Don't BURN toast and SWAP your jam for avocado

My 10 surprising tips for a longer life

Life is made up of little decisions — and many of them are made without stopping to think. But my lifetime’s experience as a senior oncologist has taught me that where cancer’s concerned your risk and your outcome can ultimately depend on how they all add up over time. And the unlikeliest things can make a big difference — as these strange, but true facts demonstrate… 1 Did you burn your breakfast toast by mistake this morning?

IT’S easily done, and if you were in a rush you possibly just scraped off the worst black bits and carried on.

It won’t have tasted all that good, but I bet it never occurred to you that it might also increase your cancer risk.

Well, I’m afraid that from an oncologist’s point of view, burnt toast is actually a nono. This is because grilling or baking starchy or sugary foods (such as bread) at high temperatures produces toxic compounds called acrylamides which can damage your DNA and put a big strain on your immune system over time. And, as a rule of thumb, the darker brown they are, the more acrylamides they contain.

While one piece of burnt toast won’t matter, consistently eating chargrilled or baked starchy foods over time will certainly help to increase your cancer risk.

You also need to swap your morning jam (full of sugar which increases your cancer risk) and instead mash on avocado which is packed with healthy fats. You’ll find it’s more filling, too.

2 Tempted to add a punnet of blackberries to your weekly shop?

THeY are in season but please consider heading to the hedgerows for a bowl of blackberries instead of buying them in a shop.

Although the berries are full of cancer-fighting polyphenols, cultivated berries have significantly lower quantities than those you pick in the wild.

This is because plants have to ‘struggle’ to survive in the wild — and this makes them develop higher quantities of phytochemicals.

Plus, they’re also less likely to have been exposed to pesticides or environmental toxins.

3 Forget to brush your teeth?

I DON’T want to sound like your parents nagging, but this is something you should pay attention to — and not just because of fillings or bad breath.

A review of over 60 studies from around the world links poor dental hygiene with cancers of the mouth and throat. And two other studies recently analysed more than 100 samples of healthy and cancerous bowel tissue and found that the DNA from bacteria found in dental cavities was also present in bowel cancer genes — but not in normal genes.

This led researchers to believe that bacterial DNA from the mouth travels down through the body, where it interacts with the gut, causing cells there to become cancerous.

4 Do you avoid the sun for fear of developing skin cancer?

IT’S understandable, given all the coverage this gets, but I’m afraid you do need to head outdoors to protect yourself from the risk of kidney, bowel, prostate — and even, remarkably, skin — cancer. (Yes, you did read me correctly!)

This is because while you obviously need to take care not to get sunburnt, your body also depends upon sunlight on your skin to produce 80 per cent of its vital supplies of vitamin D. Numerous studies show vitamin D has direct abilities to slow cancer growth and delay its spread; survivors of bowel cancer with regular exposure to sunlight and higher vitamin D levels were found to have a lower risk of relapsing, for instance. Most surprising of all was a study involving people who had been treated for melanoma skin cancers. As the risk of this disease increases with sunburn, these patients had been told to avoid direct sunlight after their diagnosis. However, those who ignored the advice and continued to have regular sun exposure were subsequently found to actually have a lower risk of the melanoma spreading to another part of the body.

5 Are you usually a frequent flyer?

JETSETTERS may have been grounded owing to the pandemic — but that’s such not a bad thing from a cancer point of view.

That’s because the Earth’s magnetosphere acts as a giant shield, blocking most cosmic radiation from reaching our planet — but flying exposes you to higher levels and the International Agency for Research on Cancer considers the neutrons in cosmic radiation we encounter at flight altitudes to be a human carcinogen. Frequent flyers are at increased risk; a round trip from New York to Tokyo seven times a year might easily put a passenger above the allowable levels of exposure in a nuclear power station.

But the good news is you can offset your risk — such as loading up with phytochemical-rich foods the day before you fly, avoiding carcinogenic foods on the flight and increasing your exercise levels after flying.

(See which foods to avoid to cut your cancer risk overleaf)

6 Feeling smug because you have hit your five-a-day?

IT’S great that you’re enjoying your fruit and veg — but I believe we should actually be eating twice that amount, and numerous studies back this up.

Recent research by scientists in Southern California found women who consumed more than five portions of phytochemical-rich fruit and vegetables a day and participated in regular physical exercise had a significantly lower risk of breast cancer recurrence than those who stuck to the recommended ‘five-a-day’ amount.

7 Are you always fighting a losing battle against mess and dirt?

MANy parents do — but please be reassured that from a cancer doctor’s point of view, a bit of dirt is very desirable.

Mixing with other children and having pets around is also excellent for stimulating their immune systems and helping them to develop healthy gut bacteria. Summarising 30 years of research into the causes of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, the Institute of Cancer Research concluded that apart from genetic factors, the biggest cause was ‘ overclean’ kids.

From an oncologist’s view, I am now concerned that one unwanted result of the social isolation required to stamp out Covid may be an increase in leukaemia or even other cancers in the months or years to come.

8 Have you swapped crisps for ‘veggie’ alternatives?

YOU probably thought they would be healthier than regular ready- salted potato crisps but in cancer terms, I’m afraid you’re wrong.

Crisps in general contain high concentrations of acrylamides, those carcinogenic compounds produced by cooking starchy foods at high temperatures.

Unfortunately, fried root vegetables such as beetroot and carrot contain higher levels of sugar than potato crisps (and therefore higher levels of acrylamides). Some even have added sugar before they’re cooked — putting them right up there with

burnt toast.

9 Do you shave your underarms in the shower?

MANy do and it’s an efficient way to take care of two jobs at once if you’re busy. But if you’re a frequent shaver, do try to resist the temptation to put on deodorant immediately afterwards. Some studies have raised concerns about whether aluminium and parabens, commonly found in antiperspirants, can penetrate the skin, contributing to breast cancer after they were found in postmastectomy breast tissue. Manufacturers dispute this — and the evidence is not conclusive; more trials are needed.

10 Are you a cheese lover?

IF SO, you may be interested to know that there are definite health benefits if you swap Cheddar for Stilton. Although both are quite high in saturated fats and calories, blue-veined or aged cheeses such as Stilton have the advantage of also being a good source of gut-friendly probiotic organisms, or bugs, that occur naturally in fruit and vegetables and some fermented foods.

They have a wide range of benefits for your gut health, reducing your chances of developing bowel problems including cancer.