Chances are your life has been touched by cancer — whether you, a parent, friend or even a child has been diagnosed. While cancer can leave us feeling helpless, the good news is that there are measures you can take to help prevent the disease. Your diet is one of the most important factors under your control.
This year, more than half a million Americans will lose their lives to cancer, and more than 1.6 million men and women will be diagnosed with this devastating illness. Lifestyle changes, along with early detection, can prevent nearly half of all cancer deaths.
The American Cancer Society says that for most Americans who do not use tobacco, the most important cancer risk factors that can be changed are body weight, diet, and physical activity. One-third of all cancer deaths in the United States each year are linked to diet and physical activity, including being overweight or obese.
Eating well can help you prevent and beat cancer in a variety of ways. A healthy diet can lower your risk for developing cancer. And, if you have been diagnosed, eating well can positively support treatment and help you live well after treatment.
Here are some general dietary guidelines to help reduce your cancer risk from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and their website www.eatright.org:
1. Maintaining a healthy weight is key to reducing your risk of cancer and other diseases. Being overweight or obese is likely to raise your risk for developing more than 13 types of cancer. Obesity can negatively affect inflammation in the body, the immune system, the way in which body cells grow and levels of certain hormones. Regular physical activity can help to maintain a healthy weight, or help you lose weight, if needed.
2. Eat fewer foods that are high in calories and fat and low in nutrients. Foods with added sugars and fats can cause weight gain and leave little room for more healthful, cancer-preventive foods. Minimize intake of highly-processed foods, refined sugar, solid fats, and salted, charred, cured or smoked foods.
3. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables which are full of healthful vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytochemicals and antioxidants to help your body fight off cancer-causing substances. Include at least 2 cups of beans each week. The antioxidants in fruits, vegetables and beans may help protect your body’s cells from the damage caused by unstable free-radical molecules – damage that can lead to cancer. Beans also are an excellent source of fiber, which has been linked to lower risks of colorectal, pancreatic and breast cancers. And since the color pigments provide some of the nutritional benefits, fill half your plate each meal with a colorful variety of naturally nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables.
4. Limit alcohol. Evidence suggests all types of alcoholic drinks may increase your risk of a number of cancers, including mouth, throat (pharynx), voice box (larynx), esophagus, liver, breast, colon and rectum. It’s unclear exactly how alcohol affects cancer risk. It is considered more harmful when combined with smoking. If you drink at all, limit alcoholic drinks to no more than one drink daily for women and two for men.
Although genetics influence our risk of cancer, most of the difference in cancer risk between people is due to factors that are not inherited. Avoiding tobacco products, staying at a healthy weight, staying active throughout life, and eating a healthy diet may greatly reduce a person’s lifetime risk of developing or dying from cancer.
For more information, see the nutrition links for cancer and other chronic diseases from K-State Research and Extension Human Nutrition at http://tinyurl.com/mc578cw.
Linda K. Beech is Ellis County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.