Cancer Prevention
OU Football Coach Bob Stoops Reminds You That Many Cancers Can Be Prevented
OU Football Coach Bob Stoops reminds you that many cancers can be prevented.
"Experts at the OU Cancer Institute tell us that nearly half of all cancer deaths can be prevented by eliminating tobacco use, eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise. Take control of your future and make a cancer-free lifestyle your lifestyle."
Exercise
- Studies show that increased physical activity reduces the risk of cancers of the colon, breast, lung, prostate and endometrium.
- Moderate to vigorous activity 30 minutes a day most days of the week is recommended.
Get a walking buddy - human or animal - and don't let them down. - If you have trouble getting started, try parking farther away from the building, taking the stairs when possible or get moving during TV commercials.
Diet
- Focus your diet on adding healthy items rather than eliminating unhealthy items. Try new foods rich in fiber and that are not processed.
- A healthy diet should be colorful - fruits and vegetables with vibrant and deep colors are always good choices.
- Only about one-third of your plate should be covered by meat, with the rest in fruits, vegetables and grains.
- If fresh fruits and vegetables are not available, frozen are typically almost as good for you.
- Supplements are not a good replacement for a healthy diet. Fruits, vegetables and grains contain not only minerals and vitamins but also other components that your body needs to stay fit and healthy.
Tobacco
- In addition to lung cancer, smoking increases the risk of many other types of cancer, including cancers of the throat, mouth, pancreas, kidney, bladder and cervix.
- Cigarette smoking is the No. 1 cause of preventable deaths in the United States, resulting in about 438,000 deaths a year.
- Second-hand smoke kills about 38,000 people in the United States each year.
- You increase your odds of successfully quitting smoking ten-fold when you tell someone you are trying.
- Don't stop quitting - studies show that it takes most smokers seven or eight attempts to successfully stop.
- Smokeless tobacco users increase their chances of getting cancer of the lips, tongue, cheeks, and floor and roof of the mouth.
Tobacco Stops With Me
Call the Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline for help to stop using tobacco:
1 (800) QUIT-NOW (784-8669)
1 (800) 793-1552 (Spanish)
