Controlling Cancer Risks with Healthy Nutrition and Lifestyle

What is the connection between cancer, nutrition and lifestyle?

A cancer diagnosis can be devastating.

Certainly those that come to my programs are seeking information about reducing the risk of cancer or its recurrence through diet and lifestyle. Most often people have not been told that they are in control of three basic tools to reduce their risk of cancer and its recurrence. The three tools are:

1. Choosing a whole food diet where two thirds of your diet consists of colorful vegetables and fruits, sprouts and fermented foods, and one third consists of non-red meat protein sources such as low fat poultry, fish, legumes and whole grains. This offers high quality nourishment to the body and helps reduce the risk of cancer by 30%.
(WCRF/AICR., Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity. 2007.)

2. Engaging in 30 to 90 minutes of physical activity five to six times a week may lower cancer risks up to 40%. (Dr. Block, Long-term Biologic Strategies for Secondary Prevention of Cancer, IFM 17th International Symposium, May 2010.)

3. Relaxation, deep breathing, and stress reduction practices mediate your risk of cancer and offer gene support. (Ornish D et al. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 2008;105:8369.)

Recent literature suggests that there is a growing scientific understanding of the nutrition-lifestyle cancer connection. It has taken the past thirty years of scientific inquiry to conclude that on a daily basis people need healthy food, good exercise and time to relax. Here are some of the facts from the research.

The World Health Organization reports:
• 2.7 million deaths are attributable to low fruit and vegetable intake
• 1.9 million deaths are attributable to physical inactivity
• At least 1/3 of all cancer cases are preventable (http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/en)

The Nurse’s Health Study’s comments on Western Dietary patterns and the increase in Mortality from Breast Cancer and other Diseases:
• Low grain, high fiber diet with lots of fruits and vegetables increases survivorship
(Kroenke et al., J Clin Oncol 23(36): 92925-9303.2005.)
• Most active women have a 13% reduction in breast cancer risk regardless of tumor stage or histology (Peters et al., CEBP18(1):289, 2009.)

The NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study on Colorectal Cancer Risks and Meat Intake states:
• The highest intake of red meat and processed meat significantly increased the incidence of colorectal cancer risk (Cross et al., Cancer Res/ 2010 Mar 15;70(6):2406-14)

The Lifestyle Heart Trial found:
• You may slow, stop, or reverse the progression of prostate cancer with lifestyle changes: vegetarian diet, daily physical exercise and daily meditation
(Ornish D et al.JAMA 1998:20: 2001-2007.)
• In a three month study participants that ate a vegetarian diet, practiced meditation and daily physical exercise, it was found that gene expression in over 500 genes was beneficially affected and that oncogenes causing breast cancer and prostate cancer were down regulated (turned off). (Ornish D et al. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 2008;105:8369.)

The Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment notes:
• Refined carbs and sugar intake increases risk of several cancers
• Low animal protein diets decrease cancer risk and cancer mortality
• Healthful diet may reduce recurrence in breast and oral cancers
• Fitness reduces cancer risk in Breast cancer by 20-30%, in lung cancer by 13-39%, and in colon cancer by 50% . Walking 3 to 5 hours per week cut risk of death from breast cancer by 50%.
(Dr. Block, Long-term Biologic Strategies for Secondary Prevention of Cancer, IFM 17th International Symposium, May 2010.)



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Diet and lifestyle choices are something we can control. We start by removing the old habits and adding healthy new ones.
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REMOVE the processed food from your pantry
Do this slowly and methodically so the change can stick.
You will know the food is processed if:
• It is refined such as white flour or sugar, some refined oils and table salt
• The shelf life is exceptionally long, such as aseptic soups and drinks, canned foods, snack foods, box cereals or meals
• There are additives and preservatives in the ingredients
Generally, do not use a packaged product if there are more than five ingredients that you do not recognize as a whole food or cannot pronounce.

ADD whole foods to your pantry
• You will know it is a whole food if it looks like a seed, nut, grain, legume, fruit, vegetables, or sea vegetable which was just harvested
• Sea salt; it offers minerals to enrich your diet
• Raw fermented vegetables; which provide probiotic support and vitamin C
• Sweeteners in moderation and as whole as possible, honey, maple syrup, dried fruits, Stevia
• Green foods; chlorella, spirulina, barley and wheat grasses
• Sprouts; nutrient rich and inexpensive when home made

ADD several internet sites for whole food recipes and pick up a great cook book or two
Remember local libraries have cook books for free.

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REMOVE inactivity and couch potato routines

ADD physical activity
Thirty to ninety minutes per day of walking, biking, hiking, dance, gardening, yoga, Qigong, Ti Chi, or any other physical exercise to your daily life may change your cancer risk or outcome by as much as 40%

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REMOVE stress and loneliness

ADD stress reduction practices
Deep breathing, prayer, meditation, yoga, Quigong and/or deep sleep

ADD community!
Be active within your community, your family and friends. They offer support, laughter, love and encouragement. They are your connection to living a full and joyous life.


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Let me know how you do.

Many Blessings!
JoEllen