Whether you have valiantly battled this terrible disease yourself or have sat by the side of a loved one in support, we all should recognize this month as National Cancer Control Month. It is a great time to take a step back and look at your life and your loved ones’ lives and see what you can do together to reduce the risks of this disease.Although, there is no silver bullet, you can arm yourself with weapons and a shield to reduce your risk of cancer.
First, what we need to look at is the contributing factors linked to an increased incidence of cancer. Risk factors fall into two categories: Non-Controllable & Controllable.
Non-controllable factors are those areas that put you at risk for disease and cannot be altered. This includes such risk factors as:
- Age (Risk usually starts to increase around 45-50+ years of age)
- Sex (Women are at higher risk than men for acquiring some diseases and vice versa)
- Race (Certain races are associated with higher risks)
- Genetics (If your family members have a disease you’re risk for that disease increases)
You may be wondering, “What is the point of assessing non-controllable risk for disease if they can’t be changed?” Well, it’s important because knowing your own personal risks for disease means you may be more diligent in monitoring the risk factors you can control.
Controllable factors, or lifestyle factors, are those areas you can manage to reduce risk. The major controllable risk factors and corresponding recommended actions are:
Physical Activity
- Get at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of moderate intensity exercise every week. This can be as easy as gardening, ballroom dancing, or taking the dog for a brisk walk.
- You need only 75 minutes (1 hour 15 minutes) of exercise each week if you are doing vigorous intensity exercise such as running, cycling, dancing, or aerobics.
- You can even break down the aerobic activity into 10 minute increments and still reap the benefits!
- Physical activity not only controls body weight, but it also supports a healthy immune system which reduces the risk of cancer.
- Don’t do it! Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer related death and smoking is the cause of most cases.
- Smoking also increases the risk of other cancers including mouth, throat, stomach, esophagus, bladder, kidney, pancrease, cervix, stomach, and some types of leukemia.
- Men should consume no more than one to two alcoholic drinks per day while women should keep their intake to only one or less per day. Excessive drinking can increases risk for certain cancers.
- One drink is 1.5 oz shot of 80 proof alcohol, 12 oz. of regular beer, or a 5 oz. glass of wine.
- According to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) there is scientific evidence to support that being overweight increases the risk of at least seven types of cancer. Excess fat, especially in the central region, encourages cell proliferation and increases risk for cancer.
- Keeping yourself at a healthy body weight reduces your risk for cancer. Talk to your doctor or dietitian if you don’t know where your body weight should be or try out this BMI calculator to see where you stand.
- Fill at least 2/3rds of your plate with plant foods such as veggies, fruits, whole grains and beans!
- They promote a healthy body weight, provide you with fiber and nutrients, and they are packed with phytochemicals which are biologically active compounds that fight cancer and promote health.
- Choose a variety of colors as each color represents a different phytochemical
- Shoot for at least 2.5 to 3 servings of vegetables and at least 1.5 to 2 servings of fruits each day.
- Make at least half of your grains whole
- Most adults need about 6-8 oz. of grains every day. Making half of them whole will promote a healthy body weight, provide fiber, and cancer fighting antioxidants.
- Choose fiber rich foods
- These include fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, and nuts to get 14 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories consumed. Diets higher in fiber not only have lower body weights but also have a reduced risk of certain cancers.
- Choose lean protein
- Opt for chicken, fish, poultry, nuts, seeds, and beans for your protein source to reduce fat intake.
- Limit your intake of red meat and processed meats.
- Red meats including pork, beef and lamb and processed meat (smoked, cured, salted, or other form of preserved meat) should be limited to less than 18 oz each week. Amounts greater than this have been linked to increased risk of certain cancers including colorectal cancer according to the AICR.
- Limit fat.
- Diets lower in total fat are linked to reduced risk of cancer.
Take the MD Anderson Cancer Center Cancer Risk Check assessment to see what you can do specifically to lower your risk for cancer.
Want to learn more about the health benefits of whole grains? Download our guide:
References:
Recommendations for Cancer Prevention. World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research Second Expert Report. World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research. Accessed April 2013.
Yoga photo credit: Edson Hong via photopin cc
Fruit Plate photo credit: PetitPlat - Stephanie Kilgast via photopin cc
