That's a good question about cancer prevention.
The answer appears to be...no on really knows. According to the American Cancer Society, those cancer cases which are most preventable are those cancer cases which occur as a result of smoking, drinking alcohol, and being exposed directly to too much sunlight. And only about one-third of all cancer cases could be prevented by making proper lifestyle choices. I'm not sure I fully believe the latter, but that's what they say.
The American Institute for Cancer Research has some very simple (and that doesn't necessarily mean easy or simplistic) guidelines for cancer prevention. Here they are:
www.aicr.org/site/PageServer?pagename=dc_home_guides
In a nutshell:
1. Choose mainly plant-based foods and limit red meat and processed meat.
2. Be active every day in any way for 30 minutes or more.
3. Aim to be a healthy weight throughout life.
4. Avoid sugary drinks and processed foods high in added sugar, low in fiber, or high in fat.
5. Do not use tobacco in any form.
6. Limit consumption of alcohol.
I think you're better off without all the Mountain Dew caffeine, but it doesn't appear that a daily cup of coffee makes any difference.
An article on vitamins and cancer on MSNBC caught my eye a few days ago. I'm going to quote directly from the piece (which you may read in whole at
tinyurl.com/35qqdu
)
The notion that vitamin supplements are healthful, or at least not harmful, arises from the desire of many people to match the benefits of a healthful diet with a convenient pill, Dr. Tim Byers of the University of Colorado School of Medicine wrote in an editorial accompanying the study.
“Over the past two decades, we have been repeatedly disappointed in the ability of vitamin supplements to reduce risk for cancers at several sites, including the stomach, colorectum, breast and lung,” Byers wrote.
“Foods that are rich in vitamins seem to be associated with reduced risk of cancer, but vitamins packaged as pills clearly do not have the same effect,” Byers added.
Food for thought.
Best wishes,
Zach