing.
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.
Stop tanning.
Exposure to natural sun and tanning
beds has been shown to increase your risk for skin cancer. But spray-on
tans aren'€™t completely risk-free either; the chemical dihydroxyacetone
(DHA) is an active ingredient in fake tanning products, including
lotions and tanning spray, and the FDA warns that DHA shouldn't be
sprayed into the mouth, eyes, or nose because the risks of inhalation
are unknown. When high amounts of these chemicals are breathed in, they
can create free radicals, which have been linked to cell damage and
cancer risk. The safest option: no tan at all. If you must, use an
at-home lotion and wear protective gear.
Drink milk.
Recent studies have shown that calcium
may protect against colon cancer: Participants in the Nurses€™ Health
Study who consumed more than 700 mg of calcium per day per day had up to
a 45 percent reduced risk of colon cancer than those who consumed 500
mg or less per day. Although 700 mg may sound like a lot, it can add up
with a cup of low-fat yogurt for breakfast (345 mg), a cup of low-fat
milk with lunch (300 mg), and a cup of spinach in your salad with dinner
(292 mg).
Eat sauerkraut.
A Finnish study found that the
fermentation process involved in making sauerkraut produces several
cancer-fighting compounds, including isothiocyanates (or ITCs), indoles,
and sulforaphane. To reduce the sodium content, rinse canned or jarred
sauerkraut before eating. Better yet, skip the hot dog or
sausage €”these processed meats are associated with a greater risk of
colon cancer.
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.
Skip drying lamps at the nail salon.
Although it's incredibly low for the
average woman, ultraviolet drying lamps at nail salons do carry an
increased risk of skin cancer for every use. According to Georgia
Regents University, anyone who has received between eight and 208
manicures will have damaged skin cells enough to raise the risk of
cancer, though every machine emits different amounts of UVA radiation.
For most of the lamps tested, eight to 14 visits over 24 to 42 months
will create damaged DNA. Instead, protect your hands by applying
sunscreen before your mani, or letting your nails air dry.
Take care of your sexual health.
The more sexual partners you have
(especially without condom use), the greater your risk of contracting
human papillomavirus, or HPV, which can cause cervical cancer, throat
cancer, and penile, vaginal, and anal cancer. The HPV vaccine is
recommended for all tweens of both sexes at age 11 or 12, as well as for
women up to age 26 and men up to age 21. Since the vaccine was first
recommended in 2006, there has been a 56 percent reduction in HPV
infections among U.S. teen girls, even with very low HPV vaccination
rates, the CDC reports.
Reap the advantages of a daily aspirin Rx.
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