Over 88,000 Australians will develop cancer in 2005 (a 30% increase in the last ten years), and more than 36,000 deaths will occur from it.

• Prostate 23%, Colon/Rectum 14%, Lung 11%, Melanoma 10%, Bladder 5%.
• The most common sites in Australian women, are:-
• Breast 29%, Colon/Rectum 14%, Melanoma 9%, Lung 7%, Uterine 4%,
• Lymphoma 4%, Ovary 3%.......and Cervix 1.8%.

Breast cancer, the most common non skin cancer in women has increased in frequency since 1980 and is now occurring at much younger ages. Breast cancer in Australia increased 17% between 1991 and 2001. Once commonly seen in 65 year old plus women, it now occurs in 40, 30 and even 20 year olds!

Prostate cancer, more than twice as common as lung cancer or melanoma, with only 5% inherited association, is predominantly hormonal in origin. Prostate cancer is 13 times more common than cervical cancer. Prostate and breast cancer are far more common in industrialized countries. They account for 32% of all men’s and women’s cancers in the United States, where the chance of contracting cancer somewhere between birth and death is one in three!

Western lifestyle behaviours seen in industrialized countries are becoming more common – including tobacco smoking, diets high in fat and low in fruit and vegetables and lack of exercise, is leading to increased risk for many cancers in developing countries.

Recent scientific evidence indicates that one third of the cancer deaths in 2005 are not only preventable, but will be related to nutrition, physical inactivity, obesity and other lifestyle factors.

The following modifications to lifestyle, dietary change, physical activity, supplementation and the limiting of exposure to excess estrogens and radiation, will significantly reduce your chance of contracting cancer (and heart disease).

1. Eat five serves of vegetables and fruit per day. Avoid processed food, refined grains and added sugar. Limit consumption of red meat, high fat and processed meats.

2. Engage in moderate physical activity for 30 minutes, 5 days a week.

3. Maintain a healthy weight by balancing exercise with calorie intake, as overweight and obesity are particularly associated with increased cancer riskfor breast, colon, uterus and prostate cancer.

4. Limit alcohol intake to a maximum of 1 or 2 units per day (preferably red wine)

5. Drink five glasses of clean water per day.

Avoid carbonated drinks, diet drinks and sweetened drinks, including fruit juice and energy drinks. Vegetable juice is fine.

6. Don’t smoke and avoid passive smoke.

7. Avoid excesses, where possible, of known carcinogens, xenoestrogens and synthetic hormones, such as benzenes, asbestos, vinyl chloride, DDT, PCB’s, oral contraceptives and synthetic HRT.

8. Limit exposure to UV radiation (sunlight); avoid exposure to ionizing radiation (gamma and x-rays); and be wary of the potential risks of Electro Magnetic Radiation from mobile phones, microwaves and AC currents.

9. Try to eat organic foods. Avoid foods treated with pesticides and herbicides, including genetically modified pesticide resistant grains, GE feed and food products, and hormone enhanced commercial poultry, fish and beef, often served in fast food outlets.

10. Consider supplementing your diet with folic acid, CoQ10, selenium and melatonin.

11. Most importantly, try to minimize the STRESS in your life.

REMEMBER….. Prevention is always better than Cure.

Many cancers are preventable…