The Martlet

Lifestyle is the major cause of cancer. 

There is no doubt that pollution and pesticides contribute to this devastating disease, but these elements are often beyond our control. Meanwhile, there are things every one of us can do to reduce our risk.

The cancer epidemic in the West can no longer be explained purely by longer lives, since the increase is particularly striking in younger people. Between 1975 and 1994, the U.S. cancer rate of those under 45 rose by 1.6 per cent per year in women and by 1.8 per cent per year in men.  

Breast, prostate and colon cancers are nine times more frequent in North America and Northern Europe than in China, Laos and Korea. This cannot be attributed to genes since immigrants from these countries soon start to develop cancer at similar rates. 

Nor can it be attributed to screening, since cancers that are not screened have also increased.

Diet is the biggest lifestyle change in Western countries since the Second World War. Farming and the way livestock are raised have changed dramatically, altering the nutritional value of food. Also, processed foods now make up much more of the average person’s diet. 

The problem is that our genes haven’t changed since we were hunters and gatherers. Around 56 per cent of our calories now come from foods that did not exist when our genes were developing. 

These new foods, including refined sugars, refined grains and vegetable oils, not only contain none of the proteins, vitamins, minerals or omega-3 fatty acids our bodies need to function, but also directly fuel the growth of cancer. 

Science claims that we all have cancerous cells in our bodies, but they remain dormant unless they are provided with the fuel they need to grow into tumours. Foods with a high glycemic index, such as sugars and refined grains, cause our blood sugar to rise rapidly. 

The body responds by releasing insulin and insulin-like growth factor which stimulates cell growth and promotes inflammation. Cancer cells grow rapidly and are enabled to invade surrounding tissues under these conditions. 

Omega-6 oils, such as vegetable oils, also cause inflammation. The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 oils (found in oily fish and flax seeds) should be between 3:1 and 1:1 but is now generally about 25:1 or higher.

Processed foods contain omega-6 oils, as do eggs from grain-fed chickens and milk, butter and meat from grain-fed cows. When these animals are grass-fed, the ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s is about 1:1.

It is clear that in order to minimize the chances of developing cancer, or to slow the growth of an established cancer, refined grains, sugars, vegetable oils (except for olive oil), processed foods and grain-fed meat, milk and eggs should be avoided, or at least reduced to a minimum. 

Instead, the major part of the diet should come from fruits, vegetables and nuts with a few unrefined grains. 

Red meat should also be eaten sparingly since the risk of certain cancers, including breast and colon cancer, is greatly reduced in those who eat less than one ounce per day. And certain foods, like green leafy vegetables, particularly those in the brassica (cabbage) family, are anti-cancer in that they stop or slow the growth of cancer cells.

Exercise is also important since it reduces fat (which stores toxins), lowers blood sugar levels and inflammation, reduces the level of testosterone and estrogen that contribute to certain cancers and strengthens the immune system. 

Cancer patients who exercise regularly can reduce their chances of relapse. A study of breast cancer patients showed a 50 to 60 per cent reduction in relapse rates for those who exercised regularly during treatment.

Similar results have been shown for prostate and colon cancers. Presumably, exercising regularly will also help prevent the development of cancer.

One book well worth reading, which elaborates on the above points, is David Servan-Schreiber’s Anti-Cancer. Servan-Schreiber is a physician who sought help from the medical literature after he relapsed following treatment for brain cancer. Although told by his oncologist that there was nothing he could do to help himself heal, he found a wealth of information that showed the opposite.