Related topics: •  Cancer: The Protective Effects of Nutrition and Physical Activity

Eating right is one of the most important things you can do to protect yourself against cancer. Between 30 to 40 percent of cancers are related to poor diet and physical inactivity, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research.

Along with quitting smoking, avoiding cancer-causing substances on the job, good nutrition and physical activity can help prevent cancer. The institute encourages people to eat more vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains and recommends staying physically active, maintaining a healthy body weight, and seeking early detection in case cancer does arise.

The American Cancer Society has concurred with these findings and issued the following guidelines for cancer prevention:

•Eat a variety of healthy foods, especially those from plant sources (fruits, vegetables, beans, and food made from whole grains such as bread, rice, and cereals).

•Every day, eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables.

•Choose whole grains instead of processed (refined) grains and sugars.

•Limit your consumption of red meats, especially those that are processed or high in fat.

•Choose foods that will help you maintain a healthy weight.

•Adults: Engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity for at least 30 minutes, five or more days a week (45 to 60 minutes are preferable). Studies show 45 minutes or more of moderate to vigorous activity on five or more days a week may lower your risk of developing colon and breast cancers.

•Children and adolescents: Engage in at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity on five or more days a week.

•If you're currently overweight or obese, lose weight.

•Maintain a healthy weight throughout your life.

•Balance your caloric intake with physical activity.

•If you drink alcoholic beverages, limit your consumption. For women that means no more than one drink a day, and for men, up to two drinks.

The American Cancer Society guidelines also recommend that public, private, and community organizations take the following steps:

•Work together to promote healthful nutrition and physical activity.

•Increase access to nutritious food in schools, worksites, and communities.

•Provide safe, enjoyable, and accessible environments for physical activity in schools and community recreation sites.

The actual guidelines, as seen above, are quite general. Fortunately, the ACS has published a more detailed guide to cancer prevention through nutrition and physical activity. A few of the tips:

•Include vegetables and fruits at every meal and for snacks.

•Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.

•Limit french fries, snack chips, and other fried food.

•Choose 100 percent juice, if you drink juice.

•Choose brown rice and bread, pasta, and cereal made with whole grains rather than white bread and pastas.

•Avoid or limit refined carbohydrates such as pastries, sweetened cereals, and beverages loaded with sugar.

•Whenever you can, opt for fish, poultry or beans rather than beef, pork, or lamb. Choose lean cuts and smaller portions when you do eat meat.

•Prepare meat by baking, broiling, or poaching, rather than by frying or grilling. Charred meat may contain cancer-causing agents.

•When eating away from home, choose food that is low in fat, calories, and sugar, and avoid large portions.

•Limit your consumption of high-calorie foods, and read the nutrition label: Remember that "low fat" and even "fat free" does not mean "low calorie."

•Choose fruits, vegetables and other low-calorie choices over calorie-heavy snacks like fries, onion rings, cheeseburgers, pizza, doughnuts, or ice cream.

•Use stairs instead of an elevator.

•Walk or bike to your destinations, if you can.

•Take a 10-minute exercise break at work to walk or stretch.

•Go dancing with your partner or friends.

•Walk to visit coworkers instead of e-mailing.

•Plan active vacations.

•Wear a pedometer every day and watch your daily steps increase.

•Use a stationary bicycle while watching TV.

•Gradually increase your exercise routine.

Alcohol consumption has been shown to cause cancer of the mouth, throat, voice box, esophagus, liver, and breast. It may also increase the risk of colon and rectum cancers.

If you drink alcohol, limit your consumption to no more than two drinks a day if you're a man, and one drink a day if you're a woman. (This recommended limit is based on women's overall smaller body size, and the fact that women metabolize alcohol more slowly.)

One drink equals 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.

The combination is thought to have a protective effect against cancer in general, but there's more evidence about the role of nutrition and exercise in some cancers than others.

-- Diana Reiss-Koncar is a medic at the Berkeley Free Clinic in Berkeley, California. She is also a freelance health writer and illustrator whose work has appeared in Hippocrates, Consumer Health Interactive, and numerous other outlets.

References

Last updated December 18, 2008
Copyright © 2004 Consumer Health Interactive

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