Diet and lifestyle changes you should make now to lower your cancer risk
Make wise lifestyle choices every day to lower your cancer risk
Using data from the National Cancer Institute, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries and the National Center for Health Statistics, the American Cancer Society estimates that in 2009 alone 1,479,350 new cancer cases will be diagnosed and more than half a million Americans will die from cancer. While those statistics may cause concern, there is positive news. Cancer incidence and death rates have been decreasing in both men and women for more than a decade.
And recent studies offer even more good news. “Each of us can take an active role in reducing our personal cancer risk by making changes in our diet, exercise routine and lifestyle choices. A meta-analysis (a process that combines and analyzes data from a large group of studies) of 103 studies focused on colorectal cancer recently published in the International Journal of Cancer found that there are a number of key changes we can make to reduce our cancer risk,” says Dr. Michael Scott, PinnacleCare’s Director of Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Change what you eat
Food can have a powerful impact on your overall health and wellbeing. Studies have shown that certain foods are linked to an increase in cancer risk while others correlate with a decrease in risk.
Red meat (beef and pork) and processed meats (including hot dogs, ham, bacon, sausage, lunch meat and cured meats like pastrami) were associated with an approximately 20 percent increase in colorectal cancer risk in people who ate the greatest amount of these foods compared to those who ate the least. Men who consumed 63 or more grams of red meat per 1,000 calories had a 31 percent increase in risk of overall death, while women who ate that amount of red meat had a 36 percent higher risk. In addition, cancer risk was 22 percent higher for men in the group and 20 percent higher for women, while the risk of heart disease was 27 percent and 50 percent higher for men and women respectively.
In contrast, eating chicken, turkey and fish was not linked to an increased risk of death from cancer. What may be surprising is the fact that 63 grams of red meat per 1,000 calories is not as large a portion as you might think. In fact, for a woman who eats an average of 2,000 calories a day, 63 grams per 1,000 calories would translate to approximately four to five ounces of red meat a day.
To reduce the cancer risk associated with red meat, processed and cured meats, the research suggests limiting your consumption to a three ounce serving (about the size of a deck of cards) and less than three servings per week.
Breast cancer risk can also be positively impacted by what you eat. A long term Swedish study that included more than 61,000 women who were followed for approximately 17 years found that a high glycemic load increased the risk of the type of breast cancer known as estrogen receptor-positive, progesterone receptor-negative (ER+/PR-) cancer 81 percent.
It’s important to note that glycemic load (GL) is different from glycemic index (GI), a popular measurement in a number of diets. Both measure carbohydrates and their effect on blood sugar, but GL adjusts for the serving size eaten, providing a better measure of the effect of a food on blood sugar levels. When seeking lower GL foods look for ones that are minimally processed and choose whole fruits and vegetables instead of juice.
Other foods that studies have found to have an impact on breast cancer risk include walnuts, which contain significant amounts of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidant phytosterols. A preliminary study in mice found that the phytosterols bind to estrogen-receptors and cut breast cancer risk nearly 50 percent and also slowed breast cancer tumor growth by the same amount. Researchers caution, however, that more studies, including human trials, are needed.
Carotenoids, antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables, have been linked to breast cancer risk reduction as well. One study found that for premenopausal women, eating foods rich in beta-carotene, alpha-carotene and lutein and zeaxanthin lowered cancer risk up to 19 percent. The women with the lowest risk ate two or more servings of carotenoid packed foods daily, including:
- For beta-carotene: carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, kale, collard greens, cabbage, cantaloupe, broccoli, peppers, apricots and peas
- For alpha-carotene: pumpkin, squash, beans, leafy greens, tangerines, plums, raspberries, corn and many of the foods that also contain beta-carotene
- For lutein and zeaxanthin: spinach, kale, turnip greens, Brussels sprouts, peas, broccoli and lettuce
For men, a meta-analysis of studies of prostate cancer risk discovered that eating more plant-based foods including cruciferous vegetables and especially those foods containing lycopene like tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, and guava lowered the risk of developing prostate cancer. Again, researchers caution that some of the studies included in the analysis were preliminary and more study is needed to draw definitive conclusions.
Research by Cornell Professor Emeritus Dr. T. Colin Campbell whose career has been focused on the study of the effects of diet on disease risk suggests that casein, an animal protein in dairy products, correlates with a range of negative health effects and an increased incidence of cancer. When recommending a switch to an entirely plant-based diet, he cites experimental studies which have shown the diet stopped the progression of cancer. One study of melanoma patients, for example, showed that cancer progression was substantially halted when patients adhered strictly to a plant-based eating plan.
Get active and make healthy choices
In addition to dietary changes, there are a number of key lifestyle changes you can make to lower your cancer risk. Obesity has been noted as a risk factor for cancer, with people who were 30 pounds or more overweight having a 40 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer than people with a BMI of 25, which is considered to indicate healthy body weight. Obesity has also been cited as a risk factor for pancreatic, breast, endometrial, kidney and esophageal cancers. In addition, those with diabetes had a 23 percent higher risk for colorectal cancer than non-diabetics.
Other lifestyle choices that effect cancer risk include alcohol consumption, smoking and exercise. The study published in the International Cancer Journal found that smokers’ risk was 16 percent higher. Of greater concern, a 2009 study that followed more than 1 million women for seven years uncovered a link between even minimal alcohol consumption and an increased risk of cancer of the breast, esophagus, larynx, colon, rectum and liver. The higher level of risk was not linked to the type of alcohol consumed and the researchers estimated that 5 percent of cancers in U.S. women were due to having as little a one drink per day. While no similarly strong link has yet been uncovered for men, more study is needed.
On the positive side of the equation, taking part in regular exercise was linked to a lowered cancer risk. People who were most physically active had a 20 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer compared to those who got the least exercise. Women over 50 also benefited from exercise, with those who had the highest levels of activity having a reduced risk for some types of breast cancer. In this study, the women who took part in the equivalent of 2.5 hours of moderate-paced walking a day reaped the greatest risk reduction, but there was also a trend for a decrease in the incidence of breast cancer tied to other, lesser levels of exercise.
PinnacleCare can help you craft a personal cancer risk reduction plan
PinnacleCare members can work with their health advisor to develop a plan that includes diet, exercise and other lifestyle changes that can help not only lower their risk for some types of cancer but also improve cardiovascular health and decrease their risk for a range of chronic diseases.
“While we cannot control our genetic risk, we can all take a proactive role in lowering our cancer risk by making key lifestyle changes and we can start making those changes today,” adds Dr. Scott.
Resources
“Phys Ed: Does Exercise Reduce Your Cancer Risk.” This article found in the online edition of The New York Times examines recent studies of the effect of exercise on cancer risk. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/phys-ed-does-exercise-reduce-yo...
