Cancer prevention

Most cancers can be prevented. A few years ago not even imagined. However, today things are changing. New research confirms that small decisions we make every day have a major impact on our risk of developing cancer. What we eat, how we prepare it, if you do or do not exercise, take care of our weight, drink alcohol or smoke ... these decisions as simple make a big difference.

As surprising fact, 60 or 70 percent of all cancer cases are directly related to our eating habits and lifestyle. Perhaps most surprising is that you can achieve dramatic reductions in cancer risk with measures that are far from dramatic. All that is required is a series of small adjustments in what we eat and what we do.

We present a simple and practical guide to help you make decisions that reduce significantly the risk of developing cancer. At the same time, reduce the risk of a variety of chronic diseases including heart disease, stroke, hypertension and diabetes, and improve overall health.

These guidelines come from a major report entitled "Food, Nutrition and Cancer Prevention: A Global Perspective," published in 1997 by the American Institute for Cancer Research. This report is an analysis of over 4500 studies on diet and cancer prevention. It remains the most comprehensive report ever done in the area of diet, nutrition and cancer. The recommendations in this report can be summarized in six practice guidelines. These simple steps are the best advice science currently offers to reduce the risk of developing cancer.

It is very important the fact that many are considered carcinogenic agents are manageable by man. In this sense, to know the relationship between a cancer and a particular factor, we can direct our actions towards the elimination of the agent.

To this end measures should be taken as:

Avoid exposure to the sun for prolonged periods (especially people with white skin or sensitive).
Maintain adequate genital hygiene. Maintain a healthy weight for their size and be physically active.
Control the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Avoid excesses of drinks. Do not smoke, do not use any type of snuff.
A proper diet rich in vegetable fibers, fruits and low in fat. Eat vegetables and fruits in abundance. Choose foods low in fat and salt. Prepare and store food so that they are not damaged.
A proper diet rich in vegetable fibers, fruits and low in fat. Eat vegetables and fruits in abundance. Choose foods low in fat and salt. Prepare and store food so that they are not damaged.
In broad risk groups such as workers in certain industries, should take appropriate precautions to protect and maintain medical control.
Avoid exposure to radiation (X-rays, etc.). It eventually can cause disorders.

Detailed recommendations:

Although uncommon to hear, feeding each day may affect the appearance of a third of malignant diseases. The diet rich in fats and low in fiber, in general, is related to the incidence of breast cancer, uterine cancer, bowel cancer and prostate cancer. This is attributed to the harmful effects of certain hormones and bile salts in the intestine.
When you suggest reducing fats in cancer prevention, we refer particularly animal fat (red meat, eggs, butter, pork, very creamy milk, meats, fatty fish, etc..). Fatty foods should not exceed 25 to 30% of calories from our diet. To reduce fatty meats, we recommend replacing them with lean meats and poultry without skin, lean fish as well. Change spreadable butter for margarine and above all that skim milk for whole. In our country, the average fat intake in our diet is very high and therefore should be carefully controlled.
When foods are packed with preservatives such as nitrates or other minerals, are at risk of developing in the body some carcinogenic chemicals called nitrosamines, which are responsible for causing malignant tumors in the esophagus and stomach, as observed often in countries that use foods preserved with nitrates, such as Japan and Chile. The same happens when abused smoked foods, which can also cause tumors in the digestive tract, hence it is advisable to choose always fresh and processed foods in the most natural ways possible.
The fiber-rich foods protect us, especially tumors of the large intestine (colon and rectum) because they help prevent constipation and thereby less irritating to the bowel wall. The fibers are contained in grains such as corn, wheat, bran, etc.. and the usual green vegetables in the diet such as: cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage (red or white), spinach, chard, zucchini, and legumes: lentils, beans, chickpeas. Every day should eat a plate of vegetables. It is unfortunate that our people delay in making the change to reduce meat and increase vegetables. Get this a pattern in all families.
To complete our recommendations about diet in cancer prevention, we must consider in our daily cooking foods rich in vitamins A, C and E, which in many observations in animals and humans have shown protection against certain forms of tumors lung, breast and gastrointestinal tract. Recall that among foods rich in vitamin A, we have apricots, apples with peel, carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peaches, etc.. Food with vitamin E is found primarily in whole grain cereals such as cornflakes, wheat, bran, oats, hazelnuts, etc.. , And in foods rich in vitamin C should be mentioned fresh fruits like orange, tangerine, grapefruit, pineapple, strawberries, etc..
All people should be aware that obesity is an enemy in the fight against cancer, especially in women after menopause. It manifests with obesity increases 20 to 30% risk of developing breast cancer, bowel or uterus.
Care should be taken on the advice of the physician and dietitian, reduce the weight of all adults who have excess, so you can enjoy a much healthier life, not only preventing disease but also tumor many other vital changes to the body. This advice is twice as valuable if the person has been treated in a malignant tumor anywhere in your body.
Recall now simply and ordered all the advice you have given with regard to nutrition and cancer prevention, they are:
1. Avoid obesity.
2. Reduce total fat intake.
3. Choose fiber-rich foods (eg cereals and vegetables).
4. Include the group of foods containing vitamins A, C and E.
5. Be moderate in consumption of alcohol.
6. Be moderate in consumption of smoked, salted or preserved in nitrates.
Be very careful about exposure to sunlight, particularly in summer, because they contain a fraction of ultraviolet rays that can cause skin cancer, especially in people of white skin and blond. It is a very important alert because every year the number of cases of skin tumors (epitheliomas or melanomas), not to follow this advice. No abuse of sun exposure especially entree at 11 am and 4 pm. Also do not stop using the skin creams that filter these rays. The concern should be greater when there are moles, not hesitate to consult a dermatologist. It is interesting to note that, now that so much talk about the protection of the environment, the atmosphere has a gas called ozone layer that filters ultraviolet rays so they do not reach the ground with effects as aggressive, but unfortunately the filter layer ozone is decreasing, especially in countries like ours, located in the southern hemisphere, and this means that damage to these radiations that reach our contact with more intensity than before is a real danger.
If you work in an industry that manipulea cancer-causing chemicals such as arsenic, asbestos, vinyl chloride, some dyes, oil, chromium, nickel, insecticides such as DDT, etc.. must strictly comply with the regulations for the protection of the air you breathe, your clothes or food, to avoid contamination may also affect their families. Pay special attention to the instructions published by the occupational medicine.
Excessive consumption of alcohol and snuff for many years, may be responsible for causing lung cancer, bladder or the upper parts of the digestive system. Try to moderate or eliminate these habits to prevent a group of tumors that are increasing year by year in both sexes of the population.
Try to avoid spending much time in contact with the atmosphere full of soot and smoke from the burning of waste, as well as not exposed to inhalation of automobile exhaust gases, the so-called black smoke, because all these factors are contaminants that have carcinogens (such as benzopyrene), affecting the respiratory system. So in the big cities there are more tumor patients in rural environments. It is essential to enjoy as much as possible outdoors.
Why do we insist on preventive periodic medical examinations when one has the appearance of good health? The answer is: because there is generally a long silent period between the initiation of cancer and the onset of symptoms. The aim of this checkup is precisely discover this tumor in a stage "dumb" because it is the best chance of complete healing. Therefore, even without symptoms, it should be regular monitoring of your body.
Many people wonder whether the cancer can be hereditary or contagious. It is not hereditary or contagious, but a group of malignant diseases in which there may be a predisposition in families. Therefore it is desirable when making a medical history, consider what were the diseases that have suffered in the family, especially mother, father and siblings. This can be very important in guiding preventive screening. One example is the tumor diseases of the breast and digestive tract.
What is a periodic review preventive in women? Fundamentally, the review of the skin, the mouth, the genitals, breasts and large intestine, which is usually done by studying the blood in the stool. This study is completed with a chest radiograph. The most common tumors in women are breast, uterus and large intestine. Your GP may extend these studies if necessary. For this test preventive every doctor is fit to guide its implementation.
Today we can prevent cervical cancer through the simple and painless vaginal examination, done once a year, from the age at initiation of sexual intercourse. This test is to collect vaginal secretions for microscopic study and learn well if risk or not develop a tumor. He usually called "Pap", which is the name of the creator of this technique. Do not wait to go to your gynecologist annually for this test right now in private practice.
The cancer may exist in all ages, from infancy to old age, but more than half of cases occur over age 50. In women, 7 of 10 cases of breast cancer are over age 50. Tumor disease is more common in this sex. So often we repeat that every woman must learn to know their breasts as he knows his face. To do this, face the mirror with your hands up and look in the breast if entree part as follows:
1. Small subsidence.
2. Eczema or redness.
3. Nipple diverted or different levels.
4. Nipple retracted.
5. Swelling or lump.
6. Nipple discharge.
This test should be done every month and if in doubt do not delay in consulting your doctor about the advisability of mammography. We highlight the following: that all the alterations noted above are, usually benign, feasible for a cure, and if they were evil also have favorable treatment.
What is a preventive exam in man? Mainly in the examination of the skin, oral cavity, lungs, digestive tract, prostate and genitals. The most common tumors in man are found in the lung, stomach and prostate. These studies can be completed with chest radiography, digital rectal examination and occult blood in the stool. All men over age 40 should be done annually this checkup.
Our body has a system of signs that give warning about the possible existence of a developing disease, but clinical examination alone can decide whether or not a cancer. These warning signs are:
1. Changes in the rate of evacuation of the bowel or bladder.
2. A sore that does not heal.
3. Blood flow or abnormal secretions.
4. Thickening or lumps in the breast or any other body part.
5. Indigestion or difficulty swallowing.
6. Change in size or color of a wart or mole.
7. Persistent cough or hoarseness.
If you have any of these signs, see your doctor without delay.
There is a tendency to say in a unique way how to prevent cancer: really not, because no single type of cancer, but there are many varieties of these malignant tumors have different causes, different symptoms, different locations, different treatments and different prognoses. Today we talk about 100 different kinds of tumor diseases, which are born in different organs, for different reasons, different evolutions and different forms of prevention. So: do not try to compare a case of a tumor to another, because it can bring a lot of confusion and alarm. Medical advice is the only one who can provide security and confidence. Do not live with an unwarranted fear.

In his early studies can be said that 50% of the cancers are curable, hence the importance of early diagnosis.
Metastatic invasions usually occur when the primary tumor has already acquired a considerable size, the length of time depends on the type of tumor, some are very rapid as testicular cancer, others of ten or more years (some types of cancer thyroid), but most often the tumor reaches its full development within five years.

A healthy lifestyle offers many benefits at once. It is no coincidence that these guidelines are consistent with the advice offered by other health authorities, such as the American Heart Association, the Surgeon General of the United States, the American Medical Association and Dietary Guidelines for Americans prepared jointly by the Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.