Here are the 10 ways.

1. Moderate your alcohol consumption: drinking alcohol increases the risks of cancers of the pharynx, mouth, larynx, rectum, esophagus, colon, and liver. Women should limit themselves to one alcoholic beverage per day. Men should limit themselves to two.

2. Eat plenty of raw fruits and vegetables: The American Cancer Society recommendation is to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables daily since they are loaded with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other substances that decrease the risk of cancer. Recent studies have shown that the connection between eating vegetables and fruits and lower risk of cancer risk isn’t as strong as once thought. However the majority of researchers still subscribe to the idea that a plant-based diet is one of the best ways to secure overall health.

3. Think about chemoprevention: Chemoprevention is using natural or synthetic compounds to reduce the cancer risk or recurrence. Tamoxifen, prescribed to prevent breast cancer in women, is the most famous chemoprevention agent. The downside: chemoprevention drugs may have serious side effects.

4. Decrease the amount of fat in your diet: Studies suggest that high-fat diets are linked to several types of cancer, including postmenopausal breast, colon, and lung cancer. High-fat diets are usually high in calories and increase the risk of obesity. More study is required to understand which types of fat should be avoided and what amount effects cancer risk.

5. Stay within your ideal weight zone: Being overweight will tend to increase the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer as well as cancers of the endometrium, colon, esophagus and kidney. There have been studies showing that obesity increases the risk of cancers of the prostate, liver, stomach, gallbladder, pancreas, ovary and cervix. Some studies estimate that excess weight is a factor in 15 to 20 percent of cancer-related deaths.

6. Get screening exams: Pap tests, mammograms, colonoscopies and other routine screenings obviously don’t prevent cancer. But screenings will detect cancers early, when treatment is more likely to be successful.

7. Exercise: Evidence increasingly suggests that people who exercise have lower risk of certain cancers than those who are sedentary. From 45 to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a day, on most days of the week, is considered optimal to decrease the risk of breast and colorectal cancers.

8. Limit radiation exposure: Ultraviolet (UV) radiation, from the sun, sunlamps or commercial tanning beds, is the primary cause of skin cancer.

9. Stop smoking or don’t start smoking: The risk of cancers caused by smoking is proportional with the length of time a person has smoked and the quantity of cigarettes smoked. Lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death among Americans is caused by smoking. Quitting smoking decreases the risk of lung cancer and it is never too late to take action on this.

10. Guard yourself from infection: Infections caused by viruses are well known to be risk factors for a wide variety of cancers. Human papillomavirus (HPV), which is a sexually transmitted disease, is the most frequent cause of cervical cancer. Chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C aggravate the risk of liver cancer. They are usually spread by contact with contaminated blood, contaminated needles or sex. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that leads to AIDS, additionally increase the risk of many cancers.

Harvard researchers are finding an intriguing link between coffee and the prevention of an aggressive type of prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer kills 27,000 men annually. So this research comparing the history of thousands and thousands of men raises the possibility of a simple and effective prevention in this deadly disease.

The researchers discovered that men who drank six or more cups of coffee a day had a 60 percent lower risk developing the advanced form of the disease when compared to men who drank no coffee at all.

Even men who drank just one to three cups are showed a lower risk, about 20 percent, of developing the aggressive cancer.

Prostate cancer specialist Dr. Ihor Sawczuk, of Hackensack University Medical Center, says the researchers were not exactly sure what it is about the coffee that might affect the cancers. But he says it’s too early to recommend boosting coffee drinking to men, although one cup of coffee might be helpful.

“I think those that don’t drink coffee should consider perhaps a cup a day may help build up their immune system,” he said. “I think what we need to remember is there may be more to this story.”

And finding out more details will be the next job for researchers. Because one study is not enough for scientists, the findings will need to be confirmed.

But if coffee helps prevention, it’s a bonus for those who already drink it and a simple benefit for those who don’t.

Prostate cancer survivor Richard Williamson has made some already-proven lifestyle changes for his recovery. He’s lost 25 pounds, walks two miles daily and, because he doesn’t eat enough fruits and vegetables, now frequents a health food store near his home to get his vegetables in a drink he likes.

“I do my walk and then I stop there,” he said. “I do that three or four times a week.”

Other proven prevention habits include:

“Decrease the total amount of fat, taking good fat, for example, the omega-3,” Dr. Sawczuk said. “Tomatoes have lycopene, especially the skin of tomatoes. These are good substancse to ingest. Soy products, apples, perhaps even a glass of red wine.”

And now, maybe a cup of coffee or two. One way coffee might be working is that it’s known to help the body use insulin. And high insulin has already been proven to increase risk of prostate cancer.

Tobacco

This is the single largest preventable cause of cancer in the world. It causes over 80% of all lung cancer deaths, and 30% of all cancer deaths in the third world. This includes deaths from cancer of the oral cavity, larynx, oesophagus and stomach. A comprehensive program which would include a stop to tobacco advertising, increased taxation on tobacco products, and stop smoking programs can greatly reduce the use of tobacco in many countries. The World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control adopted measures in May 2003, aims to curb tobacco-related deaths and disease. We are looking for updates on their progress.

Diet

Changes in diet is another critical action to take to prevent and control cancer. There are know links between obesity and many types of cancer such as oesophagus, colorectum, breast, endometrium and kidney. Diets high in fruits and vegetables have a preventative effect against a great number of cancers. On the other hand, consumption of red and preserved meat is connected with an increased risk of colorectal cancer.Healthy eating habits which ameliorate the development of diet-related cancers have the added benefit of lowering the potential for cardiovascular disease.

Exercise

Regular physical exercise along with a healthy body weight and healthy diet, will greatly reduce the chances of cancer. National policies and programs have been implemented in some countries which raise awareness and reduce exposure to cancer risk factors. To ensure that citizens are provided with the information and the tools they need to adopt healthy lifestyles governments may play a large role.

Preventing Disease

Infectious agents are responsible for almost one quarter of cancer deaths in the third world and 1 in 20 in industrialized countries. Viral hepatitis B and C can cause liver cancer; human papilloma virus infection can cause cancer of the cervix; the bacterium Helicobacter pylori can greatly increase the risk of stomach cancer. In some countries the parasitic infection schistosomiasis increases the risk of bladder cancer and in other countries the liver fluke increases the risk of cholangiocarcinoma to do with the bile ducts system. Preventive measures include vaccination and prevention of infection and infestation.

Radiation

Exposure to radiation is well known to cause some cancers. Solar ultraviolet radiation can raise the risk of all types of skin cancer. Avoiding excessive exposure, use of sunscreen and protective clothing are important preventive activities.

Asbestos

On the subject of home and workplace safety, asbestos must be looked at because it can cause lung cancer. Also aniline dyes have been linked to bladder cancer. Benzene has been linked to leukemia. The prevention of certain occupational and environmental exposure to these and other chemicals are important steps to take in preventing cancer.

Smile For Cancer Prevention video

Cancer prevention step 1: Don’t use tobacco

All types of tobacco put you on a collision course with cancer. Rejecting tobacco, or deciding to stop using it, is one of the most important health decisions you can make. It’s also an important part of cancer prevention.

Smoking has been linked to several types of cancer, including:

Bladder
Cervix
Esophagus
Kidne
Lip
Lung
Mouth
Pancreas
Throat
Voice box (larynx)

Chewing tobacco has been linked to multiple types of cancer, including:

Esophagus
Mouth
Throat

Inhaled chewing tobacco (snuff) may increase the risk of cancers, including:

Esophagus
Mouth

Even if you don’t smoke, avoid exposure to secondhand smoke. Being around others who are smoking may increase your risk of lung cancer.

Cancer prevention step 2: Eat a variety of healthy foods

Though making healthy selections at the grocery store and at mealtime can’t guarantee you won’t get cancer, it may help reduce your risk.

The American Cancer Society recommends that you:

Eat an abundance of foods from plant-based sources. Eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables each day. In addition, eat other foods from plant sources, such as whole grains and beans, several times a day. Replacing high-calorie foods in your diet with fruits and vegetables may help you lose weight or maintain your weight. A diet high in fruits and vegetables has been linked to a reduced risk of cancers of the colon, esophagus, lung and stomach.

Limit fat. Eat lighter and leaner by choosing fewer high-fat foods, particularly those from animal sources. High-fat diets tend to be higher in calories and may increase the risk of overweight or obesity, which can, in turn, increase cancer risk.

Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all. Your risk of cancers, including mouth, throat, esophagus, kidney, liver and breast cancers, increases with the amount of alcohol you drink and the length of time you’ve been drinking regularly. Even a moderate amount of drinking — two drinks a day if you’re a man or one drink a day if you’re a woman, and one drink a day regardless of your sex if you’re over 65 — may increase your risk.

Help to Stop Smoking – Mayo Clinic
There are proven treatments that help people stop smoking. Medications and supportive discussion with a health care provider and counseling with a specialist will greatly increase your chances for stopping. In this video, health care providers from the Mayo Clinic describe medication and counseling options and explain how they work to help smokers stop smoking Patients tell how treatment provided for them the help they needed to become and stay smoke-free. There is effective treatment for anyone who smokes. Visit the Mayo Clinic website.