July 21, 2010 | 1 minute read

When people think of ways to prevent cancer, lung cancer is often the first that comes to mind. Everyone by now knows that smoking and tobacco use can cause lung cancer (along with oral cancers): and so it stands to reason that not smoking will prevent it.

Yes, the vast majority of lung cancers are caused by smoking. But in an interesting series on lung cancer, the New York Times started with a piece highlighting how 10 to 15 percent of lung cancer patients have never smoked at all.

While research is looking at why some non-smokers get lung cancer, and there are several possibilities, one potential way everyone can protect himself against the disease is through a healthy diet. AICR’s expert report found that diets high in fruit and foods containing carotenoids probably lower the risk of lung cancer. Carotenoids are in a lot of fruits and vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and broccoli.

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death. More people die of lung cancer than from cancers of the breast, prostate and colon combined.

You can read more about lowering lung cancer risk in Cancer Research Update.

For help quitting smoking, one resource is the government’s smokefree site.