Fruits and veggies have tons of nutrients and phytochemicals that research suggests are anti- tumorigenic. These include everything from carotenoids to flavonoids to vitamins A, C, and E. A lot of the benefit from these compounds goes toward the various elements of your GI tract, from your mouth to your stomach to your colon. But they also help prevent others, like breast, lung, and bladder cancer.

Body fat induces chronic inflammation through several mechanisms, including by directly producing pro-inflammatory chemicals, and is associated with higher levels of insulin, which can promote the excess cell growth that increases a person’s cancer risk.

Excess body fat also influences hormone levels, since fat cells are a significant storage site for hormones. This is especially true for postmenopausal women, who are no longer producing high levels of estrogens from their ovaries and thus get most of their sex hormone exposure from body fat.