More than one-third of Americans will be told “You have cancer” at some point in their lives. What would you be willing to do to prevent this dreaded diagnosis?
Once cancer is discovered, most people would do almost anything to stop the disease — but you don’t have to wait until your life is on the line to make changes.
Important new finding: Simply eating a nutritious diet, getting regular physical activity and maintaining a healthy body weight may prevent 45% of colorectal cancers, 47% of stomach cancers, 39% of pancreatic cancers and 36% of lung cancers. All told, these lifestyle habits could eliminate 24% of all cancers.
To learn more about cancer prevention, Bottom Line/Health spoke with David Servan-Schreiber, MD, PhD, cofounder of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine’s Center for Integrative Medicine and a cancer survivor himself.
When I was first diagnosed with brain cancer 17 years ago, I embarked on a tireless effort to understand why some of us develop cancer and others do not.
What few people realize: Most adults already have cancer cells in their bodies due to damage to the genetic material inside cells. This damage may have resulted from repeated exposure to toxins, such as inhaling benzopyrene in tobacco smoke or consuming heterocyclic amines found in meats cooked under high heat — or merely by chance.
So why don’t more of us get cancer? Research shows that some people have a “cancer-promoting” environment in their bodies — due primarily to their unhealthy lifestyles — that is marked by impaired immunity and chronic inflammation. People who have healthy lifestyles, on the other hand, generally have more robust immune systems that can destroy cancer cells before they proliferate and become disease-causing tumors.
How to fortify your body’s natural cancer-fighting defenses…
Research shows that different cancers respond to varying amounts of exercise. To prevent breast cancer, for example, you need about nine metabolic equivalents (METs), a measure of aerobic exertion, per week. This is roughly equal to walking at a normal speed for three to five hours a week.
If you have risk factors for a particular cancer, ask your doctor to recommend the optimal type and amount of exercise for you.
My advice: You don’t have to join a gym — or even refer to your activity as exercise.
Ways to get physical activity that counts toward your METs total: Use stairs instead of elevators… take up a hobby that involves physical activity, such as gardening… vacuum your house often… wash the car, etc.
My advice: Practice yoga, meditation or other forms of relaxation daily. In one recent study, women who practiced a relaxation method for 10 to 20 minutes daily had the lowest risk for a recurrence of breast cancer. Besides stress, other emotional risk factors include…
Lack of intimacy. People without close relationships get cancer more often than those who have loving relationships and/or close friendships. The reasons for this are unclear. It’s possible that people who have close relationships take better care of themselves generally.
Dangerous combination: When stress is combined with a lack of intimate relationships, cancer risk is increased by nearly ninefold, according to a study of Australian women.
My advice: Establish — and maintain — close relationships. They don’t have to be romantic relationships. It could be keeping up with old friends, volunteering or going out with colleagues.
Sense of hopelessness. Finnish researchers asked study volunteers to respond to two statements — “I feel that it is impossible to reach the goals I would like to strive for” and “The future seems to me to be hopeless.”
Those who indicated a strong sense of hopelessness were nearly three times more likely to develop cancer within the next six years than people who felt more hopeful.
My advice: See a mental-health professional if you want to have a greater level of control and emotional peace in your life.
Other foods increase the death of cancer cells… or block the growth of blood vessels that cancer cells need to survive. For example, the omega-3 fatty acids in fish (such as sardines and mackerel) may help prevent many different cancers. Everyone should eat fish at least two or three times a week.
In addition, cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, broccoli and brussels sprouts, contain sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinols, compounds that detoxify carcinogens and help prevent precancerous cells from developing. I recommend eating one serving of a cruciferous vegetable at least three days a week. Other important cancer-fighting foods…
Raspberries and strawberries. They’re extremely high in ellagic acid, an antioxidant that appears to slow tumor growth and the growth of blood vessels that feed tumors.
My advice: Eat one-half cup of raspberries or strawberries (fresh or frozen) three to five times a week.
Rosemary. It contains carnosol, a compound that reduces the ability of cancer cells to invade neighboring tissues.
My advice: Use rosemary and other aromatic herbs and spices, such as turmeric, thyme and oregano, most days of the week. Just one-quarter teaspoon daily of an herb or spice is thought to be beneficial.
Organic grains. Selenium is a trace mineral derived primarily from the soil and found in a variety of foods, including vegetables and whole grains. Selenium can increase by up to 80% the activity of natural killer cells that target and destroy early cancer cells.
My advice: Eat six to 10 servings weekly of organic (pesticide-free) whole grains, such as wheat, barley, rye or oats. These foods contain high levels of selenium. I don’t recommend taking selenium supplements — the evidence for their cancer-fighting effects is mixed.
