(Ivanhoe Newswire) – It’s clear that genetics and environment play a role in your cancer risk. But what many people overlook is their everyday choices can also have an impact. Choices such as whether you choose to smoke or whether you choose to eat your vegetables. Research now shows you have the power to influence your own cancer risk.

A research team from the University of Texas conducted a study comparing everyday choices with lung cancer risk. They found people who quit smoking reduce their risk of cancer by adding lots of vegetables to their diet. They also report physical activity can also reduce the risk of cancer in former smokers by up to 45 percent.
 

“We are trying to understand what components of lifestyle can reduce lung cancer risk in people who have quit smoking – which has been a neglected field of study,” said Michele Forman, PhD, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Texas. “Although this is a very preliminary analysis, it gives us some important clues about how everyone – smokers and non-smokers alike – might be able to reduce their risk of developing lung cancer.”

Researchers say eating vegetables and physical activity might just be the beginning of a list of lifestyle factors that can reduce cancer risk. They say there is a lot of research that still needs to be done.

SOURCE: Presented at the American Association for Cancer Research’s Sixth Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research held from December 5 to 8 in Philadelphia