10 Easy Musts for Staying Healthy and Cancer-free

As we age we're all aware that our body slows down. And internally our bodies slow down, too. That means our ability to resist abnormal cells and our systems’ ability to keep those cells in check decrease. Translation: as we get older abnormal cells in our body can wreak havoc. Your best defense? Prevention, especially when it comes to keeping inflammation in check. Inflammation is the body's natural process of repair and works great when you cut your finger or scrape your knee, but when it persists over time, it can lead to an increase in abnormal cells—and increase your risk of cancer. We asked David Agus, MD, a leading cancer doctor and author of The End of Illness for his top ten tips for reducing inflammation and your cancer risk now.

Knowledge is power, and for that reason alone you should make it a must on your list. In some cases, family history or other factors might make it a good idea to start even earlier, but definitely by 50 you should be getting colonoscopies every 10 years, along with yearly mammograms (for women) and PSA tests (for men).

Just one baby aspirin a day can decrease your chances of dying from cancer by 35%, says Dr. Agus, who also notes that such results have been consistent through six separate studies involving over a half million people. The mechanism, experts believe, is that aspirin effectively blocks inflammation. (Good news, also, if you’re taking statins. They, too, are thought to be anti-inflammatory.)

Supplements may seem like a silver bullet. However, given some controversial studies (among them, one that found that men who took vitamin E daily had a 16% higher cancer risk) Dr. Agus isn’t convinced they can replace the preventive benefits of a balanced diet. Fresh fruits and vegetables, olive oil, cold water fish like salmon, grass fed beef, and free -ange chicken should all be on your shopping list if available.

When you mix up your eating times--having, say, lunch at noon today and waiting to eat until a few hours later tomorrow--you risk mixing up your hunger signals. Those signals are directly connected to stress hormones which, in turn, promote inflammation.

It might seem unrelated, but illnesses like the flu promote prolonged inflammation in the body. This, in turn, can increase your cancer risk down the line.

Time and again, cancer is linked to sun exposure. This doesn’t mean you can’t be outside, but do it safely--use a high SPF sunscreen that has both UVA and UVB protection, wear something with long sleeves, and always take a hat.

Yes, you read right. If you squeeze your feet into tight shoes, the redness and swelling you experience at day’s end can be a sneaky source of inflammation. Likewise, go easy on sports that can give you bumps and bruises.

Cancer runs in families, so devote some time to writing down a catalog of who in your family has had what. Be sure to share this information with your physician--it may influence what test you get and how often you’re screened.

As produce gets older, it loses naturally occurring vitamins and minerals, so aways reach for what’s freshest at the market. A good rule of thumb: Because shipping food takes time, local is always best. If you can’t find anything fresh, try the frozen foods aisle. Flash frozen fruits and veggies tend to be harvested and packaged early, so they’re always more nutritionally dense than fresh produce that’s been sitting around.

Get moving--and often. You’ve probably heard that exercise is linked to reduced cancer risk. In fact, people who don’t exercise and spend 6 or more hours at their desks each day have the same cancer risk as those who smoke a pack of cigarettes each day. But here’s something you might not know: You can reduce your risk even more if you’re active throughout the day and not just during that stint at the gym. This, says Dr. Agus, is because the rhythmic muscle contractions that happen when you move your body help activate your lymphatic system, which is responsible for removing toxins and also cancer cells.

Dr. David B. Agus is one of the world’s leading cancer doctors and pioneering biomedical researchers. He’s the host of the new eye-opening health special,The End Of Illness, airing nationwide on PBS (check local listings and times), which is based on his #1 New York Times best seller. Follow Dr. Agus on Twitter: @davidagus