Now it's time to boost your carcinogen shields - and overall health - by using these smart, C-fighting strategies

SPEND MORE TIME OUTSIDE

Scientists have regarded vitamin D as a potent cancer fighter for decades, but there's never been a gold-standard trial - until now. A study by researchers at Creighton University in the US and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that women who supplemented their diets with 1000 international units (IU) of vitamin D every day had a 60 to 77 per cent lower incidence of cancer over a four-year period than women taking a placebo.

"The effect isn't limited to women," reveals Dr Joan Lappe, the lead study author. "Vitamin D helps the immune system function efficiently, causing the early death of cancer cells."

Use it: nature intended us to make vitamin D from the sun. But depending on where you live, the time of year and how much of an agoraphobe you are, you may not reach the optimal level of 80 nanomoles per litre of blood that way.

A blood test can provide a baseline. From there, Lappe recommends supplementing with 1100 to 2000IU of vitamin D in a stand-alone pill every day.

The vitamin is also found in sardines, salmon, shiitake mushrooms and reindeer meat - which may explain Santa's longevity, despite his odd working hours and beer belly.'''

EAT BLUEBERRIES

Got pterostilbene? A US study at Rutgers University discovered this compound - found in blueberries - has colon-cancer-fighting properties. When rats with this cancer were fed a diet supplemented with pterostilbene, they exhibited 57 per cent fewer pre-cancerous lesions after eight weeks than rats not given the compound.

Eat blueberries and you'll also get a big dose of vitamin C (14 milligrams per cup). Another US study of 42,340 men by New England Research Institute scientists discovered that men with the highest dietary vitamin C intake (as opposed to supplements) were 50 per cent less likely to develop pre-malignant oral lesions than blokes with the lowest intake.

Use it: "About two servings daily is the human equivalent of what we fed the rats," says Dr Bandaru Reddy, a chemical-biology professor at Rutgers.

Load up at breakfast: a cup-and-a-half of blueberries over cereal, plus 225ml of juice and half a grapefruit (for extra vitamin C), will do the trick. If that's too much to stomach at dawn, spread it out over the course of the day.

POP SELENIUM

Selenium has long been thought of as a cancer fighter, but you can have too much of a good thing, according to Dr David Waters, Director of the Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation in the US.

A study of almost 1000 men, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found that when those with the lowest initial levels of selenium in their bodies received a daily supplement over a four-and-a-half-year period, they cut their prostate-cancer risk by an impressive 92 per cent.

But men who started out with a high selenium dose were rewarded with an 88 per cent increase in total cancer risk when they took the supplements.

Moral: it pays to get your selenium level right.

Use it: next time you have a blood test, ask your doctor to check your selenium level. If it's low, foods such as Brazil nuts, tuna, meats and grains can help boost it.

SWEAT CAN BE A LIFESAVER

Study after study has pointed to the cancer-conquering power of exercise. Now research from Norway has found that even a tiny dose of it has big benefits.

A study of 29,110 men, published last year in the International Journal of Cancer, shows that those who exercised just once a week had a 30 per cent lower risk of metastatic prostate cancer than men who didn't work out at all. Increasing the frequency, duration and intensity of the exercise correlated with a further, gradual reduction in risk.

Use it: just one bout of weekend warriorism - a social game of footy in the park, one-on-one basketball, squash with a mate, a morning surf - might qualify you for inclusion in the cancer-free 30 per cent.'''

STAY CLEAR OF SMOKE

Second-hand smoke may be even worse for you than we thought. A new study, presented at the Radiological Society of North America's annual conference, has shown how the second-hand stuff can kill by causing structural damage to the lungs - making lung cancer and emphysema more likely.

"There is no safe level of exposure to this smoke and the greater the exposure, the higher the risk," cautions the study's lead author, Dr Michael Stark, principal investigator for the Multnomah County Health Department in the US.

Use it: thankfully, smoking in enclosed, public places is now banned in Australia. For more information, check out the Non Smokers' Movement of Australia's Web site, nsma.org.au.

SNACK ON SOME SUSHI

As previously mentioned, Stoner is using seaweed to fight the Big C. When he fed the polyphenols from brown seaweed to mice who had been bombarded with UV rays, their incidence of skin tumours dropped by 60 per cent. And the polyphenols shrank existing tumours by 43 per cent.

Even better, the doses that produced these effects were the equivalent of only one or two tablespoons in a human being.

"Seaweed is low in kilojoules and fat, yet it provides heart-helping fibre, bone-building calcium and iron," says nutritionist Molly Morgan, owner of Creative Nutrition Solutions in the US. "Dried, roasted seaweed sheets used for sushi also provide vitamins A and C."

Use it: "Eat more sushi rolls," advises Stoner. "It's not the same seaweed, but it has similar compounds."

Sushi itself is a great muscle food. A typical tuna roll has only 1213 kilojoules, but packs 24 grams of protein.

RELAX A LITTLE

Anxiety won't just make your pulse race and give you a dry mouth. US-based researchers at Purdue University tracked 1600 men over 12 years and found that half of those with increasing levels of worry died during the study period. Talk about flunking the exam! Only 20 per cent of the optimists died before the 12-year study was completed.

Want some more anxiety-producing news? Thirty-four per cent of the neurotic men died of some type of cancer. How neurotic are we talking about?

"Think of the biggest worrier you know - someone who stresses out over everything," suggests psychologist Daniel Mroczek, who conducted the study.

"That man is probably above the 95th percentile in neuroticism. Then think of the most cool, calm, collected man you know. He's probably below the fifth percentile." Use it: to develop a more casual, chilled vibe, learn to slow down your fast times. "The more time you spend in the present moment, the more relaxed you'll be, because most mental anguish occurs over stuff that's already happened or that may or may not happen in the future," according to Dr Claire Michaels Wheeler, author of 10 Simple Solutions to Stress.

"For the most part, right now is pretty damn good. If you practise being present while shaving, for example, eventually you'll also be more present when eating, making love and working."

DRINK POMEGRANATE JUICE

Some say this luscious, lusty, red fruit is Eve's original apple, but what the pomegranate really banishes is cancer risk. The fruit's deep-crimson juice contains polyphenols, isoflavones and ellagic acid, elements researchers believe make up a potent anti-cancer combo.

It's been shown to delay the growth of prostate cancer in mice and stabilises prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in men who have been treated for the disease.

And now US researchers at the University of Wisconsin have learnt that pomegranates may also inhibit the development of lung-cancer. If you currently smoke, have smoked in the past or hang around in smoky places, the juice of the fruit could bolster your defences.

Use it: the mice in the Wisconsin study received the human equivalent of 450 millilitres of juice per day, so quaff accordingly.