Greg,
Thanks so much for your great assessment of this study. People are searching for answers beyond avoiding tobacco and eating healthy, knowing that 80-95 percent of cancers have an environmental component and most of us know of someone who seemed to be doing everything right. Online "answers" are filled with hype, but reliable resources frequently only mention tobacco and "eat healthily". Speaking on cancer prevention I am amazed at how many people are concerned about the recycling number on the bottom of their water bottle as a risk, but have not had their homes checked for radon, the leading cause of cancer in non-smokers.

Having practiced family medicine for 15 years before teaching cancer prevention full-time (I left to write and separate out what truly makes a difference from the hype), talking to your doctor may not be the best option. Physicians have little training, and do not have adequate time to instruct patients on cancer prevention. Many reliable, credible studies have been published on factors that increase or decrease the risk of cancer, but these are not discussed during most physicals. Though it is my passion, and I had the luxury of scheduling fewer patients in private practice, there was not time.

Even being a speaker on cancer prevention, I only learned about the extensive research NASA has done on the ability of houseplants to lower indoor air carcinogens when I was speaking on the other side of the pond in Austria. The Environmental Protection Agency has ranked indoor air as 4th in environmental causes of cancer.

My favorite source for dietary information is the American Institute for Cancer Research at www.aicr.org. They also have great information on weight control (obesity now is responsible for 20 percent of cancers in women).

Lynne Eldridge MD
Author, "Avoiding Cancer One Day at a Time: Practical Advice for Preventing Cancer"
http://www.avoidcancernow.com