5 simple things you can do to prevent cancer

Most cancers, it turns out, are preventable by adopting healthy lifestyles and dietary habits. Here are some of the things you can do to help protect yourself from the "Big C".

Consider this number: 10 million. That's how many cases of cancer are diagnosed worldwide each year. Now consider this number: 15 million. That's how many cases of cancer the World Health Organization estimates will be diagnosed in the year 2020 – a 50 per cent increase – if we don't take some preventive action.

They're great sources of resveratrol, the cancer-protecting compound found in wine, but without the alcohol of wine, which can increase the risk of breast cancer in women.

• That's all it takes to reduce your breast cancer risk, according to a study conducted in the U.S.
• It turns out that moderate exercise reduces levels of estrogen, a hormone that contributes to breast cancer.
• When 170 overweight, inactive women, aged between 50 and 75, did some form of moderate exercise for about three hours a week, their levels of circulating estrogen dropped significantly after three months.
• After a year, those who lost at least two percent of their body fat had even greater decreases in estrogen.
• Another study suggested that four hours a week of walking or hiking could halve the risk of pancreatic cancer.
• The benefits were probably related to improved insulin metabolism as a result of the exercise.

• Many dry-cleaners still use a chemical called perc (perchloroethylene), found to cause kidney and liver damage and cancer in animals who were repeatedly exposed to it through inhalation.
• Buying clothes that don't require dry-cleaning, or handwashing them yourself, can reduce your exposure to this chemical.
• If you must dry-clean your clothes, take them out of the plastic bag and air them outside or in another room before wearing.

They're available in most tanning salons and, unlike sunbeds, there's no evidence that they increase your risk of skin cancer.

• A study found that men with high levels of stress and few family or social contacts had higher levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in their blood, a marker for the development of prostate cancer.
• Bowling reduces stress and gives you quality time with a friend.