Preventing Cancer: Reducing the Risks

Cancer is the leading cause of death in the majority of industrialized countries. Yet there is no reason to feel powerless. Research has shown that nearly three-quarters of cancer cases could be prevented simply by changing everyday habits, a positive impact unlikely ever equaled by any treatment.

Preventing Cancer provides the necessary tools to those who want to take their fate into their own hands. Decades of research by agencies like the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Cancer Society has revealed ten major recommendations that are the best weapon at our disposal to help prevent cancer and give cancer survivors a practical tool to prevent recurrence.

Preventing Cancer explains the science behind each recommendation and its statistical potential for disease prevention. The authors provide numerous practical examples of lifestyle changes that can make a profound contribution to cancer prevention.

The ten recommendations to preventing cancer are:
1. Don't smoke.
2. Stay as lean as possible.
3. Limit the consumption of red meat to about one pound per week. Also helpful, marinate red meat in virgin olive oil with garlic and lemon juice or herbs like thyme or rosemary; add turmeric or related spices to ground beef.
4. Eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, pulses (like lentils) and whole grains. Eat "superfoods" like green tea, blueberries, crucifers, garlic and tomatoes.
5. Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day.
6. Limit daily alcohol consumption to two glasses for men and one for women. Better yet, drink red wine and even better, drink red pinot noir. Also, avoid mouthwash with alcohol.
7. Limit consumption of salt. Use spices, especially Indian spices like turmeric.
8. Avoid unnecessary sun exposure.
9. For extra protection, vaccinate girls against HPV. Breastfeed for six months, avoid pollution and nanomaterials, get eight hours' sleep.
10. Do not use supplements to prevent cancer.

Easy to read, approachable and supported by an avalanche of research studies, Preventing Cancer provides dozens of examples of why and how to start preventing cancer today.

Richard Beliveau is a professor of biochemistry at the University of Quebec, where he conducts research in the prevention and treatment of cancer. He is also a research fellow in neurosurgery at Notre-Dame Hospital, professor of surgery and physiology at the University of Montreal, and research associate at the Center for Cancer Prevention at McGill University. Denis Gingras is a researcher specializing in oncology at the University of Quebec at Montreal. They are co-authors of Foods That Fight Cancer and Cooking with Foods That Fight Cancer.