Exercise and Diet: The Keys to Lowering Your Risk of Cancer

Ok, so we know that with increased exercise and fat loss comes a much healthier lifestyle and a potentially lower risk of such health ailments such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes, but did you know that exercise may also help to fight off cancer? In addition, we have all heard of the importance of a healthy diet to help maintain a lower weight and overall body function, but what you eat can play a huge role in staving off cancer as well.

Current estimates are that as many as 3 to 4 million cancer deaths could be prevented each year simply by maintaining a healthy diet and a consistent exercise regimen. The American Cancer Society actually recommends we eat 5 to 10 portions of fruits and vegetables EVERY DAY to help reduce our risks of many types of cancers. These foods contain what is known as PHYTOCHEMICALS which have been shown to interfere with the development of certain types of cancers in numerous laboratory tests. In addition, because eating a diet that is high in fruits and vegetables helps maintain a healthy weight, this practice can help stave off obesity related cancers as well. The list of cancers that can be prevented or greatly lessened by a vegetarian based diet is extensive and includes cancers of the larynx, esophagus, stomach, lung, breast, colon and bladder. Because a diet that is high in animal fats and red meat slows down the breakdown of food, this can result in high cases of colorectal cancer as well.

Aside from just paying attention to what you eat, exercise has been shown to prevent incidences of cancer in many research studies. The link here is not as clear as it is for fruits and vegetables, but scientists theorize that because exercise helps to remove toxins from our bodies, the absence of these toxins lessens the chances for cell mutations to occur which can lead to cancer. In addition, someone who exercises regularly has a much more robust immune system which can greatly help fight cancer in its early stages and help to reduce the risk of it spreading altogether. If you DO get cancer, the stronger and healthier your body is, the better it will respond to the treatments and the healthier you will be throughout the process which in turn greatly increases the effectiveness of the treatment itself.

With all of this evidence before us why do so many people still become obese and still get cancer? The answers here are not so simple. People choose to do and NOT to do things for a variety of reasons. The point is simply this: If you want to make a proactive stand against getting cancer yourself, pay attention to the research that has been done and make sure you are involved in a consistent exercise regimen that places both fat loss and weight maintenance as its goals. In addition, choose a diet that is high in fruits and vegetables and give your body the nutrients and ammunition it needs to fight off this deadly disease.