Healthy Living May Keep Cancer at Bay
Smoking and obesity are responsible for half of all cancers

(HealthDay News) -- Quitting smoking, exercising and losing excess pounds may be the most important things people can do to lower their risk of developing cancer.

Every year, the President's Cancer Panel focuses on one factor that's important in terms of cancer in the United States . The current focus is on lifestyle changes.

"We tried to think of what would have the biggest impact on reducing cancer mortality," panel member Margaret Kripke, executive vice president and chief academic officer at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, told HealthDay . "If you consider that 15 to 20 percent of cancer deaths are related to obesity, and another 30 percent of cancer deaths are due to tobacco use, that's 50 percent of all people with cancer."

But the panel knows that actually getting people to change their lifestyle will take more than just telling them what they need to do.

"The most serious lack, in terms of what we know, is what motivates people to live a healthier lifestyle," Kripke said. The panel suggested that the United States needs to move toward a "culture of wellness" that embraces healthy lifestyles as the way to living healthy.

Eugenia Calle, director of analytic epidemiology at the American Cancer Society, told HealthDay that "the best idea in the report is implementing a culture of wellness in the U.S. so that the social and cultural norm is one of health."

Although much progress has been made in the fight against cancer, much more remains to be done. More than a half-million Americans still die from cancer each year, and nearly 1.5 million people are diagnosed annually with the disease.

Two-thirds of those deaths, and many of the new cases, could be prevented with healthy lifestyle changes, the panel estimated.

Most experts agree that the most important change anyone could make to improve their health and reduce their risk of cancer would be to stop smoking. "We really need to get rid of tobacco," Kripke said.

Tobacco causes lung cancer and cancer of the larynx, oral cavity and pharynx, esophagus and bladder. It's also associated with the development of kidney, pancreatic, cervical and stomach cancer.

Numerous cancers have also been linked to obesity, including colon, breast, kidney, ovarian and pancreatic cancer.

"There are very definitive studies showing that moderate exercise reduces your risk of breast cancer and colon cancer," Kripke said. The American Cancer Society recommends getting at least 30 to 45 minutes of exercise daily, at least five days a week, to help prevent cancer.

The group also recommends eating a variety of foods, including fresh produce and whole grains, and limiting intake of saturated fat, processed meats and full-fat dairy products. Women who drink alcohol shouldn't have more than one alcoholic beverage a day if they're concerned about their risk of cancer. Men can safely consume two alcoholic drinks daily, according to the society.

On the Web

To learn more about preventing cancer, visit the National Cancer Institute.

SOURCES: HealthDay News ; Margaret L. Kripke, Ph.D., executive vice president and chief academic officer, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston; Eugenia Calle, Ph.D., director of analytic epidemiology, American Cancer Society, Atlanta; Aug. 16, 2007, Promoting Healthy Lifestyles: 2006-2007 Annual Report , President's Cancer Panel; American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org)
Author: Serena Gordon
Publication Date: Aug. 31, 2008
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