Does an anti-cancer diet exist? What about cancer-fighting workouts? If you’re looking to minimize your risk of getting cancer, you’re in luck. There are steps you can take immediately to fortify your body, optimize your health and improve your chances of avoiding disease.
Since getting older is the most important risk factor for cancer, the best time to adopt cancer prevention strategies is right now. According to the National Cancer Institute, the incident rates for cancer increase steadily as age increases. Among those aged 45 to 49, the rate is about 350 per 100,000 people. In men and women 60 years and older, the risk is more than 1,000 per 100,000.
Here are the top four must-have cancer prevention strategies to lower your cancer risk as you age.
Eat More Plants
If you look at the foods that reduce cancer risk, those foods all come from nature. The list includes berries, broccoli, tomatoes, nuts (especially walnuts), grapes and other fruits and vegetables.
According to the National Health Institute, it has been estimated that 30 to 40 percent of all cancers can be prevented by a healthy diet and lifestyle alone. Maintaining a healthy weight, eating nutrient dense foods, minimizing the intake of sugar and refined flour products, high fiber intake, avoiding or minimizing the consumption of red meat, and a balance of omega 3 and omega 6 fats all contribute to a reduced cancer risk.
In particular, cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, and high fiber foods like flax seeds play a key role in lowering cancer risk. Other protective elements in an anti-cancer diet include foods rich in selenium, folic acid, vitamins B-12 and D, and antioxidants such as lycopene. The National Health Institute has said that when you follow a diet according to these guidelines, “it is likely that there would be at least a 60–70 percent decrease in breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers, and even a 40–50 percent decrease in lung cancer, along with similar reductions in cancers at other sites.”
Walk It Out
According to the American Cancer Society, regular exercise can help lower your risk of seven types of cancer. The weekly amount of recommended exercise is 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate-intensity activity or 1.25 to 2.5 hours of vigorous activity.
A brisk walk is one of the easiest ways to achieve the recommended duration of exercise. Even short bursts of walking quickly can lower your risk, while helping you maintain a healthy body weight. For women, walking lowers hormone levels that increase the risk for certain cancers, like breast and endometrial.
But a leisurely stroll isn’t what you should aim for. The objective is to increase your intensity and your heart rate. This means you should be a little out of breath and feel your heart beating a little faster. You should be able to have a conversation in short sentences, but not belt out a tune.
For safety and injury prevention, wear sturdy athletic shoes that provide good support. Before and after you walk, take a couple of minutes to stretch, focusing on your hips, calves and hamstrings.
Stress Less
Minimizing stress should be a part of everyone’s cancer prevention strategy. Research has shown that chronic stress causes chemical changes in the body, which cause the release of certain hormones and inflammation. According to one study, these stress-induced changes may increase the growth and spread of cancer.
In other words, take proactive steps to protect yourself from cancer, but don’t stress about getting cancer. Instead, speak kindly to yourself and feel good knowing that you’re doing everything you can to optimize your health.
Get Scanned
Don’t wait for cancer to pop up. As you age, a CT scan of your body becomes increasingly important.
A CT scan, or computed tomography scan, is a type of medical imaging procedure that combines the use of X-rays and computer processing to produce detailed 3D images of the inside of your body. CT scanning plays a very useful role in the early detection of tumors. It also can be used as a safe, non-invasive diagnostic technique for other conditions like cardiovascular disease.
To know which type of CT scan to get, think about your family history and lifestyle. While many Craft Body Scan patients start with a heart and lung scan, they often schedule a full body scan as a follow up procedure. The heart and lung scan reveals so much in-depth information about the health status of your heart and lungs that many patients want to know what’s going on with the rest of their body.
The full body CT scan provides a detailed and comprehensive view of the whole body, revealing potential kidney stones, cysts, aortic aneurysms, calcium deposits within plaque in the coronary arteries, enlarged lymph nodes, nodules, large masses, an enlarged spleen and a fatty liver in the abdomen region.
Take Proactive Steps to Prevent Cancer
One of the most important messages of modern cancer research is that a diet rich in plants and an active, low-stress lifestyle helps to prevent cancer. This same strategy protects against almost all other diseases too, including heart disease and diabetes. In addition, advancing age is one risk factor for the occurrence of cancer. That’s why it’s best to get a cancer scan sooner rather than later.
National Cancer Survivors Month
Experience the difference a cancer scan can make. At Craft Body Scan, we believe every man and woman deserves access to life-saving scans. In honor of National Cancer Survivors Month, we’re offering a heart and lung scan for you and your spouse/partner for only $99. That’s a savings of over $2,600 off the regular price. (Offer ends June 28, 2024.)
To take advantage of this limited-time promotion, click the schedule now button below. You will be asked to complete a brief contact form. No credit card is required. A Craft Body Scan team member will contact you to schedule your appointment.
At Craft Body Scan, we’re proud to offer life-saving scans at an affordable rate. If you’ve been thinking about getting a scan to uncover any hidden threats or to obtain a baseline assessment of your current heart and lung health, now is your opportunity. Click the button below to schedule yours today.
Limited Time Offer: Couple’s Promotion – both people must be present to redeem this offer. This promotion is valid for one–time use only. Once the promotion has been redeemed, it cannot be reused. This promotion is non-transferable and holds no cash value. The promotion can be used only once. Any attempt to reuse or duplicate the promotion will be deemed invalid and may result in forfeiture of the promotion benefits.