Because of the complexity of its causes, limited treatment methods and poor prognosis for patients, cancer is still a major problem plaguing people’s health. According to the data released by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2004, cancer is the leading cause of death from non-communicable diseases in the world. With the accumulation of epidemiological evidence, people are increasingly aware of the “preventability” of cancer and the significance of cancer prevention – rather than waiting for cancer to occur and then working hard to treat it, it is better to take active action to prevent cancer from the “primary line of defense”. Instead of waiting for cancer to occur and then working hard to treat it, it is better to take positive actions to keep cancer out of the “primary line of defense”. Recently, the 6th American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Conference on Frontiers of Cancer Prevention held in Philadelphia, USA re-emphasized that although the onset of cancer is related to hereditary and environmental factors, some behavioral details in normal life (including healthy diet, reasonable exercise, smoking cessation, etc.) are the key to keep people away from cancer. This is because, unlike hereditary factors, these behavioral details can be changed by people’s efforts later in life. Consumption of certain vegetables may reduce the risk of cancer Eating more vegetables and fruits has always been a staple of a healthy diet in cancer prevention. Some of the studies presented at the conference proved that black raspberries and some cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower are very helpful in preventing cancer. Unlike previous studies, researchers are no longer satisfied with knowing “which foods can prevent cancer”, but have also explored “how to eat these foods”. Cruciferous vegetables can prevent bladder cancer broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage all belong to this category. Scientists at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York, USA, have found that broccoli consumption can increase the level of isothiocyanate (ITC) in the urine, thus playing a role in inhibiting cancer. In mouse experiments, the researchers found that the progression of bladder cancer was significantly inhibited in mice that ingested broccoli extract, and the inhibition was dose-dependent with the ingested extract. Moreover, ITC levels in the urine of the mice were two to three times higher than those in plasma, indicating a high bioaccessibility. ITC could enter the urine 12 hours after broccoli extract ingestion and was metabolized more rapidly. These are the unique advantages of broccoli in preventing and inhibiting bladder cancer. But how to eat it to maximize the cancer inhibiting effects of these vegetables? The results of the study point out that eating them raw (rather than cooked) can reduce the risk of bladder cancer by up to 40 percent. Researchers investigated the dietary habits of 275 primary bladder cancer patients and 825 healthy individuals and found a statistically significant inverse correlation between the risk of bladder cancer and eating raw cruciferous vegetables. The researchers noted that cooking affects the cancer-preventive effect of these vegetables by causing the loss of 60 to 90 percent of the ITC in these vegetables. Cruciferous vegetables contain high levels of glucosinolates, or thioglucosides, which are metabolized by the body to produce ITC, which has an inhibitory effect on cancer cells. Cooking with heat affects this process and thus the production of ITC. Therefore, eating raw is the way to get the “maximum benefit”. The “raw” approach was also endorsed in a study by the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Researcher Forman said eating raw vegetables was associated with a lower risk of lung cancer, probably because it maximizes the nutrient intake. Physical Activity Reduces Lung Cancer Risk Regardless of Smoking In addition to maintaining a healthy diet and eating plenty of fruits and vegetables (especially raw), regular physical activity is one of the secrets to staying healthy and staying cancer-free. Forman et al. from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found that physical activity can reduce the risk of lung cancer in all smoking populations through a case-control study of lung cancer patients enrolled in the center and matched with healthy individuals (including a total of 3,800 participants). Participants who worked in their own gardens more than once a week, regardless of whether they smoked or not, had a 33% to 46% lower risk of lung cancer compared with those who did not. The researchers noted that physical activity in the form of “garden work” is most acceptable to smokers. As the year draws to a close and the party season is approaching, most people neglect to exercise at this time, thinking that a little “holiday weight” won’t hurt. However, some of the research results presented at the conference show that weight gain can cause an increase in the risk of a series of cancers, including colorectal cancer, female breast cancer, male prostate cancer, etc. This also reminds people that regular physical activity is not the only way to prevent cancer. This is a reminder that regular physical activity needs to be a program that you enjoy, that you can carry out over time, and that you should not interrupt it so easily because of various excuses. Tobacco should be the first thing to stay away from cancer When it comes to smoking, people may immediately think of lung cancer. In fact, smoking is not only prone to lung cancer, but also a risk factor for many types of cancer, including breast and cervical cancer in women, prostate cancer and colorectal cancer in men. At this conference, new research evidence added a few more sins to tobacco. A study in Florida, USA, investigated smoking and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in 442 women, and found that the highest proportion of HPV-positive women were smokers, and hypothesized that women who smoked had an increased risk of cervical cancer later in life. Gao et al. from the Rockefeller Research Center investigated 1513 cases of upper gastrointestinal tract cancer in a province in North China with 1500 age- and gender-matched controls, and found that there was a certain correlation between smoking and the high incidence of local upper gastrointestinal tract cancer. Currently, there are a large number of smokers in China, and people know little about the harms of smoking. Undoubtedly, smoking is no longer just a bad habit that annoys people, but as one lung cancer expert put it, “a public health problem that cannot be ignored in our country”. If you want to stay away from cancer, you have to stay away from tobacco. Smoking cessation cannot be achieved overnight, but requires the participation of the whole society and long-term efforts. An ordinary citizen may not be able to control the development of the tobacco industry, do not have the right to issue “anti-smoking” order, but at least you can control their own, to advise their families. Conclusion These “lifestyle change” arguments may be clichéd, but they have been a hot topic at major academic conferences abroad and at home in recent years. It seems so easy to say that the dreaded cancer can be avoided by making small improvements in your daily life! The truth is that most people have difficulty adhering to these “improvements”. The truth is that most people have a hard time sticking to these “improvements” because they mean changing habits, eating foods they don’t like, and giving up their daily lounging on the couch to watch TV. I’m afraid this is one of the reasons why “lifestyle interventions” have become such an academic hot topic. People are beginning to understand what to do, but they can’t do it. In fact, it is easier to change a little bit of bad behavior every day than to change a lot of things every day. For example, reduce the amount of junk food you like a day and increase the amount of healthy food you don’t like a day. Changing your lifestyle may not be as hard as you think, like the old saying goes, “Sow behavior, reap habits; sow habits, reap life.”