virus than other adults,
so it’s especially impor-
tant to be tested if you
were born between
1945 and 1965. “We
can cure hepatitis C,”
says Anna Giuliano,
PhD, an epidemiologist
at the Moffitt Cancer
Center. “But if you don’t
get screened and it pro-
gresses to liver disease,
your risk for liver
cancer is very high.”8
Cut out alcohol.
Alcohol has been
classified as a
known carcinogen
and has been linked
to at least seven types
of cancer. While some
researchers say alcohol
in moderation is OK,
a 2018 study that looked
at connections between
alcohol and different
types of cancer suggests
that no amount is safe.9
Rethink that ham
sandwich—even if
the package says
“nitrate-free.” Eating
just 15 grams a day of
processed meat—that’s
a single slice of ham—
appears to increase
your cancer risk by4 percent, according to
the American Institute
for Cancer Research.
The food industry has
responded with new
nitrate-free deli meats
and bacons, but there’s
no evidence that they
are any better than tra-
ditional varieties.10
Get the HPV
shot. This vac-
cination pre-
vents up to six types of
HPV cancers. The shot
was originally recom-
mended just for young
people, but recently
the FDA approved it for
everyone under age 45.11
Question the
need for a CT scan.
CT scans are im-
portant diagnostic tools,
but research shows they
are overused. Each blast
of radiation can damage
DNA and may cause
tumors later in life. In
one study, researchers
predicted that nearly
2 percent of all future
cancers in the United
States might be caused
by CT scans. While the
association appears to
be slight, if your doctorsuggests a CT scan, ask
whether it’s possible to
try another type of im-
aging tool that doesn’t
use radiation, such as
an MRI or an ultrasound.12
Switch to glass
for food storage
and heating.
Many plastics contain
chemicals that may be
linked to cancer, says
Lorenzo Cohen, PhD,
director of integrative
medicine at MD Ander-
son Cancer Center and
coauthor of Anticancer
Living. BPA has gotten
the most attention, but
some BPA-free products
contain a chemical
called BPS that is also
believed to be harmful.13
Don’t count on
vitamin D.
Although previ-
ous research had sug-
gested a link between
lower levels of the pop-
ular supplement and
cancer, a clinical trial
published in late 2018
found that taking vita-
min D did not help pre-
vent the disease. (But it
is still important for
bone health.)Reader’s Digest 13 Things
34 april 2019 | rd.com