There are foods associated with a lower risk of getting cancer. While that's positive news, remember that this is based merely on what goes on in Petri dishes and in mice and in human epidemiology studies revealing, largely in retrospect, that people who ate A, B and C for "x" years had a y-percent reduction in a cancer risk compared with a bunch of slackers who did nothing to stay healthy.

So, there are no guarantees. Consider that among the leading proponents of the macrobiotic diet — the grain- and vegetable-based diet purported to cure cancer — Aveline Kushi and her daughter Lilly died of cancer, Michio Kushi had a tumor removed from his intestine, and founder George Ohsawa died at the relatively young age of 73, likely of a heart attack.

Many causes of cancer are environmental, largely from tobacco, excessive sun exposure and workplace hazards such as chemical solvents and fumes. Avoidance is the best prevention strategy here.

Aside from that, if you want the odds on your side, the foods in this list do seem to carry some cancer-protection properties.

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It's billed as an epic story of good versus evil–biology in comic-book form. The villains: free radicals, those nefarious DNA-attacking poisons of modern life. Our fearless defenders: antioxidants, poised to protect us from–well, everything, right? You've heard the claims:

They cure cancer!

They prevent aging!

They supercharge your immune system!

But while we think we know what antioxidants do, few of us know what antioxidants actually are. And food manufacturers are fine with that; the less you know, the more likely you are to swallow the hype. "Antioxidants have a health aura around them," says Marion Nestle, Ph.D., M.P.H., a professor of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University. "They are supposed to fight something bad in your body. Who wouldn't want to consume more of a helper like that?"

There's no doubt that antioxidants can be good for you. But to maximize their benefit, we first have to strip away some assumptions.

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If you're considering starting hormone treatments to ease the hot and bothersome symptoms of menopause, keep in mind that you could suffer even more if you ever stop the therapy, new research says.

The findings of the study, part of the large-scale Women's Health Initiative (WHI), may give postmenopausal women pause before starting replacement of their body's declining levels of estrogen.

"Evidence seems to suggest that 25 percent or more of women who start hormones might find it very difficult to stop them — ever," study co-author Marcia Stefanick, a chair of the WHI's executive committee, told Reuters Health by email. Read the rest of this article

In recent years, antioxidants have been touted as a secret to healthy living: The molecules bind to reactive oxygen compounds called "free radicals" that are known to damage the body's tissues. The amount of oxidative damage increases with age, and according to one theory of aging it is a major cause of the body's decline [The New York Times]. But a new study examined the effects of the antioxidant vitamins C and E when combined with an exercise regimen, and found a considerably more complicated story. The researchers found that free radicals may be beneficial in small doses, and may even help protect against diabetes. And mopping them up with antioxidants may do more harm than good [BBC News].

During a workout, the muscles metabolize glucose to create energy, but in the process some free radicals are released. The body has a natural defense mechanism to combat these free radicals, but many researchers had theorized that the body can't catch all of the harmful compounds, which makes antioxidant supplements sound like a logical solution.
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