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Can Your Diet Prevent Cancer? |
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There is some evidence that diet is a factor in some cancers. However, it is difficult to measure the real impact of diet in preventing a malignancy (cancer). While the relationship between cancer and diet is not well understood, it makes common sense to eat a well-balanced and nutritious diet of healthy food sources.
FOLLOW THESE DIET TIPS TO REDUCE YOUR RISK OF CANCER: - Eat a varied diet. Eating many different foods in moderation offers the best hope for lowering cancer risk.
- Make sure to include many different fruits and vegetables in the diet. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables may decrease the risk of lung, prostate, bladder, oesophageal, colorectal, and stomach cancers.
- Cut down on fat intake. A diet high in fat may be a factor in the development of breast, colon, and prostate cancer. Limit total fat intake to 30 percent or less of total kilojoule intake.
- Eat high-fibre foods such as whole grain foods, vegetables, fruits, and beans. Increasing fibre intake may reduce the risk of colon cancer.
- Limit alcohol intake. Heavy drinking, along with the use of tobacco, either smoking cigarettes or using smokeless tobacco, increases the risk of cancer of the mouth, larynx, throat, oesophagus, and liver.
- Limit the intake of salt-cured, smoked, and nitrite-cured foods. When these are eaten frequently, there is a higher incidence of cancer of the stomach and oesophagus.
Ask your doctor about vitamin and mineral supplements. These can be expensive, and with a balanced diet, may not be necessary. By eating a healthy diet you may decrease your risk of cancer, while decreasing your risks of developing heart disease, diabetes, and other illnesses. Article #6410 Copyright (c) 2002 McKesson. All Rights Reserved. |
