Cancer & Your Diet
by Laura Lee Carter
What we eat can make a big difference in our energy levels, our mood, and our self-esteem. When we choose foods rich in protective fiber and nutrition, such as certain fruits and vegetables, we are also doing something positive for our health and well-being.
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The National Cancer Institute estimates that at least 35 percent of all cancers have some nutritional connection. When lifestyle factors such as smoking and exercise are included, the associated risk increases to as high as 85 percent.
The physicians and staff at the Cancer Center of the Rockies presented a special program recently called Cancer and Nutrition: What We Know About Cancer and Diet – The Latest in Research, on October 6.
The goal of this presentation was to help educate those concerned about the connection between cancer and how we nourish ourselves. During the free session, this independent group of physicians and professionals devoted to the diagnosis, care, and treatment of patients with malignancies and/or blood disorders, explored findings from the latest research into how our daily diet may impact our own possibility of an eventual cancer diagnosis.
The Cancer Center of the Rockies plays a positive role in our community by promoting wellness through education, counseling, and complementary services. This is why they offer free presentations like the recent one on cancer and nutrition.
When asked about the connection between cancer and nutrition, Miho Scott, M.D., oncologist with the Cancer Center, emphasizes her primary concern with the American diet: obesity. She says, “We all need to clean up our diet and work on maintaining a moderate calorie intake.”
Dr. Scott offers evidence from Japanese research studies when asked whether cancer incidence seems to be related to genetics or nutrition. “Women in Japan have the lowest breast cancer rate of all industrialized countries. But when these same women move to Hawaii or the United States, their risk for breast cancer immediately begins to rise. Why is that? Environment has a lot to do with it, but diet must also be an important factor.”
Dr. Scott expressed some concern about relying on the “safety” of only eating organic foods. “Organic foods are still watered with our local ground water, exposed to the same polluted air, bacteria, and ground toxins as all the other crops we grow. Defining ‘organic’ can also be unclear and sometimes misleading.”
According to Dr. Scott, the best most of us can do is to eat more foods from the plant kingdom to increase our levels of phytonutrients and fiber in our diet. Fruits and vegetables containing antioxidants, anticarcinogens, and bioflavonoids are berries, dark green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, legumes, soy, and whole grains.
Studies are ongoing in many labs, looking at the pros and cons of consuming soy protein for those at risk for breast and prostate cancer. Soy does contain several active phytonutrients that may protect against hormone sensitive cancers. In Dr. Scott’s opinion, the soy question has not yet been resolved. She can only say for certain that “eating fresh fruits and vegetables is your best bet against cancers of all types.”
Why is it important for you to keep eating your broccoli? Broccoli is one of the vegetables in the cruciferous family. These vegetables, which also include cabbage, cauliflower, Swiss chard, watercress, and kale, contain isothiocyanates that are protective against carcinogens in lab studies.
Adequate dietary fiber is also an essential ingredient in an anti-cancer diet. Fiber is the indigestible part of foods of plant origin. It does not occur in any foods from animals. Fiber provides bulk in our diet to maintain colon health. It not only reduces transit time in the colon, it also dilutes potential hazardous substances and reduces the amount of time the colon is exposed to these toxins. Finally, fiber provides an environment that is conducive to friendly bacteria, while maintaining a healthy acid level in the colon.
Most Americans consume about 10 grams of dietary fiber each day. The suggested range is 25 to 30 grams spread over the day. It is best to consume fiber at each meal from foods like whole grain cereals, breads, pastas, leafy vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds.
Oily fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, halibut, and tuna contain oils rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Docohexanoic acid (DHA) and Eicosopentanoic acid (EPA) are two of these long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids that occur in fish and in certain vegetables. These are thought to promote heart health and possibly inhibit the growth of some cancers. It is recommended that you try to eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids several times each week. Fish is an excellent source, but berries, mushrooms, and brussel sprouts are also good dietary sources of omega-3 fatty acids.
The Cancer Center’s mission is to provide the highest level of hematology and oncology care to their patients. Dr. Scott describes her role with cancer patients as their “community organizer.” She elaborates, “When patients first receive a cancer diagnosis they need good advice quickly, and careful instruction in the various options available to them. We help them coordinate their own care. Treatment plans have become much more complicated and technical in the past few years. The patient needs specific assistance in understanding and negotiating their maze of options like chemotherapy, radiology and various other medications and treatments.”
The Cancer Center of the Rockies has been located at 2121 E. Harmony Road, Suite 150 in south Fort Collins for the past eight years, with a satellite clinic at 2500 Rocky Mountain Avenue, Suite 350 in Loveland.
Laura Lee Carter is a freelance writer, medical researcher, and author of the new book: Midlife Magic: Becoming The Person You Are Inside! Please check out her blog at www.MidlifeCrisisQueen.com.