Over half the population will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime, the newest studies tell us. While many factors contribute to the data, it’s undeniable that lifestyle—including food—plays a major role in both reducing risk of contracting the disease and improving your chances of surviving it. As London nutritionist Adam Cunliffe points out, there’s not much to lose from adopting a diet designed to combat cancer; at worst, it contributes to weight loss and improved energy, and at best, it keeps a terrifying diagnosis at bay. Below, he breaks down what we know today about cancer and diet, and details common-sense practices you can start using now to reduce your risk.
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Q
What does the major research tell us about diet and cancer?
A
One in two people will now get a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, the newest public-health information tells us. Not long ago, the data was one in three—a shocking difference. Such a drastic change points to the fact that lifestyle is at least contributing to the increased risk.
It is estimated that a third or more of cancers are related to our diet. This can be related to foods that we aren’t eating enough of, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, or things we might eat too much of, such as salt, sugar, and refined carbs. Fortunately, with the right information, diet is one risk variable that’s entirely within our control.
Q
Can we quantify the risk reduction associated with a healthy diet?
A
It’s difficult to put a number to the diet factor in cancer, because so many other lifestyle and genetic factors are mixed up with risk. Plus, there’s always the random mutation effect—you could do everything right and still get unlucky.
That said, based on the best estimates, we think improved diet could reduce cancer risk by roughly a third. If we add to this, stopping smoking, avoiding excess stress, keeping physically active and avoiding high pollution levels, we can actually reduce risk dramatically. We are also confident that eating better has no downside—it’s something all of us can do right now to be healthier and feel better. If it could also help prevent a dreaded diagnosis, all the better.
Q
What are the distinctions between preventative and curative foods?
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Eating to support a strong immune system can be preventive in the sense that cancer may not occur in the first place, but it can also be ‘curative’ in sense that cancer may arise but be eliminated before it ever has a chance to take a hold. We know that cancer cells frequently form in healthy people, but our immune cells promptly destroy them. It’s the reason that more men die with prostate cancer than of prostate cancer.
Even if cancer does get a grip in our bodies, we can inhibit its rate of growth and spread by eating an anti-cancer diet. While very few ‘cures’ (remissions) have been recorded following diet-only interventions, a notable case is documented in an individual who had complete remission from advanced cancer after self-medicating with high doses of green tea and pineapple. It could be argued that this was one of the rare ‘spontaneous’ remissions, but both green tea and pineapple are known to inhibit cancer cell growth (the anti-cancer potential of the epigallocatechin gallate in green tea and bromelain in pineapple are current cancer therapy research areas).
In conventional medicine, it’s heresy to say that a diet can cure cancer, because although there may be a few cases, oncologists are rightly worried that people would forego conventional treatment in favor of a diet-based program that may not be as effective. I don’t advocate for food-only cures, and recommend that everyone who has been diagnosed move forward with the advice of their oncologist, but I do believe that as a supplement to conventional treatment, diet is vital. For many people, diet is the first defense for keeping energy up, because body wasting is one of the worst side effects of many conventional cancer treatments. Most treatments involve breaking down parts of your immunity, so I’m particularly concerned with keeping up micro-density to support the immune system.
Rest of article: http://goop.com/5-cancer-fighting-foods-plus-what-to-avoid/
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