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Today, cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States and its incidence has risen dramatically over the last 50 years. This leads scientists to the conclusion that our lifestyle and environment must play an important role in whether or not we develop cancer.

There is still much more to learn about the factors that influence cancer development, but in the meantime, we should take to heart the things that we know cause cancer, and those that we believe can prevent it. Here are some things you can do to reduce your risk.

The first is eating a healthy diet, rich in fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are rich in anti-oxidants, which can prevent cancer and other diseases. Anti-oxidants are very effective at combating free radicals that are created in our bodies as we process food.

We can*t stop these free radicals from occurring, but we can combat them with anti-oxidants. If we don*t combat them they cause damage to our cells and DNA, and this is what leads to premature aging and disease.

If you want to significantly increase the anti-oxidant level in your diet, pay special attention to the foods that can give you the most value. Get your fair share of artichokes, red beans, blueberries, pomegranates, tomatoes and green tea. Yes, that's right * green tea.

In fact, in terms of dietary changes to help prevent cancer, green tea may be the very best thing you can add to your diet. There has been much research in recent years on the effects green tea has in preventing, and even treating cancer.

Many studies have shown that green tea's anti-oxidant power can be a powerful preventative against cancer. Not only is this suggested by the significantly lower cancer rate in Asian countries where green tea is widely consumed, but many studies have supported this theory.

In 1999, the Alternative Medicine Review reported that green tea appears to affect cancer in many ways. First, it is a powerful free radical scavenger, and destroys more free radicals than many other forms of anti-oxidants.

Secondly, green tea seems to have the power to inhibit the growth of abnormal cells, many of which might have started as, or turned into cancer cells. Green tea also appears to be a very strong detoxifying agent, helping to rid the body of potentially harmful substances.

Finally, the Alternative Medicine Review reported that green tea inhibits the growth of cancer cells. Therefore, even in patients who have already been diagnosed with cancer, green tea may be helpful, because it may prevent the cancer from spreading.

Other studies have also shown that green tea can be an effective adjunct therapy for cancer, not only because it appears to inhibit the spread of cancer, but also because it makes traditional therapies more effective.

One study showed that when mice were given green tea in conjunction with chemotherapy, the chemotherapy drugs invaded the cancer cells in higher concentration than when the chemotherapy was administered alone.

Another recent study of breast cancer patients in stages one and two showed a significantly lower rate of cancer recurrence when the patients were given large doses of green tea.

Making Green Tea Part of Your Life

If you*d like to add green tea to your diet for its health effects, many doctors recommend that you start with about three cups per day. Experiment with the many flavors of green tea that are on the market, or stick with the traditional green tea so popular in Asian restaurants. Either will have the health benefits * hot or iced.

While most American doctors recommend that you begin with 3 cups of green tea per day, you should know that in Asian cultures most people drink significantly more than that. The average in China is 4-5 cups a day, and in Japan it's estimated to be as high as 8-10 cups per day.

If you don*t think you can manage that much tea in a day, there are green tea extract supplements available at many drug stores and health food stores.

One of the great things about using green tea as a preventative treatment is that there are no side effects. Green tea is healthy and safe even to give to your children. Green tea has significantly less caffeine that coffee and even has less caffeine that traditional black tea. So, it's well tolerated by nearly everyone.

In addition to research showing that green tea helps prevent cancer, there is also evidence to suggest that it reduces your risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and Alzheimer's disease. It is also thought to slow down the overall aging process.

What do you have to lose? It seems there is no downside to drinking green tea and there may be a great many benefits.