The Lifestyle Changes You Can Make Today to Reduce Your Lung Cancer Risk

You already know that lung cancer can develop in someone who's never smoked a cigarette and that the disease is linked to lifestyle risk factors, like exposure to radon and asbestos. The good news is that there are many positive habits you can adopt to significantly lower your cancer risk. According to a 2010 study in the journal Cancer Letters, lifestyle has a significant impact on whether or not you develop a variety of cancers, including lung cancer. Changing the way you live, including what you eat, whether you exercise or not, and what you're exposed to in your day-to-day environment can make a huge difference in your level of risk.

Elke Cooke, MD, who specializes in preventative medicine at BodyLogicMD in Sacramento, California, says, "Anyone can get lung cancer, but 90 percent of lung cancer cases are the result of smoking (this includes cigarettes, cigars and pipes)." For the other 10 percent of lung cancer cases, it's a bit more complicated to determine the exact cause, but science has pointed to ways you can decrease your risk. Here are 10 things you can do today to reduce your risk of developing lung cancer.