5 Ways to Prevent Lung Cancer

1. Quit Smoking

Smoking is the number-one cause of lung cancer, and it is also the most easily preventable risk factor. If you've tried to quit before and failed, talk to your doctor. There's help available to you that goes beyond nicotine gum and psychological tricks to keep your fingers and mouth busy. Remember that exposure to secondhand smoke may be just as harmful. If you live with a smoker, ask the puffer to step outside to indulge his habit.

2. If You Smoke, Don't Take Beta-Carotene

Beta-carotene is an antioxidant mineral, and while antioxidants can reduce your risk of getting cancer, scientists are finding a curious but inverse-proportional relationship between beta-carotene and heavy tobacco use. To be safe, don't take beta-carotene supplements if you're a heavy smoker. For reasons that aren't yet fully understood, this seems to reduce the risk of developing lung cancer.

3. Munch on Fruits

If you want to reduce your risk of contracting lung cancer, add fruits to your grocery cart. Researchers have linked diets high in fruits to a reduction in the incidence of lung cancer, even when smoking is included. Vegetables are also thought to be beneficial in reducing lung cancer risk, though to a lesser degree. Of course, you should combine a healthy diet with regular exercise. High levels of physical activity also have been linked to lower lung cancer rates.

4. Assess Environmental Risk Factors

Smog and air pollution have been linked to higher rates of lung cancer, so if you live in a city with high levels of traffic congestion and you're worried about developing lung cancer, consider a move to the suburbs. There are many industrial risk factors that have been identified by researchers. You're at increased risk of developing lung cancer if you work around highly concentrated soot and tar, handle chromium and nickel, or have a high exposure rate to radon, asbestos or arsenic. It's easier to get a new job than it is to beat lung cancer, so assess your situation closely if you're concerned about these risks.

5. Exploring Chemoprevention

A new technique to prevent lung cancer formation is in the early stages of development and may appear on the scene within the next decade or so. Chemoprevention applies the principles of chemotherapy to reduce, reverse or prevent lung cancer from forming or spreading. If you have risk factors for lung cancer, talk to your doctor about the possibility of participating in chemoprevention clinical trials.