How To Lower Your Cancer Risk
From Tracee Cornforth,Your Guide to Women's Health

Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by the growth and spread of abnormal cells. This can occur in any part of the human body. The most common cancer is lung cancer which causes more deaths each year than breast, prostate and colon cancers combined.

You may wonder, "Is there anything I can do to lower my risk of getting cancer?" Incorporating the following tips into your daily routine will help to lower your cancer risk.

Difficulty: N/A
Time Required: A Lifetime

Here's How:

1. Eat a healthy diet. A healthy diet not only reduces your risk of cancer, it also lowers your risk of heart disease, and helps improve or maintain your overall health.

A healthy diet, according to the American Cancer Society, includes:

• at least five servings of fruits and vegetables,
• three servings of whole grains,
  and limiting your consumption of additives and preservatives found in processed foods (certain cheeses, canned foods, boxed foods) and meats (lunch meats, breakfast meats, others).
• Also avoid or eliminate red meats which are high in fat.
  

2. Pysically active. Eating right and exercising regularly go hand-in-hand. Just 30 minutes of physical activity, on five or more days of the week is all it takes to reap the health benefits of physical activity. You will not only help to control your weight, you'll also significantly reduce your risk of cancer, as well as your risks for heart disease and diabetes.

You have many choices for how to exercise. You can walk, dance, bike, run, join a gym -- whatever suits your fancy. Other ways to increase your level of activity include taking stairs, walking rather than driving, and parking farther away.

3. See your doctor. You should schedule a gynecology exam, including a Pap smear, annually to screen for cancer and other diseases. Your annual visit is also a time when you can ask questions and discuss any concerns you may have with your physician.

Pap smears are necessary for all women beginning at age 21, or within three years of sexual activity if under 21. Other important screening tests for cancer include:

• yearly mammography beginning at age 40 to detect breast changes,
• and colonoscopy every ten years beginning at age 50.
  

See also: Your GYN Exam and Pap Smear

4. Don't smoke! If you already smoke, quit! Cigarette smoking is the most preventable cause of death. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths. Smoking also contributes to a number of other types of cancer, heart disease, reproductive health issues, and other diseases.

Source : about.com : Women's Health