TUESDAY JUNE 17, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- Ten things that may increase your cancer risk include obesity, physical inactivity, fatty diet, high intake of meat and low intake of fruit/vegetables, smoking, eating betel, heavy drinking, high salt, pickled food, stress and worry.

Ten things that may lower your cancer risk are as follows:

1) Obesity: Fatty cells make and release hormones that boost proliferation of cancer cells.   Research showed that esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer, colon cancer, postmenopausal breast cancer, kidney cancer and endometrial cancer are all associated with obesity. The higher your BMI, the higher your cancer risk.

2) Exercising for 30 minutes a day: Exercising 30 minutes day and five days a week will be enough to have a protective effect against cancer. Any type of physical activity including Walking, dancing, riding and climbing and others are all protective against development of cancer.

Exercise can help regulate testosterone and estrogen and protect females against hormone-receptor-sensitive cancer such as ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer. Canadian research found regular, but moderate exercise reduced ovarian cancer risk by 30 percent. Another benefit of physical activity is that it can promote the intestine wiggling, shorten the duration of the waste in the intestine and reduce risk of bowel cancer.

3) Drinking tea and or coffee:   It has been proved that drinking green tea helps prevent cancer. Catechins and antioxidants such as vitamin A and C found in green tea all have anti- carcinogenic properties.   Green tea contains the highest amounts of these active ingredients while black tea contains the lowest.

Coffee is also associated with reduced incidence of certain cancers.   Studies by researchers in the U.S., Canada, and Japan have all recently found that coffee helps reduce the likelihood of getting liver cancer, Renal cell carcinoma, breast cancer and bowel cancer in females.

4) Fresh fruit and vegetables:   What need to be stressed are vegetables and fruits.  

Fiber from fruit and vegetables can prevent a number of cancers including colorectal cancer, breast cancer and esophageal cancer. This macronutrient can reduce carcinogens in the intestine, improve the intestinal microflora and suppress development of cancerous cells.

5) Avoid high fat diet:    Dietary fat may play the most significant role in the cancer risk than any other nutrient.   This is particularly true with breast cancer, colon cancer and prostate cancer.

6) Eat more chicken and fish, but less pork, beef and lamb:   People who ate red meat were 30 percent more likely to develop colon cancer.   In addition, people need to avoid smoked and processed meat such as sausage, ham and bacon.

7)   Quit smoking, alcohol and betel:  Smokers should quit smoking as quickly as they can.   No matter how long you have been smoking, once you stop smoking, your risk of cancer drops.   This is particularly significant in lung cancer. Smoking can also increase risk of esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, head and neck cancer, rectum cancer, liver cancer, cervical cancer and breast cancer.

Those who do not smoke should avoid second hand smoking.

In terms of drinking alcohol, an estimated 3 percent of cancer deaths are associated with alcohol use. Heavy drinking increases odds of oral cancer, throat cancer and esophageal cancer. Long term heavy drinking can also cause cirrhosis and increase risk of liver cancer.

Eating betel is linked with head and neck cancer, oral cancer and esophageal cancer.

8) Avoid high salt and sugar-containing beverages:   The daily intake of salt should not exceed 6 grams.   Don't drink too often too much sugar-containing beverages.   Drinking water is the best way to go.   Natural juice should not exceed 150 milliliter per day.   Do not eat molded grains and beans.

9) Breastfeeding:   It is recommended that mothers should breastfeed their babies exclusively for at least the first six months. Breastfeeding is associated with reduced risk of leukemia. For mothers, breastfeeding can reduce their risk of breast cancer.

10) Stress and emotion management: High stress is linked to high risk of cancers. Many cancer patients experienced high stress two or three years before diagnosis.

Research found emotional stress can disable immune system and lower the DNA-repairing capability leading to high risk of cancer.

Super anticancer food: Sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes contain many anticancer compounds and many types of nutrients including high amounts of fiber, protein, calcium, vitamin A, B2, C and low calories. Mucoid protein can enhance tissue resistance, lower cholesterol and keep artery health. Sweet potatoes also contain phyto-estrogen and DHEA, which can lower hormone-sensitive cancers.

18 types of fruits/vegetables that help prevent cancer :

Cooked sweet potatoes, raw sweet potatoes, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower,   celery, sweet pepper, carrots, Jinzhen Cai, Shepherd's Purse, Xueli Hong, tomatoes, green onions, garlic, cucumber and Chinese cabbage.

Editor’s note: This article is a work of translation.   The source of the original article was not substantiated.   However, the things listed here are well known to have an association with cancer risk, either increasing or decreasing the risk.