Nine ways to prevent cancer According to a new study, the risk of cancer, as well as other diseases, can be lessened by following the four laws of healthy living: not smoking, controlling body weight, exercising, and eating a healthy and balanced diet. Based on these four tenets, the American Institute for Cancer Research has taken out a list of nine guidelines that can help women lower the risk of getting cancer, which has been published this month's issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention During the study, researchers observed 3,000 post menopausal women and found that women who followed only one or none of the recommended steps and increased their risk of developing cancer by 35 percent, as compared to women who practiced at least six of the recommendations, reports Webmd. The nine steps are: * One should not smoke. « Weight should always be kept in check and adult weight gain should not be more than 11 pounds from age 18. « Daily exercise is a must and one should get a vigorous workout once a week. « One should consume five servings of vegetables and fruits a day « At Least 14 ounces of whole grains, cereals, and other complex carbohydrates should be consumed every day. « Women should limit alcohol consumption to one drink a day. « Not more than 3 ounces of red meat should be eaten in a day. « Fattening substances should not exceed 30 percent of a person's total calorie intake. « Not more than 2,400 milligrams of salt should be added to the food eaten in a day. * "We estimate that if all the women in the study group had never smoked and followed a majority of tne guidelines, approximately 30 percent of new cancers and cancer deaths could have been prevented or delayed,” the report quoted Dr. James Cerhan, MD, PhD, an epidemiologist at the Mayo Clinic's Cancer Center, as saying.