Many cancers are preventable through lifestyle changes, not just diet

Much of the incidence of cancer is preventable, says Dawn Mussallem, M.D., DO, DipABLM, hematology oncology consultant, Mayo Clinic assistant professor of medicine, Robert and Monica Jacoby Center for Breast Health breast diagnostic specialist and medical director explained. Mayo Clinic Florida Lyndra P. Daniel Center for Humanities in Medicine, during a keynote address at the 2023 NCODA International Spring Forum.

Mussallem said the World Health Organization estimates that 35% to 50% of all cancers in the world are preventable, while the American Cancer Society estimates that 42% of all cancers in the United States are preventable. I pointed out that I discovered that it is possible.

“I want to bankrupt us all,” Mussallem said in a presentation.

Dawn Mussallem, DO, DipABLM discusses the importance of dietary health in cancer prevention in a keynote address at the 2023 NCODA International Spring Forum.

Mussallem explained that unfortunately there is no single food or tool that can prevent everyone from getting cancer. There are six pillars of a lifestyle that you can do. physical activity; restorative sleep; stress management; avoidance of hazardous substances; and positive social connections. Mussallem pointed out that Anne Ornish and Dean Ornish provide examples of the impact of these six pillars of hers on cancer development in their book. Undo!: How Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Reverse Most Chronic Diseases.

“In one study—[Dean Ornish] We acquired 30 men with early-stage prostate cancer and enrolled these men in an intensive three-month lifestyle modification program,” said Mussallem. “They ate whole foods and plant-based low-fat diets and did 16 minutes a day of stress management exercises. This is probably the hardest part of this whole thing. We did some walking, and once a week we had social opportunities for 60 minutes with other people.”

The results of this study showed that 501 genes were favorably affected, conferring down-regulation on those we wanted to down-regulate and up-regulation on those we wanted to up-regulate. These changes were particularly pronounced in prostate, breast, and colon cancer oncogenes.

“And they felt better,” said Mussallem. “They felt good during this time, just like I see in my patients.”

another study from [European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)] According to Mussallem, the trial applied these six pillars of healthy living to a population of 23,000 people. The trial results showed that diabetes incidence was prevented by 93%, heart attack by 81%, stroke by 50%, and cancer by 36%.

Additionally, in a study of 906 men with early stage prostate cancer, researchers found that men who ate a standard American diet were 250% more likely to die from prostate cancer Mussallem explained that he observed a 67% higher chance of dying from However, men who followed a plant-based diet were 36% less likely to die than those who did not.

“Many patients come to see me and say, ‘Dawn, I’m a vegan. I’ve heard of you, so please talk to me and tell me what else I should do,'” Mussallem said.

She explained that when she investigated further and looked at her diet records, many of her patients’ diets, although vegan, often consisted of highly processed foods.

“Vegan is not a good word,” Mussallem said.

She pointed out that a study conducted in France helped substantiate this point. It was divided among whole-food plant-based diets.

Researchers observed that women on a whole-food, plant-based diet had a 14% lower risk of developing breast cancer. Alternatively, women on a processed, plant-based diet were observed to have a 20% increased risk of breast cancer.

“I will never forget this. My daughter was friends with this little boy in high school. He was vegan and I thought he was very healthy. He loved coming to my house.” But he only wanted fries and ketchup, and I thought, ‘I’m going to come here and eat healthy vegan food,'” Mussallem said. “I think the most important part of a whole foods plant-based diet is the first part, the whole foods part. I think being perfect is sometimes the worst thing we can do, and this should be about taking action and doing better things than we are currently doing. “

In 2022, jam Poor diet is the leading cause of death in the United States. Today, 90 percent of Americans eat less than five servings of vegetables and fruits, he explained, Mussallem.

“By the way, we all know this,” said Mussallem. “This is not new information. Sometimes I come here and say, ‘I don’t know. I’m not saying I don’t want to do it.’ But when we see this applied to the numbers and suffering we are currently experiencing, it is significant.

reference

Mussallem D. Moving through life with purpose and grace: Survivors helping patients thrive. Presented at the 2023 NCODA International Spring Forum. March 16, 2023.