2. Don't overdo it. Individuals who over-exercise may have an increased level of susceptibility of cancer. Evidence exists that people who exercise to exhaustion may temporarily depress their immune funtion. This factor is important because the immune system plays a critical role in defending the body against cancer.
3. Don't shoot yourself in the foot. To a large extent, cancer is a self-inflicted disease. For example, almost two thirds of all cancer cases emanate from either tobacco use or a poor diet. Other factors that have been found to affect your risk of cancer include how much alcohol you drink, how much direct sunlight you get, where you live, and where you work.
4. Keep excess weight off. Fight fat in order to fight cancer. The fatter you are, the greater your risk of contracting several types of cancer, including endometrial, gallbladder, breast, and possibly colon. Furthermore, the American Cancer Society reports that obese individuals who contract cancer have a higher mortality rate than non-obese individuals with cancer.
5. Protect yourself. The concept of eating for good health can also involve eating foods that contain natural substances that many experts feel may help prevent certain types of cancers. Although no foodstuffs have been found to prevent any disease 100%, the following food substances are believed to lower a person's risk of the listed forms of cancer: fiber (colon, gastrointestinal, rectal), antioxidants (breast, cervical, gastrointestinal, lung, prostate, stomach), non-nutritive (breast, colon, gastrointestinal, lung, prostate, stomach), and folic acid (cervical, colon, rectal).
6. Don't play smoker's roulette. One of the most meaningful steps you can take to prevent cancer is to avoid smoking. On average, a person who smokes cigarettes is 10 to 15 times more likely to develop lung cancer than an individual who does not smoke. Furthermore, as the number of cigarettes smoked per day increases, the risk of developing lung cancer also increases substantially. Fortunately, the corollary is also true. Even long-term smokers can significantly reduce their risk of lung cancer over time if they stop smoking.
7. Be happy. Research shows that individuals who are chronically anxious, depressed, or emotionally distressed often have a deteriorating level of health. In that regard, people who exhibit the various symptoms of poor psychological health tend to suffer from an increased incidence of contracting cancer and have a greater mortality rate if they get cancer.
8. Be smart. With regard to reducing your risk of cancer, your exercise regimen should adhere to the basic principles that elicit the proper dose-response relationship (e.g., progression, overload, frequency, intensity, time, etc.). In other words, the proper "exercise prescription" for preventing cancer is to exercise in a sensible, sound manner on a regular basis.
9. Rehab with exercise. In addtition to the significant role that exercise can play in preventing cancer, exercise can also help those individuals who get cancer. For example, a properly designed exercise program can help cancer patients regain their stamina and strength, thereby enabling them to enhance their ability to perform the essential activities of daily living.
10. Don't overestimate the gravity of the situation. Every minute of every hour, every day of the year, a person dies of cancer. In fact, approximately one of every five deaths in the United States is attributed to cancer, making this dreaded disease the second leading cause of death in America. Equally frightening is the fact that statistics suggest that 76 million Americans who are currently alive will eventually encounter cancer. As such, fitness professionals have a solemn responsibility to help make exercising on a regular basis an integral part of every American's life.
James A. Peterson, Ph.D., FACSM, is a freelance writer and consultant in sports medicine. From 1990 until 1995, Dr. Peterson was director of sports medicine with StairMaster. Until that time, he was professor of physical education at the United States Military Academy.
Copyright 2010 by the American College of Sports Medicine.
