Medical research in the U.S. now totals $95 billion a year according to a recent Journal of American Medical Association. Now that’s a statistic to cause one pause, however while pausing don’t turn to that cigarette, beer or processed dessert for refuge, because from that ocean of scientific research come profound and simple truths to ward off cancer.
Patients often ask me about cancer prevention and I always counsel: “Eat a variety of food in as close to its natural state as possible”. If my comment is too general, I follow it with this: According to a report from the American Institute for Cancer Research only diet rivals tobacco use as a major cause of cancer; 30 - 40 percent of all cancer-related deaths worldwide are due to inappropriate diet. The report continues, citing 3-4 million cancer deaths each year resulting from poor diet and lack of exercise.
“The cost of cancer care as practiced in the established market economies even now far outstrips the resources of many countries” stated United Nations Development Program representative Gillian Lindsay-Naton in the year 2000. Cancer incidence is accelerating in countries or global regions such as Latin America as people succumb to the so called Western diet or Standard American Diet (SAD) or aptly termed junk food diet.
To reduce your risk of cancer eliminate tobacco and eliminate or minimize your intake of sugar, red meat (if red meat is eaten limit of 3 ounces daily), salt in excess of ¼ ounce daily, deep fried food, margarine and hydrogenated or polyunsaturated oil, oil which has reached the smoking point while cooking and saturated fats. Also avoid improperly stored food, charred, cured or smoked meat. Alcohol: none is best, but if you insist, for men less than two drinks daily and less than one drink daily for women. One drink constitutes one beer, one glass of wine or one shot of hard liquor.
Food to favor include a variety of minimally processed fruits such as oranges, strawberries, papayas, pineapple, mango, banana, grapes and watermelon, vegetables such as broccoli, kale, green beans, brussel sprouts, squash and beets, plantains, beans and whole grains like rice, millet and whole wheat. For protein: fish, poultry or meat from non-domesticated animals.
For most it’s enough to know that good food is good for us, yet researchers march on. The dark pigment in fruits like watermelon and tomato contain lycopene, a phytonutrient that may reduce the risk of prostate cancer. Fruit and vegetables contain a rich mix of antioxidant vitamins and minerals to help protect and repair our DNA, optimize our immune system and reduce the unregulated growth of cancer cells. When we digest the fiber found in fruit, vegetables and grains butyric acid is released. Butyric acid can directly kill cancer cells in the colon. Glutathione, a gift from many of the fruits and vegetables is an amino acid that reduces toxins and inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation is a risk factor for cancer.
The essential fatty acids found in suggested food to favor, particularly the fish, provide oil that we must get from our diet to stay healthy, protect our cell walls from those free radicals found in ‘junk food’, reduce inflammation and provide energy. Another example is an enzyme present in turmeric, rosemary, apples, grapes and onions that inhibits Cox-2 (cyclooxygenase-2). Cox-2 has been getting attention recently as a cancer promoter.
A primary goal with exercise is to avoid or correct obesity, a significant risk factor for cancer. An hour’s brisk walk or similar exercise daily for those with low or moderate occupational activity along with at least one hour a week of vigorous activity is recommended by the American Institute of Cancer Research.
While researchers continue their quest to tell us why good food is good for us, I think it’s important to remember that the spirit in which we undertake the journey of healing may equal or surpass the importance of a particular therapeutic approach. I have seen patients overwhelmed by their fear of cancer obsess compulsive about their health care. I have seen others concerned about cancer become resentful, feeling obligated to ‘eat good food’; bitter and excessively guilty when they don’t. I suggest cultivating awareness, moderation and compassion in structuring a self care preventive medicine program, avoiding all extremes to best nurture our inherent ability to heal.
For further reading see:
The American Institute of Cancer Research; Food, Nutrition and Prevention of Cancer
Dr. Ralph Moss; Moss Report Newsletters
In Health,
Jon Dunn, ND
Dr. Jon Dunn is a Naturopathic Physician. Comments and questions are welcome and can be sent to wonc2000@hotmail.com or Jon@drjondunn.com
