Dr. Pan's Blog
Diet and cancer prevention
Dec 2010, by Anzonette Pittet, RD and Dr. Pan
Food is the essence of life. We come to earth with the genes we inherit from our parents. Food and environment modify our genes everyday.
Food and diet play an even greater role in the holiday season. We spend time with friends and families in the company of food and drinks. I encourage you to enjoy food and the holidays with friends and families.
I want to take this opportunity to mention a few things about food and cancer prevention. Some of the information already exits in our website.
Fiber-rich diet:
Many people ask about diet and colon cancer prevention. There have been a great deal of research on this and the only thing that we can say with certain confidence is that fiber-rich diet may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. This paper in JAMA elaborates on a large study that was conducted. I encourage you to eat lots of fiber-rich food. A total of 25-35 grams of fiber a day from food sources such as whole grains, legumes, fruit and vegetables is recommended. Fiber plays an important role in general health maintenance by binding to toxins, hormones and cholesterol in the bowel to get them eliminated in the stool. Drink adequate amounts of fluids when following a high fiber diet to avoid constipation.
Pay attention to calories:
Recently a patient asked why losing weight was so hard for her despite her efforts to eat smaller meals. After I asked her for more detail in her diet, she said she liked juices. She drinks a few glasses a day and often craves for it. Juice and fruit can contribute to significant amounts of calories in the diet. When following a calorie controlled diet, be aware of sources of “empty calories” or energy dense foods such as juice, sodas, flavored and sweetened coffee and tea drinks. Obesity is associated with many types of cancer including endometrial cancer (uterine cancer), colon, breast, kidney and esophageal. For more information, go to this web page.
Low-fat diet can reduce cancer risk:
For patients with history of breast cancer, a study called WINS showed that low-fat diet reduced risk of breast cancer relapse. More detail can be found in this page of our website. High-fat diet is linked to many cancers.
Oil temperature:
Pay attention to oil temperature when cooking with oil and fat. Oil and fat react differently to heat. The smoke point marks the point of flavor and nutritional breakdown. For more information about cooking temperature with different cooking oils, visit this page in our website. Aim to reduce the use of animal fats (from dairy, eggs and meat), and replace them with healthier fat from plant sources (olive oil, nuts, seeds and avocado). Use fat sparingly in the diet.
Soy Products:
Soy products are a good source of plant based protein in the diet, especially for people who are vegetarian. Soy products contain phytoestrogen, a plant based estrogen that has been speculated to be bad for patients with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. In fact there is no evidence to support this claim and some studies have shown that consuming soy foods as part of a healthy diet may reduce risk of breast cancer relapse. This web page has more information on this.
Red meat:
The American Institute of Cancer Research recommends that red meat (beef, pork and lamb) be limited to 18 oz per week. A compound, heme-iron has been shown to damage the lining of the colon.
Increase physical activities:
You can do it at home, work or a gym. Running, jogging, Yoga, Tai Chi, or even house chores can help to reduce risk of cancer. Be physically active can help reduce fatigue during chemotherapy.
I wish you all the best with wonderful holiday spirit.
