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The role of a healthy lifestyle in disease prevention is widely supported. When discussing the complex group of diseases known as cancer, there is a definite link between lifestyle and the risk for certain types of cancer.
Cancer prevention is an important aspect of a healthy lifestyle, and there are several main aspects of it. The food in a person’s diet relates in several ways. Elements in food may be cancer causing, cancer promoting, or cancer preventing. The most likely role of food in the causation of cancer is not that of initiation, but of promotion.
Dietary factors associated with cancer risk most often center around dietary fat which is implicated as a promoter after a carcinogen has initiated the disease. It is believed that dietary fat can cause the body to secrete more of certain hormones that favor cancer development. Dietary fat promotes the secretion of bile into the intestine, which may promote the growth of cancer cells. In some cases, dietary fat may be incorporated into cell membranes, changing them so they offer fewer defenses against invaders.
Vegetarians have lower mortality rates from cancer than the rest of the population. Studies suggest low cancer rates correlate with high vegetable and grain intakes. The fiber in wheat bran and whole wheat helps protect against some forms of cancer, perhaps by absorbing toxins and promoting their excretion, as well as excess bile, out of the body.
 Tim Germain, owner of Auto Works, gets 18 inches of his hair cut off for “Locks of Love”. Anita Garcia, from La Casita Restaurant, performs the clipping. (Photo courtesy of Pam Germain) |
The dietary recommendation is five servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Plant foods play special roles in cancer resistance because of their antioxidant nutrients. The antioxidant vitamins that seem to be the most protective are beta carotene, vitamin E, and vitamin C.
Antioxidants neutralize free radicals. Free radicals are oxygen atoms which contain unpaired hydrogen electrons. (Electrons normally come in pairs.) These unbalanced atoms seek electrons from other atoms to replace their own, by attacking normal cells and causing the chain reaction of oxidation.
Antioxidants provide the hydrogen atoms that the free radicals would normally steal from the body cells, thus protecting the healthy cells from damage. Bright yellow, orange, and dark green fruits and vegetables have the highest amounts of antioxidants.
Some food contains anti-promoters, substances that oppose cancer. The best known are in cruciferous vegetables of the cabbage family, such as broccoli and cauliflower. They contain chemical which activate enzymes that destroy carcinogens.
Exercise is the second important factor for disease prevention. Moderate amounts of exercise may strengthen the immune system and improve its ability to destroy circulating cancer cells. It is unknown exactly how exercise might help prevent cancer but there is some evidence that it may exert a protective effect by preventing obesity, which is associated with increased cancer risk.
Other research indicates that aerobic exercise helps to reduce the risk of prostate cancer among men. Many smokers who begin exercising soon stop smoking, perhaps due to an appreciation or desire for better lung capacity or perhaps due to the stress relief exercise produces. Exercise also helps limit weight gain associated with smoking cessation.
On the flip side of the coin, extremely hard exercise and over-training produce more than average free radicals, increasing the need for antioxidants.
Guidelines for cancer prevention
- Moderate food calories
- Moderate dietary fats; under 30 percent of total calories
- High vegetable and fruit intake
- Moderate or no alcohol
- High complex carbohydrates and fiber
- Exercise
- Quit smoking
- Minimize exposure to known carcinogens
It is a sad fact that cancer does affect so many people, including children. To ease the distress of the treatment of the disease, there are some wonderful organizations that provide different forms of help. Recently my family and our automotive business, Auto Works, held an event that included the owner, Tim Germain, getting his 18 inch long ponytail clipped off to donate to “Locks of Love,” an organization that makes wigs for children and adults going through treatment. We were generously sponsored by Phil and Anita Garcia, owners of La Casita, who provided lunch for attendees. Anita also did the honors of cutting and styling Tim’s hair.
Pam Germain works at keeping busy & fit owning two businesses: Auto Works in Sierra Vista and NAFC/BodyBasics, a fitness education company.
Sherri wrote on Aug 3, 2007 12:32 AM: