I’m considering applying for a job with a charity (World Cancer Research Fund International) that, according to the website, aims to reduce the incidence of cancer by changing people’s diets.
Although it seems like a very laudable undertaking and a respectable organisation, and mentions research, I think maybe I’ve been reading a bit too much of quackwatch.org because my first thought was ‘curing cancer through diet? That sounds iffy’.
So is the idea accepted by mainstream medicine or is it a bit alternative? I’m not medical at all so am not sure where to look for answers (apart from the lovely SD, bien sur).
You are right; it makes little sense to try to cure cancer through the diet. What they are trying to do is reduce the incidence of cancer by changing what people eat, how much they exercise, and how much they weigh. This does not mean that it would be possible for someone who has already developed cancer to be cured, just that if everyone followed their advice the number of people with cancer would be reduced.
I am unclear on how much weight these factors have in determining if someone gets cancer or not, but it seems to be a worthy cause.
Having just been through a personal bout with breast cancer in my family, I am here to tell you that lifestyle and what you eat has a monstrous effect on the incidence of cancer. Luckily, the family member who was affected with breast cancer found it early enough (after 35 ladies please get those mamagrams) that is ewas fully treatable. In fact, she refused chemo and went for a healthy diet and radiation. Now here is what she eats:
Only Organic Everything…Nothing processed. She even buys organic cleaning agents…
Not only has she shed 30 pounds but she has a huge appetite for life.
She eats the freshest of fod at all times…if people are having something “bad” for dinner, she if fine with fixing herself what she wants to eat. Her Pad response to making her own dinners when other people are eating something she considers bad is: “Do you really mind if I make my own dinner? My post-cancer-nutritionist recommended I only eat healthy, organic materials to maintain a healthy body for the rest of my days…” <-Paraphrased of course.
So per the OP, yes, a healthy diet full of a balenced nutrition system will promote a cancer free body…
There has been a consensus developing that you can curtail the rates of cancer by improving a groups diet. Eating foods rich in anitoxidents and vitamins to combat prostate cancer (tomatoes, e.g.)…high fiber diets/balanced eating to stave off colon cancer…etc.
I don’t think it’s a crazy idea at all; a healthy diet keeps the immune system happily humming along in general. In fact, I had surgery for cervical cancer a little over a year ago; it’s easily beaten if caught early, but the virus that causes most cervical cancer can lie dormant in the body at undetectable levels for years at a time and then pop up to create more havoc, a mechanism which is poorly understood. What’s more, many of those who test positive for the virus will never develop cancer.
After the surgery, I asked my doc what I could do to prevent a recurrence, and she told me to keep up my immune system and specifically to make sure I got enough folic acid, by taking a vitamin supplement if necessary. She’s not at all a new-agey person from a medical standpoint, so I’m sure she’s basing it on something.
Aside: Cervical cancer is much, much more common in the developing world, where women are more likely to have poor nutrition and less likely to have regular gyno checkups.
So the focus on preventing cancer from happening by upping the immune system is definitely acceptable, then? That’s good to know – thanks – I can apply with a clear conscience!
It’s been edifying to hear about your own cancer stories. Sometimes I forget how widespread it is.