Lifestyle Choices Matter - Chapter 1 Introduction To Preventing Cancer: Cancer

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Lifestyle choices matter

One of the guiding theories of cancer prevention is that making changes in your behavior - including diet and lifestyle - will boost your biological defenses and protect your cells from the sorts of injuries that lead to the spread of cancer. Avoiding toxic substances such as cigarette smoke, for instance, will reduce your exposure to significant initiators of cell damage. Eating a diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables will give you antioxidants to help counter those disruptive free radicals.

Weight also appears to play an important role. A diet that keeps calories in line can also discourage weight gain, a demonstrated cancer risk factor, while encouraging weight loss-an established cancer prevention tool. Even modest weight fluctuations are important. Data from the Women's Health Initiative suggests that as little as six pounds gained or lost in adult women can raise or lower, respectively, breast cancer risk. But the risk appears to be linear: the more excess weight you shed, the more protected from breast cancer you become; the more weight you gain, the more likely you are to get cancer.

The bottom line is that there is seldom one event that causes cancer - and seldom one way to protect yourself. Cancer protection, like cancer itself, is a multi-step process.

Last updated:	May 01, 2008