What actually is cancer?
Cancer is a group of diseases where abnormal cells grow and spread in someone's body. If the spread of the abnormal cells isn't controlled, it can result in death. Different things cause cancer, sometimes they occur because of hereditary things like genes, hormones, and metabolism. However, more that 75% of cancer cases and deaths in the U.S. Are the result of outside factors like tobacco use and poor nutrition.
Don't smoke. Duh!
Smoking-related diseases are the most easily preventable cause of death in our country. Tobacco kills more than 440,000 Americans a year. Most adults who smoke began when they were teenagers. Every day more than 2,000 youth will try smoking and get hooked. While the numbers of teenage smokers has gone down a lot in the past few years, it is still habit that no young person ever needs to start.
Non-smokers aren't completely off the hook thought. They still need to eat right and exercise in order to make sure they reduce their risk of getting cancer.
Get off your butt and eat an apple already!
Having a healthy diet can greatly reduce your risk of getting cancer. Research
says that poor nutrition and lack of exercise are the main factors in about one-
third of the cancer deaths in the U.S. each year. Cancer risk can be reduced by adding more fruits and vegetables into your diet, maintaining a healthy weight,
and staying active on a regular basis. It is also important to be careful of how much alcohol you consume.
