Take steps to cut your cancer risk

Researchers have attributed a variety of factors to cancer, including genetics, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and other lifestyle factors. But with so much information available, it can be difficult to determine what lifestyle decisions you should make to reduce your cancer risk.

At last month’s American Association for Cancer Research’s Sixth Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, researchers discussed recent studies to shed light on what lifestyle factors are related to cancer.

While these researchers maintained that genetics and environment are strong indicators of cancer risk, they confirmed that your daily decisions also can affect your chances of getting cancer, and one study, in particular, illustrated the impact that your lifestyle choices can have your cancer risk.

If you smoke, you can instantly reduce your risk of cancer, particularly lung cancer, by giving up the habit. Former smokers can further reduce the risk by adding lots of vegetables to their diet, which is equal to about four or more servings of salad a week. Likewise, physical activity, like gardening, can reduce the risk of cancer in former smokers by up to 45 percent.

“If you are worried about lung cancer risk, this study shows that you may benefit from eating a healthy diet and being physically active,” said Dr. Michele Forman, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Texas.

The study, which looked at the eating and exercise habits of 3,800 participants, is the first of its kind to address the impact of diet and fitness at the same time. Researchers believe that this study could pave the way for analyzing the impact of other lifestyle factors, like alcohol consumption.

“We have a lot of puzzles in the picture yet to analyze,” Foreman said.