Avon Walk

Photo by TandC

The news came out yesterday: In 2010, cancer will top heart disease as the world's deadliest illness--and top killer.

Yikes.

We need to know about ways to prevent cancer. There are steps you can take now to stay healthier later.

The World Health Organization estimates that there will be a 1 percent increase in cancer cases and deaths around the world each year, according to an Associated Press article. There are two main reasons:

  • Rising tobacco use in developing countries is probably to blame, particularly in China and India, where 40 percent of the world's smokers now live.
  • The world's population is increasing, so there will be more cancer.

If you haven't already, one thing you can do right now to reduce your risk of getting cancer is to stop smoking, which I wrote about last week.

Most importantly, here are the 7 proven ways you can try to prevent cancer from CNN:

  1. Do not use tobacco.
  2. Eat a variety of healthy foods.
  3. Stay active and maintain a healthy weight.
  4. Protect yourself from the sun.
  5. Get Hepatitis B and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines.
  6. Avoid risky behavior (i.e. use a condom).
  7. Get screened.

Cancer definitely runs in my family, and it's scary. I worry about my own risk one day. What worries you most about cancer?