According to the American Cancer Society, the different
ways to prevent cancer include avoiding carcinogens (cancer causing agents), regular check-ups for early detection of pre-cancerous
cells, eating right and staying fit. Prevention for different types of cancer vary.
As one example, some people focus on diet, and try to avoid "cancer causing
foods" and eat ones that help stave it off. Among the most cited cancer causing foods are those that are cooked at high temperatures
and create a by-product known as acrylamide. Common foods that contain acrylamide due to the way they are cooked include:
french fries, potato chips, cereals, and processed bread products.
However, experts are still uncertain whether acrylamide containing foods
really do cause cancer, with some claiming to avoid them, and some saying they don't pose any harm. In our opinion, it's better
to be safe than sorry: limit your amount of acrylamide containing foods.
Cancer is caused by abnormalities in a cell's DNA. These abnormalities may
be inherited, caused by exposure to carcinogens or the result of long term inflammation.
On a regular basis the American Cancer Society publishes guidelines on the
different ways to prevent cancer. The most recent guidelines focus more on diet and exercise than previous versions.
Excess weight is not something that people typically associate with cancer,
but according to the new study, 14-20% of all cancer deaths in the United States are believed to be associated with excess
Although not currently identified as cancer causing foods, avoiding red meat
is one of the recommendations from the nutritionists at the American Cancer Society. The list of ways to prevent cancer of
the colon, prostrate, endometrium (uterus), gallbladder, kidney and breast include avoiding obesity.
When identifying cancer causing foods or other substances that may cause
cancer, scientists first use cell lines in laboratory settings. If a possible carcinogen affects a group of cells, then studies
may progress to animals. If the substance causes cancer in the animal, then more studies are done to determine the carcinogenic
risk to humans.
However, there are millions of different substances in the world and scientists
have not been able to evaluate all of them. Typically there is some reason to believe that a substance might be carcinogenic
to humans before scientists begin to investigate it.