What if preventing cancer were really that easy?

[Lesly]

Last fall, the American Institute of Cancer Research released a landmark report that aggregated the the cumulative data of over 7,000 individual cancer studies. Among its extensive findings were three very simple guidelines to help significantly decrease one's risk of developing cancer:

Choose healthy foods (mostly plants, limit red meat and avoid processed meats)
Be physically active every day for at least 30 minutes
Maintain a healthy weight throughout life

I remember reading that report last November, thinking, "Oh, that's nice," then moving on to read the next bit of news. It wasn't until a family member was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, a disorder associated with an increased risk of colon cancer, just a few weeks later that I really started thinking about the importance of cancer prevention.

Though I have spent quite a number of years working as a cancer researcher, I had never quite thought about my own personal risk for developing cancer -- it is, in fact, elevated due to a history of the disease in my family. And though, intellectually, I knew that I should be taking better care of myself, nothing quite hit hard more than seeing a loved one in the hospital.

I'm happy to report that since the beginning of the year, our family has made dramatic steps in improving our overall health. We've eliminated practically all processed snacks from our pantry, designed our meals with fresh produce and whole-wheat grains as the main players, reduced our red meat intake substantially, maintained a consistent exercise regimen, and even switched over to organic products to boot. It wasn't always easy at first -- our family could easily be confused for "professional meat eaters" -- but for the sake of our health, we're learning and making adjustments along the way.

Have you recently made lifestyle changes to help accomodate you or a loved one's health condition? How was your transition?

[Caroline]

Ive been eating healthy for years. It doesn't seem to have helped me much these days. If we knew what caused cancer, we could work better to prevent it. Now I think we just make what we think of as educated decisions but don't have any proof they really work. We know smoking causes lung cancer so that's an easy one - quit smoking. But then why do non-smokers get lung cancer and some smokers never do? Then there are the genetic issues - are some of us genetically predestined to get cancer?

I am waiting to find out the causes so I can best make the decisions for myself. But in the meantime, I am eating as best I can.

[Tina]

I've been giving this a great deal of thought myself lately!