Healthy eating and exercise are key weapons in the fight against cancer, but once you have those out of the way, there are other precautions you can take to lower your risk.

Here, we explain five simple lifestyle changes to help prevent cancer.
1. Use nonstick and stain-resistant products with care
Scotchgard and Teflon are brand names for perfluroooctanoic acid, which is used to protect clothes, carpets and furniture from stains and water; to cook food without sticking; and to prevent grease from leaking out of microwave food containers.
This acid (also called PFOA) is associated with birth and developmental defects, brain and nervous system disorders, immune system problems, and cancer.
While nonstick pans with no scratches are likely safe for use, says Dr. Sarah Janssen, staff scientist in the health program at the Natural Resources Defense Council who advocates for better testing and control of toxic substances, recommends ditching pans with scratches, since the PFOA can seep into food.
If you must waterproof your shoes or boots, treat them outdoors and wait for them to dry before bringing them indoors.
And consider declining the stain treatment for your new couch: ""The biggest source of exposure comes from applying stain- or water-resistant chemicals to furniture,"" says Janssen.
Stainproof couches and chairs are especially problematic, since you essentially press your body into a piece of chemically saturated furniture.
2. Don't sterilize your home or your hands
From body soap to counter spray, the products we use to clean ourselves and our homes can affect us negatively. The antibacterial ingredient triclosan, which is in most liquid soaps, some toothpastes, many body care products and even some toys, has been linked to organ system and reproductive toxicity, irritation, hormone disruption and cancer.
Studies have shown that our overuse of antibacterial ingredients has helped to create new resistant bacteria. Triclosan is now restricted in Japan and Canada and was the target of a U.K. cancer alert.
Meanwhile, studies have shown that plain soap and water are just as effective as antibacterial soap. Many natural products (look for the green seal) are effective, inexpensive cleaners, as are vinegar (in place of bleach), baking soda (as a scrub) and hydrogen peroxide (for stain removal).
To find out which cosmetic products are safe, check out the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database.
3. Steer clear of pesticides, inside and out
That flawless red apple and your lush jade lawn may make you sick. The effects of many pesticides have not been studied, while others have been classified as carcinogens—and the farmers who work closely with them have higher rates of skin, lip, stomach, lung, brain, blood and lymphatic system cancers.
While the most notorious bug killers, like DDT, have been outlawed in the U.S., other countries continue to use them and then export their produce to the U.S.
""If you can't peel it, you should probably buy organic,"" says Janssen. ""Even after washing items like berries or peppers, you may be unable to get the pesticides off.""
If you're unable to purchase organic (items with the USDA organic seal), Food News provides a lists of the ""Clean 15"" (90 percent of sweet corn tested had no pesticides) and ""The Dirty Dozen"" (96 percent of peaches tested positive for pesticides) to help you make smart choices at the supermarket.
To keep your garden natural, target problem areas instead of blasting your entire property with potentially harmful chemicals.
Or try Integrated Pest Management, a simple, inexpensive and ecological way to lower the instances of pests without using chemical pesticides.
Integrated Pest Management has been widely adopted by schools, businesses and individuals.
4.Get to know your water
Forty percent of U.S. community water systems operate in violation of the Safe Water Drinking Act, which sets drinking water quality standards.
That means that 23 million Americans receive low-quality drinking water. Cancer-causing elements found in state water supplies across the U.S. include arsenic and radioactive radium-226. ""There is no one-size-fits-all filter, so you really need to know which chemical you need to remove,"" says Janssen. Public water supplies are tested annually; request a water report, which should detail the contaminants out of your tap.
If you use well water, get it tested by a local professional. Some chemicals require a charcoal filter, while more serious problems may necessitate reverse osmosis—a sophisticated filtration method.
The National Resources Defense Council offers a guide to water filters.
5.Don't dry-clean
Traditional dry cleaners use a solvent called perchloroethylene to clean delicate fabrics. However, the Environmental Protection Agency has classified PERC as a possible-to-probable carcinogen, and the World Health Organization considers it a probable carcinogen.
Exposure to the solvent's vapors can also have neurological effects and cause liver and kidney damage. ""People who live above dry-cleaning establishments have higher rates of cancer, as do dry-cleaning workers,"" says Janssen.
If you do dry-clean your clothes, strip them of their plastic and leave them to air out away from your house. A more practical approach, however, is to patronize a dry cleaner that uses a new, technologically advanced, eco-friendly method of cleaning fragile clothing; wetcleaning.
Wetcleaning involves biodegradable soaps and computer-controlled washing machines that precisely measure the pressure and speed each fabric requires.
(Source:usnews