Healthy Choices to Keep Cancer at Bay
(Page 3 of 3)
February/March 2009
By Linda B. White, M.D.
Avoid tobacco. Tobacco use, including smokeless tobacco, is the No. 1 preventable cause of cancer, and smoking is responsible for an estimated 30 percent of all cancers. Long-term exposure to secondhand smoke also raises the risk. Tobacco causes not just lung cancer, but also cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, pancreas, bladder, stomach, liver, kidney, cervix, breast and bone marrow. People who quit by age 30 reduce their chances of dying from cancer and other smoking-related diseases by more than 90 percent — though kicking the habit at a later age still reduces the risk of premature death.
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Keep alcohol to a minimum. Heavy drinking increases the risk of cancer; even moderate drinking can raise breast cancer risk. One or two drinks per day increases breast cancer risk by 10 percent, and more than three raises risk by 30 percent.
On the other hand, moderate drinking is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and greater longevity. If a glass of wine with dinner is a habit you don’t want to give up, know that taking the B vitamin folate protects against the alcohol-induced risk of breast cancer.
Avoid stress overload. Chronic stress depresses immune function, and one of the immune system’s jobs is to destroy abnormal cells such as cancer cells. Animal studies show that stress and stress hormones increase cancers, though human research hasn’t been able to yoke stress to cancer. Such a link is hard to prove. For one, cancer takes years to develop and likely involves multiple factors. Because stress overload erodes many aspects of physical and mental health, it still makes sense to manage this modern-day affliction.
Stay social. A number of studies have linked social isolation to degradation of mental and physical health. A French study showed that socially disconnected people had a greater risk of dying from cancer. Social support may also be important to survival after a cancer diagnosis. In 1989, a landmark study by psychiatrist Dr. David Spiegel at Stanford University found that group therapy doubled survival time.
The Bottom Line
Get screened. A number of cancers — colon, breast, skin, cervix and prostate — can be detected early with screening examinations. Talk to your doctor about your family history and other risk factors, and follow your doctor’s recommendations about these tests. The chances of surviving cancer rise the earlier treatment begins.
With the exception of avoiding tobacco, any of these lifestyle changes will likely produce modest benefits. Live well, incorporate many healthy acts into your routine, and the impact is significant.
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