FIND A PHYSICIAN        

Cancer Prevention

Posted: March 1, 2006

Cancer can be caused by a number of different factors and may develop over a number of years, but some risk factors can be controlled. By choosing the right health behaviors, you can help lower your risk for developing cancer.

Smoking causes about 30 percent of all U.S. deaths from cancer. Obesity and physical inactivity cause about 25 to 30 percent of several of the major cancers in the U.S., including colon, breast, endometrial, kidney, and esophageal cancers.

Behavioral factors
Scientists estimate that as many as 50 to 75 percent of cancer deaths in the United States are caused by human behaviors such as smoking and poor dietary choices. The following lifestyle choices can help to prevent cancer:

• Not using cigarettes or other tobacco products
• Avoiding secondhand tobacco smoke
• Not drinking too much alcohol
• Eating five or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables
• Eating a moderate-fat diet
• Consuming a diet in which total calories eaten are balanced with calories expended by physical activity
• Maintaining or reaching a healthy weight
• Being physically active
• Protecting skin from sunlight

We Have Answers
Do you have medical questions or need help finding a doctor? The experts at Columbia St.Mary’s can help. Click here.