Diet affects cancer both directly and indirectly. Nutrients directly impact the mechanisms by which cancer cells grow and spread. They indirectly help control the cancer by changing the surrounding biochemical conditions that either encourage or discourage the progression of malignant disease. The bottom line is that what you eat can spell the difference between conquering your disease and having it rage out of control.
Here are some examples of findings from recent studies that support the importance of diet in fighting cancer:
For every additional 10 percentage points of calories derived from fat in the diet of newly diagnosed breast cancer patients -- by going from 25 percent to 35 percent of calories from fat -- the risk of recurrence approximately doubles. (14) An increase of 10 percentage points is alarmingly easy: just add four ounces of beef, four ounces of mozzarella cheese (about the size of three nine-volt batteries), a cup of ice cream, or four pats of butter to your daily intake and you're there.
High intake of many dietary fats is linked with higher rates of cancer recurrence, lower rates of survival, or both. (15) At the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in 2005, I listened to a stunning presentation of a randomized controlled study of 2,400 breast cancer patients. It found that those who adopted a diet in which 20 percent of the calories came from fat (the US norm is more like 35 percent) had a 24 percent lower rate of relapse. The lowered risk of relapse was particularly great for the 42 percent of women with the more dangerous estrogen-receptor-negative breast cancers. Because these women have fewer good conventional options, this is an especially important finding. (16)
Despite this overwhelming evidence for the benefits of a healthy diet when you are fighting cancer, that is not what mainstream medicine recommends. Yes, when it comes to cancer prevention, the American Cancer Society recommends a diet that is heavy on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat proteins while restricting unhealthy fats, refined carbs and fatty red meats. So far, so good. Yet the standard advice for patients with cancer -- that is, those for whom prevention didn't work -- is "all you can eat." (17)
Cancer patients are told to get all the calories they can, from butter, margarine, high-fat dairy products, mayonnaise, eggs, meat, hard and soft cheese, ice cream and peanut butter. The rationale is that a fat- and calorie-packed diet prevents or combats cachexia, the "starvation response" seen in cancer patients. It does not. But this response is hardly universal; only some patients become cachectic, and only at certain points in their treatment. The reality is that there are far more patients for whom "all you can eat" is exactly the wrong prescription: it makes them fill their plates with animal protein, saturated fats, unhealthful omega-6 fats and refined carbohydrates, all of which have tumor-promoting properties. (18) In fact, a 2007 study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that stage III colon cancer patients who ate the least meat, fat, refined grains and desserts had half the mortality risk of those who ate the most of these foods. (19)
I don't want to pick on mainstream cancer groups -- in my five years as vice president of the uptown Chicago chapter of the American Cancer Society (ACS), I saw firsthand the good intentions of everyone involved. Nonetheless, the disconnect between the ACS's cancer-prevention dietary advice and its cancer-fighting dietary advice is hard to justify. Even laypeople can see that. A number of my patients have said to me, "My doctor used to advise that I should eat fruits and vegetables and avoid too much meat and fat so I wouldn't get cancer. Now that I got a diagnosis of cancer, I'm supposed to eat cheesecake, milk shakes and cream sauce. That doesn't make sense." They're right: it strains credulity to think that the very foods you are told to minimize in order to reduce your risk of developing cancer should be dietary staples once you have cancer. The cheesecake-and-cream-sauce advice also ignores the growing scientific evidence of the tumor-promoting potential of the standard American diet. To a great extent, the foods recommended for cancer prevention are also the foods that seem to suppress cancer after it's diagnosed. In most cases it is reasonable to use prevention studies as a guide for how patients should eat, especially in cancers where healthy diets reduce risk.
Copyright 2009 Keith I. Block, M.D.
REFERENCES AND RESOURCES
8. Bray GA, Popkin BM. Dietary fat intake does affect obesity: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 68(6):1157-73, 1998
9. Freedland SJ, Platz EA. Obesity and prostate cancer: making sense out of apparently conflicting data. Epidemiol Rev. 2007;29:88-97.
10. Hebert JR. Barone J. Reddy MM. Backlund JY. Natural killer cell activity in a longitudinal dietary fat intervention trial. Clinical Immunology & Immunopathology. 1990; 54(1):103-16
11. Malter M. Schriever G. Eilber U. Natural killer cells, vitamins, and other blood
components of vegetarian and omnivorous men. Nutrition & Cancer. 1989; 12(3): 271-8
12. Vujanovic NL. Basse P. Herberman RB. Whiteside TL. Antitumor functions of natural killer cells and control of metastases. Methods (Duluth). 9(2):394-408, 1996
13. Hebert JR. Augustine A. Barone J. Kabat GC. Kinne DW. Wynder EL. Weight, height and body mass index in the prognosis of breast cancer: early results of a prospective study. Int J Cancer. 1988; 42(3):315-8
14. Holm LE. Nordevang E. Hjalmar ML. Lidbrink E. Callmer E. Nilsson B. Treatment failure and dietary habits in women with breast cancer. Treatment failure and dietary habits in women with breast cancer. J Nat Cancer Inst. 1993; 85(1):32-6
15. Gregorio DI. Emrich LJ. Graham S. Marshall JR. Nemoto T. Dietary fat consumption and survival among women with breast cancer. J Nat Cancer Inst. 1985 ; 75(1):37-41
16. Chlebowski RT, Blackburn GL, Thomson CA, Nixon DW, Shapiro A, Hoy MK, Goodman MT, Giuliano AE, Karanja N, McAndrew P, Hudis C, Butler J, Merkel D, Kristal A, Caan B, Michaelson R, Vinciguerra V, Del Prete S, Winkler M, Hall R, Simon M, Winters BL, Elashoff RM. Dietary fat reduction and breast cancer outcome: interim efficacy results from the Women's Intervention Nutrition Study. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2006; 98(24):1767-76.
17. Brown J, Byers T, Thompson K, Eldridge B, Doyle C, Williams AM. Nutrition during and after cancer treatment: a guide for informed choices for cancer patients. CA Cancer J Clinic 2001; 51:153-81.
18. Anon. Eating hints for cancer patients: before, during and after treatment. Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/eatinghints/page7#F6. Accessed May 4, 2008.
19. Meyerhardt JA, Niedzwiecki D, Hollis D, Saltz LB, Hu FB, Mayer RJ, Nelson H, Whittom R, Hantel A, Thomas J, Fuchs CS. Association of dietary patterns with cancer recurrence and survival in patients with stage III colon cancer. JAMA. 2007 Aug 15;298(7):754-64.
Alex Pattakos: Obesity, Public Health and a New Way to Eat
www.vitamindcouncil.org and
www.grassrootshealth.net
There is a resource library of medical studies over at Vitamin D Council where VD3 was a factor in the study. This includes Cancers, MS, Diabetes I and II, Autism, autoimmune diseases, and on and on. The benefits are staggering. You can't assume your doctor knows - most don't.
There are outstanding videos at Grassroots health by medical professionals on VD3 benefits, including cancer. Up to 90% of 75% of cancers can be avoided or overcome with the help of vitamin D3. It is known that the incidence of chronic disease increases the farther you get from the equator.
Dr. Cannell of the Vitamin D Council says cancer survivors need to have blood serum levels in the 90--100 ng/ml range. It has been determined that toxicity becomes a concern when blood serum levels approach the 200 ng/ml range - so the 90-100 range is completely safe. (Grassroots Health - main page)
Dr. Cannell - Water is more toxic than Vitamin D3:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oc2Od7Yytk&feature=related
Disease Incidence Prevention Chart by blood serum level:
http://www.radiomartie.com/hot/disease_incidence%20prevention_by_serum_level_chart_0001-1.jpg
*
Also, women, please supplement with iodine and selenium to avoid breast cancer. These items, along with D3, will go a LONG way in preventing cancer.
Cancer LOVES sugar, so avoid it completely! The simple syrup and baking soda trick works against cancer because the concoction acts like a sugary Trojan Horse, sneaking the deadly (to cancer) pH correct baking soda into the cancer cells.
Cancer hates oxygen. Remember that.
Cancer hates oxygen? That makes oxydative phosphorylation and ATP generation rather difficult...
I heard cancer hates rock music too.
Cancer hates oxygen? That makes oxydative phosphorylation and ATP generation rather difficult...
I heard cancer hates rock music too.â€
http://www.livingfithealthyandhappy.com/2009/12/breast-cancer-diet-tips.html
Furthermore, foods high in fiber and antioxidants (think fruits and vegetables) are effective in combating other forms of cancer. Read it here:
http://www.livingfithealthyandhappy.com/2010/02/reducing-colon-cancer-risk-with-diet.html
Although millions of people are genetically predisposed to developing cancer, environment does play a crucial role. When people are proactive, leading a healthy lifestyle which involves proper nutrition, exercise and stress reduction, it may minimize their risk of disease and/or increase their survival. Thus if a patient ever hopes to recover, it is up to them as well as their physician to be mindful of illness and treatment options.
-healthy_blogging
Published daily, "Living Fit, Healthy and Happy" is a family-friendly health and wellness resource website with articles on fitness, anti-aging, obesity, diabetes, eating disorders, cardiovascular and respiratory health, mental illness and many other health related issues. There's always something for you at "Living Fit, Healthy and Happy".
Living Fit, Healthy and Happy
The website for people who are SERIOUS about leading a healthy life!
I just got done with a 20 week internship at a nursing facility (AL, long term care and rehab). Lots of illness and disease, mostly with people who did not take care of themselves and they wondered why they had so much wrong with them. Those that did the best took care of themselves all throughout their lives and stayed active -- with a positive attitude. And I was always amazed at the nurses and employees there who continued to eat poorly, smoke and were obese. Apparently they learned nothing from the examples in front of them.
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You raise interesting points regarding the relationship between grain-fed vs grass-fed cows and cancer. However, please realize that a large study would have so many variables as to be pretty much useless. Examples; The pesticides on grains vs grass, pesticides in most grains vs organic grains, hormones injected in some cows vs hormone-free cows, preservatives vs preservative-free meat etc..
There would also be variables in the participants: Would folks who choose free-range cow meat be more likely to make other healthy lifestyle choices such as exercise, not smoking, stress reduction? All of these can lower incidences of cancer.
Instead of producing a plethera of expensive, methodologically questionable studies in a quest to justify meat eating, I think it would be safer for our health (and more environmentally sustainable for our planet) to move toward a meat-free diet.
As the spouse of an otherwise healthy cancer survivor who is still severely underweight months after multiple surgeries, devastating radiation treatments, and chemo, I was hoping for something of practical value -- no such luck, and if my wife followed the advice of the organic mulch munchers of Alternative Medicone Inc. she'd probably be dead from sheer malnutrition by now.
Just keep practicing your ISHA YOGA. and you will be fine.
Silvia C Greene
Anecdotes don't prove theories, they only sound nice.
I know of no study that links natural saturates to cancer or heart disease or any illness. There are certainly plenty of studies linking meat-eating to cancer, and then jumping to the conclusion that saturated fats are the culprit. These studies are so poor they do not control the most critical variable- the source of the meat. It is undoubtedly grain-fed meat, that is loaded with pro-inflammatory omega-6 from corn/soy, along with synthetic hormones and antibiotics from the CAFO industry. There are no studies on the adverse effects of saturated fat as found in nature, but plenty on the positive effects of such fats. See for example:
http://www.health-report.co.uk/saturated_fats_health_benefits.htm
On the other hand, certain low fat diets have a long legacy of promoting cancer, starting with the father of low fats, Nathan Pritikin. He committed suicide rather than deal with his leukemia. Other studies so no benefit. See:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/08/health/08fat.html
An eating plan designed by nature, not nutritionists, can be found in "The Wellness Project."
Roy Mankovtiz, Director
http://www.MontecitoWellness.com
Silvia c greene
How in the world do you honestly think that COW CANCER is going to survive in a human being?
ROFL
I'm gonna use that as a joke...
The proteins in grains are called prolamins and they are attacked by the immune systems of some people and are linked to things like Celiac disease. Gluten is in many things wheere we don't expect to find it--like soy sauce so read the label ingredients. If you're really sensitive, don't eat anything processed in a plant that handles gluten products. Here are some good substitutes for grains: buckwheat, cornmeal (non-gmo), chickpea flour, brown rice flour, taro flour, sweet potato flour, gram flour.
Your body WANTS to be in balance, and an acidic meat and dairy based diet will create imbalance (not to mention 'acid indigestion').
Learn about the pH of foods - it's fascinating stuff.
We need to spread it. Doctors are just pushing their meds and sooner or later you succumb
to it because we trust the doctors.
, and anti-oxidant use to control free radicals measure up in light of Dr. Blocks comments.