Health Articles:

Dietary Cancer Prevention Strategies

by Dr. Jake Psenka, ND

In 1997, the American Institute for Cancer Research published a list of 14 dietary recommendations intended to reduce global cancer incidence and mortality. Recently, the results of a study based on these dietary recommendations were published in the journal “Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.” This current study condensed the original 14 recommendations into 9 that the authors thought were particularly important for Western populations. These 9 dietary recommendations were then evaluated on a group of 29,564 women with regard to cancer incidence, cancer mortality, cardiovascular disease mortality, and total mortality. None of the women in the study had a prior history of cancer or heart disease when the study began.

At follow up in 1998, women who had followed zero to one of the recommendations were 1.35 times more likely to have cancer than women who implemented six to nine of the recommendations. Cardiovascular disease did not appear to be correlated with the number of dietary recommendations followed. The results of this study suggest that diet can have a big impact on cancer incidence. Here are the dietary recommendations that we feel are most important for people who are trying to reduce their chance of developing cancer:

1. Food Supply/eating habits: Consume a plant-based diet rich in fruits and vegetables and try to minimize starchy foods.

2. Vegetable and fruit intake: Eat five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Five servings may seem like a lot, but a serving is ½ cup, which make reaching the goal very easy.

3. Consumption of other plant foods: Eat seven or more daily portions of a variety of whole grain cereals, roots, tubers, plantains, ect. Minimize the starchy vegetables and processed foods and refined sugars- try Stevia as a great sugar substitute.

4. Alcohol consumption: Alcohol intake is discouraged as alcohol is usually rich in carbohydrates. Alcohol also may interfere with a major detoxification organ in the body- the liver.

5. Meat consumption: Meat consumption should be kept below 3 ounces per day, if at all. Remember to buy and eat only organically raised meat products, as most commercial products are raised with the use of sub-optimal feed, growth hormones, and excessive antibiotic use.

6. Total fats and oils: Limit consumption of fatty and fried foods. There are good fats that should be incorporated into everyone's diet. The beneficial fats include omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 fatty acids and they can be found in certain fish, un-roasted nuts, avocados, and fish or flax oils.

7. Salt and Salting: Limit consumption of salt and salted foods. Use herbs and spices as alternate seasonings.

8. Food Storage: Do not eat food subject to contamination due to long storage at ambient temperatures. Fresh foods should be emphasized.

9. Additives and residues: Minimize your exposure to additives, contaminants, and other residues in food sources. Thorough washing is a must, buying organic is better.

10. Food preparation: Minimize the amount of grilled or charred meats eaten.

Combining these dietary recommendations with some healthy lifestyle changes such as frequent exercise and stress reduction can help you keep you and your family healthy and happy for a long time to come.