By Cleveland Clinic Wellness Editors
Published 9/15/2011
Published 9/15/2011
TEXT SIZE
Think cancer is out of your control? Whether you get the disease may be partially determined by your genes, but for most people, it’s not etched in stone. Most cancer cases are caused by a combination of family history and lifestyle choices. In fact, according to the World Cancer Research Fund, 30 to 40 percent of cancers can be prevented. You can significantly lower your risk by following a few simple rules. Here’s how:
Live Healthier
Get 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. This could be jogging, walking, bicycling or playing sports with friends or kids. Limit your alcohol intake to less than one serving a day. Women who drink any alcohol will want to consider a folic acid supplement to decrease the risk of breast cancer. People with a strong family history of cancer may want to avoid it altogether. Limit your exposure to known carcinogens like the sun’s UV rays and first- or secondhand cigarette smoke. Eat the recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables every day — that’s at least two and a half cups of produce. An easy way to do this: Make a huge salad for lunch every day. Include items that will make you look forward to your salad, like turkey, avocado, walnuts, dried cranberries, apples and low-fat cheese.
Swap in Whole Foods
When was the last time you went a whole day without eating any processed food? If you’re like most Americans, you probably can’t remember. Obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer are among the top 10 killers of people in the U.S.—and they’re all linked to a diet of processed foods filled with fat, refined grains and sugar. To break the habit, try swapping out one processed food each day for something whole. The next week, aim for two a day—and continue until your diet looks more like it came from a farm than a factory. Try our Go! Foods for You program to build a better diet.
Exercise Regularly
Don’t skip that workout! A recent study published in Circulation: The Journal of the American Heart Association found that people who exercise regularly have longer telomeres than people who don’t. Telomeres seal the ends of your chromosomes and protect them from damage — similar to the plastic that seals the ends of your shoelaces. The shorter the telomere, the more vulnerable the chromosome is to the effects of aging. The next time you’re tempted to blow off the gym, look at your shoelaces, think of your hard-working telomeres and imagine your workout boosting your vitality all the way down to your very cells.
Reduce Chronic Stress with Yoga
If you still haven’t tried yoga because you think it doesn’t provide enough physical benefit, consider this: Researchers at Massachusetts General recently found that the profound sense of rest a regular yoga practice triggers can lessen the harmful effects of chronic stress on your genes. And they found similar benefit for people who had been practicing yoga for years as for people who had been doing it for as little as eight weeks. While regular cardiovascular and strength-promoting exercise are still important, incorporating some form of relaxation-inducing practice is a vital piece of staying physically healthy — all the way down to the cellular level.
Practice Relaxation Techniques
Exercise, a tried-and-true stress buster, has been shown to help some women with breast cancer, live longer. We do not yet know the precise mechanisms as to why this is related and there are several possible explanations. Research has suggested that chronic stress messengers, including epinephrine and norepinephrine, may cause changes in cancer cells that may help them spread. Aim for 30 minutes of walking a day. If that’s too much, even an hour a week can help. You may also want to give belly breathing a try. Close your eyes and focus completely on your breathing. Inhale slowly from your stomach, letting your belly fill with air. Exhale just as slowly, letting your stomach deflate. Do this for five minutes or more whenever you need a quick mental retreat.
Eat Green and Orange Veggies
To help ensure your chances of living a long and healthy life, include plenty of dark green and orange vegetables in your diet. These veggies are brimming with alpha-carotene, a type of antioxidant in the carotenoid family, that’s been linked to a lower risk of dying from heart disease and cancer. Other carotenoids include lycopene and beta-carotene. Carotenoids help ward off DNA damage that can accelerate aging and lead to chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer. Alpha-carotene may be particularly adept at fending off the growth of cancer cells in the brain, liver and skin. Plus, they’re not usually found in supplements, so the only way to get them is through a diet rich in vegetables. Some of the best sources of alpha-carotene are pumpkin, carrots, frozen mixed vegetables and winter squash. You can also get them in smaller amounts from vegetable juice, pea soup, and dark leafy greens.
Walk 10,000 Steps Daily
Daily, physical activity can offer many health benefits including weight loss, lowered blood pressure and LDL Cholesterol, decreased risk of certain cancers, improved immune system, memory function and bone and muscle strength and balance—just to name a few! But how to get that exercise? Try walking! Strap on a pedometer (people who wear them logged a reported 2000 more steps per day according to a Standford University School of Medicine study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association) and a give yourself a goal of 10,000 steps per day. It's a great way to start building more physical activity into your routine. Walking also gives you a mood boost by releasing your body's natural happy drugs—endorphins. According to Michael Roizen, MD, and Chief Wellness Officer at Cleveland Clinic, walking and talking with a friend will encourage more walking and can reduce your Real Age™ by eight years.
Live Healthier
Get 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week. This could be jogging, walking, bicycling or playing sports with friends or kids. Limit your alcohol intake to less than one serving a day. Women who drink any alcohol will want to consider a folic acid supplement to decrease the risk of breast cancer. People with a strong family history of cancer may want to avoid it altogether. Limit your exposure to known carcinogens like the sun’s UV rays and first- or secondhand cigarette smoke. Eat the recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables every day — that’s at least two and a half cups of produce. An easy way to do this: Make a huge salad for lunch every day. Include items that will make you look forward to your salad, like turkey, avocado, walnuts, dried cranberries, apples and low-fat cheese.
Swap in Whole Foods
When was the last time you went a whole day without eating any processed food? If you’re like most Americans, you probably can’t remember. Obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer are among the top 10 killers of people in the U.S.—and they’re all linked to a diet of processed foods filled with fat, refined grains and sugar. To break the habit, try swapping out one processed food each day for something whole. The next week, aim for two a day—and continue until your diet looks more like it came from a farm than a factory. Try our Go! Foods for You program to build a better diet.
Exercise Regularly
Don’t skip that workout! A recent study published in Circulation: The Journal of the American Heart Association found that people who exercise regularly have longer telomeres than people who don’t. Telomeres seal the ends of your chromosomes and protect them from damage — similar to the plastic that seals the ends of your shoelaces. The shorter the telomere, the more vulnerable the chromosome is to the effects of aging. The next time you’re tempted to blow off the gym, look at your shoelaces, think of your hard-working telomeres and imagine your workout boosting your vitality all the way down to your very cells.
Reduce Chronic Stress with Yoga
If you still haven’t tried yoga because you think it doesn’t provide enough physical benefit, consider this: Researchers at Massachusetts General recently found that the profound sense of rest a regular yoga practice triggers can lessen the harmful effects of chronic stress on your genes. And they found similar benefit for people who had been practicing yoga for years as for people who had been doing it for as little as eight weeks. While regular cardiovascular and strength-promoting exercise are still important, incorporating some form of relaxation-inducing practice is a vital piece of staying physically healthy — all the way down to the cellular level.
Practice Relaxation Techniques
Exercise, a tried-and-true stress buster, has been shown to help some women with breast cancer, live longer. We do not yet know the precise mechanisms as to why this is related and there are several possible explanations. Research has suggested that chronic stress messengers, including epinephrine and norepinephrine, may cause changes in cancer cells that may help them spread. Aim for 30 minutes of walking a day. If that’s too much, even an hour a week can help. You may also want to give belly breathing a try. Close your eyes and focus completely on your breathing. Inhale slowly from your stomach, letting your belly fill with air. Exhale just as slowly, letting your stomach deflate. Do this for five minutes or more whenever you need a quick mental retreat.
Eat Green and Orange Veggies
To help ensure your chances of living a long and healthy life, include plenty of dark green and orange vegetables in your diet. These veggies are brimming with alpha-carotene, a type of antioxidant in the carotenoid family, that’s been linked to a lower risk of dying from heart disease and cancer. Other carotenoids include lycopene and beta-carotene. Carotenoids help ward off DNA damage that can accelerate aging and lead to chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer. Alpha-carotene may be particularly adept at fending off the growth of cancer cells in the brain, liver and skin. Plus, they’re not usually found in supplements, so the only way to get them is through a diet rich in vegetables. Some of the best sources of alpha-carotene are pumpkin, carrots, frozen mixed vegetables and winter squash. You can also get them in smaller amounts from vegetable juice, pea soup, and dark leafy greens.
Walk 10,000 Steps Daily
Daily, physical activity can offer many health benefits including weight loss, lowered blood pressure and LDL Cholesterol, decreased risk of certain cancers, improved immune system, memory function and bone and muscle strength and balance—just to name a few! But how to get that exercise? Try walking! Strap on a pedometer (people who wear them logged a reported 2000 more steps per day according to a Standford University School of Medicine study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association) and a give yourself a goal of 10,000 steps per day. It's a great way to start building more physical activity into your routine. Walking also gives you a mood boost by releasing your body's natural happy drugs—endorphins. According to Michael Roizen, MD, and Chief Wellness Officer at Cleveland Clinic, walking and talking with a friend will encourage more walking and can reduce your Real Age™ by eight years.
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