Cancer Prevention

Life is filled with things that we can't control - the weather, the stock market, teenagers who wear their pants halfway down their backside. But one phenomenon we really can exert some influence on is cancer. Over the last few years researchers has become increasingly convinced that it's what we do and what we don't do in our lives that help determine our cancer risk.

Only 5 to 10 percent of cancers are inherited. The rest are due to interaction with the environment. If you don't believe it just have a look at the latest statistics.

You can take a number of steps in order to reduce the risk of getting cancer.

1. Talk to all those relatives you can't stand

The more of your close relatives who have cancer that can't be blamed on obvious environmental factors like smoking, the greater your genetic predisposition to the disease probably is. If you don't have any troubling family history, though, don't panic. Start with monthly self examination for testicular cancer. Look for area with lumps or hardness on the testicular. Visit your doctor once a year to check for cancer in the mouth, prostate, skin, colon.

2. Eat better than 77 percent of the population

One of the most important things you can do to cut your cancer risk is eat at least five servings a day of fruit and vegetables. A 14-year study found that the men whose daily diets were highest in fruit and vegetables had a 70 percent lower risk of digestive tract cancers. According to NCI a shockingly low number of people eat the require five-a-day goal. Don't rely on supplements to make up any deficit. While there has been a lot of hype over recent studies that have linked vitamins with the prevention of a range of cancers, there is little evidence that popping pills deliver the same benefit than eating foods that contains these cancer fighters and more.

3. Eat more white meat

Red meat can be the bad boy of anti-cancer diet: appealing yet potentially destructive. In one study of 48000 men, those who ate beef, pork, or lamb as a main dish five or more times a week were 3.5 times as likely to get colon cancer as men who ate red meat less than twice a month. Substituting chicken or fish more often cuts your cancer risk.

4. Stop smuggling in those Cubans

We know the arguments: you stoke the occasional Columbus only after dinner or when you're out with the guys. And you don't inhale. Sorry, that doesn't get you off the hook. A new report concludes that, whether or not you inhale, smoking cigars will risk your chance of cancer of the mouth, larynx, esophagus and lungs. And whether it is a cigar or cigarette that you smoke, the amount you smoke may not be a reliable gauge of your risk. We see people who smoke two packs of cigarettes a day and don't get cancer, and half-a-pack smokers who do. Everyone's risks are different.

5. Start a new Sunday tradition

Studies suggest that searing beef, pork, poultry or fish at high temperatures trigger reactions among compounds in meat that can produce up to 17 potential carcinogens. Known as heterocyclic amines, these likely cancer-causers are found in meat and smoke, too. So far, evidence of their harm is test-tube-based and preliminary. A study showed that when the meat is marinated for up to 4 hours prior to grilling eliminates most traces of heterocyclic amines.

6. Bring home flower tonight

Studies suggest that stress can depress the immune response, the body's defense against disease, and that men under stress tend to engage in behavior that puts their health to risk - like smoking, drinking and eating poorly. Men with strong support from family or friends who experienced three or more stressful events in one year had 83 percent lower risk of death from cancer and other causes compared with similarly stressed-out guys who had little or no emotional support.

7. Workout more

Regular exercise has been shown to reduce risks for number of cancers, including those of the prostate and colon. How much sweating is necessary to do the job? One study of 48000 middle aged male health professionals found that men who ran a total of 8km a week at 5-minutes-per-km pace had about half the colon-cancer risk of sedentary subjects. At the very least: 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days of the week.

8. Make an early tea time

Skin cancer rates have skyrocketed 162 percent since the mid 1970's, affecting men two three times as much as women. The good news is that this is one of the easiest cancers to prevent. For starters, even on cloudy days, put on sunscreen before you go outside. Choose one that have a SPF of at least 15 and that blocks ultraviolet A and B rays. There is little doubt of their effectiveness. Sunscreens help shield skin from sun damage. The American Cancer Society continues to advocate their use. Try to stay out of the sun between 10am and 4pm, when rays are strongest. Partners: Vaginal cancer