Celebrities have a way of motivating the public to take action. They help dictate fashion trends and set standards for mostly unattainable body shapes and sizes. They add hype to political views and philosophies and make influential statements about all sorts of issues. Like breast cancer. With its backing from celebrities like Melissa Etheridge and Sheryl Crow and Kylie Minogue -- all breast cancer survivors who are speaking out and raising awareness -- breast cancer has burst onto the media scene and is receiving powerful, positive attention. Kylie Minogue's public diagnosis spurred so many women into getting their breasts checked that the Medical Journal of Australia reports a 40 percent increase in bookings for mammograms. But sometimes, celebrity diagnoses don't elicit a response at all.

Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last month -- yet the announcement barely registered on the public's radar. Perhaps he does not command the same kind of reaction as pop singers do. Or perhaps it's the type of cancer that keeps his public battle on the sidelines.

The breasts are a visible icon of femininity -- out in the forefront for all to see. And so the issue of breast cancer is in the forefront. The pancreas, on the other hand, are hidden behind the stomach and are out of sight -- and out of mind. When Apple chief executive Steve Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2004, he didn't even know where to find his pancreas. And so this organ does not attract much fanfare -- and therefore does not attract the funding and research that breast cancer does. Which is sad because this cancer is not just hidden inside the body. It's also a hidden killer. It can't be felt like breasts can be felt. And there is no easy way to detect it, like with mammogram and other imaging techniques. Often a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer -- the fourth leading cause of cancer death in Western societies -- comes with a death sentence. And more and more, breast cancer diagnoses come with promising expectations of survival.

We may not know as much as about pancreatic cancer as we do breast cancer. But there are some behaviors that may contribute to this deadly disease. So in the spirit of prevention, consider this:

• If nobody smoked, 25 percent of pancreatic cancer cases wouldn't happen.
• Alcohol consumption can increase the risk by 15 times.
• Some studies link high meat consumption and low vegetable consumption to incidences of pancreatic cancer.
• Folate, the B vitamin in green leafy vegetables, oranges, legumes, and whole grains seem to reduce the risk. But folate supplements don't seem to have the same healthy effect.

On May 18, the American Cancer Society, ACS, and Weight Watchers is launching the Great American Eat Right Challenge, to continue to raise awareness of the link between obesity and greater cancer risks. According to the ACS, approximately one-third of cancer deaths are linked to dietary factors, such as those that contribute to obesity. By including a plentiful variety on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes -- loaded with antioxidants, phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals -- to your daily diet you can lower the risks of developing cancer.

"For people who don't smoke, maintaining a healthy weight, eating well and being active are the most important things to do to promote health and reduce cancer risk," said Colleen Doyle, MS, RD, director of nutrition and physical activity at the American Cancer Society. The Great American Eat Right Challenge web page offers nutritional and weight loss information and resources for cancer prevention.

The ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Legume Research, CILR, has applied for a patent on legumes compounds to treat cancer. Researchers believe they found properties that might prevent the formation of the blood supply needed by cancerous tumor growth. It is promising enough that there is now a collaboration with French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique. In addition, a New Zealand company has expressed interested in the discovery. According to the researchers, "The anti-cancer molecules produced by legumes during the early symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria known as rhizobia. Rhizobia induce legumes to form tiny new root organs called root nodules. The bacteria live in the nodules and provide the plant with useable nitrogen it can convert into proteins." And who said you can't find a way to make money from the study of plant potential for cancer prevention? 

Legumes are the third largest group of flowering plants in the world with more than 18,000 species; including garden peas, peanuts, clover, lentils, chickpeas and various beans such as soybean and green beans. Do we need drugs based on the extraction of single plant compounds to provide the suggested cancer prevention benefits discovered by researchers? Maybe, I really do not know. However, in the meantime, I wonder if simply adding these whole to a diet would provide cancer prevention benefits. Common sense says yes.