Cancer. Just the name sparks fear in the hearts of men all around the world. Whether you’re talking about lung cancer, prostate cancer, stomach cancer, esophageal cancer, or any of the other numerous forms, cancer is frightening and too often deadly. However, it doesn’t have to get you. While genetic predisposition certainly plays a role in whether you develop cancer or not, there are numerous things that you can do to prevent it.
- Stop Using Tobacco
If there is one absolutely must-do step you can take to prevent cancer, it’s kicking tobacco out of your life. Tobacco in any form (including cigarettes, cigars, pipes and chewing tobacco) is a cancer causing substance. Lung, throat, and mouth cancer are just for starters. If you can’t quit smoking, consider switching to an electronic cigarette or other smoking substitute (although be aware: e-cigs have plenty of health risks too). It’s not the nicotine that will kill you. It’s the tobacco.
- Take Steps to Prevent Cancer-Contributing Infections
Cancer doesn’t come only from radiation and smoking. In fact, a number of infections can actually contribute to the likelihood that you’ll develop cancer. HIV, hepatitis, and HPV are just three of the viruses that may increase your chances of also developing cancer.
- Watch What You Eat
What you eat is important for energy, health, and weight considerations, but it’s also important for cancer prevention. A number of foods can make you more susceptible to cancer, including grilled meats, red meat, and salty foods. By extension, anything that adds pounds to your frame could also be considered a cancer encourager, since being obese also increases your cancer risk. If you’re overweight or obese, take steps to shed those pounds now.
- Bring in the Greens
Vegetables are good for a lot of things, including heart health, energy levels, and regulating your digestion. They’re also good for helping lower your chance of developing many forms of cancer. Eat lots of colored vegetables. Don’t be afraid to try something just because it’s not green. And limit your intake of white vegetables, as these have lower levels of nutrients than their green, red, yellow, or black cousins.
- Get Plenty of Fiber
You should eat a diet high in both soluble and insoluble fiber. Fiber helps keep your digestive system regular (in other words, it keeps you from getting constipated), and also keeps you feeling full for a longer time. However, its regulatory action in the bowel can help prevent some types of cancer from starting, including prostate cancer.
While there is no guarantee that you won’t develop cancer (there are simply too many variables, including genetics), you can reduce your risk. Eat right, exercise, and dump tobacco, and you’ll go a long way toward avoiding this dreaded disease.
