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Did you realize that many cancers are turning out to be do-it-yourself
diseases? What we eat and drink, where we live and
work, and what we breathe may well determine whether we
become a cancer statistic. Today we want to talk about the good
news of how to prevent cancer.
Medical science continues to make strides toward earlier
detection and improved treatments for many cancers. But these
efforts are largely after the fact. The sad truth is that the overall
death rates for many cancers continue to rise.
For example, one in four American lives are now being claimed
by cancer. This trend, however, could be reversed. If we would
simply take the precautions that we already know about,
70 to 80 percent of cancers could be prevented. Won’t people do just about anything to avoid
such a terrifying disease? Almost anything it seems, except
change their lifestyles.
Take lung cancer, for example, the cancer that kills more men
and women in developed countries than any other. We’ve known
for fifty years that lung cancer is directly related to cigarette
smoking, yet millions of people continue to smoke.
Worldwide more and more people are using tobacco. And it’s
not just lung cancer, close to ninety percent of the cancers of the lung, lip, mouth,
tongue, throat, and esophagus could be prevented if people
simply stopped using tobacco. It would also prevent half the bladder cancers.
Overall, tobacco use is responsible for approximately one third
of all cancer deaths.
But that’s not the whole story. By age sixty, smokers are
ten times more likely to die from heart disease and stroke
than non-smokers. Thousands more smokers die by
slow suffocation from emphysema.
If you smoke, determine now to get help to stop smoking;
Seventh-day Adventists have one of the most successful stop
smoking programs in America. Why not give them a call?
People don’t realize that diet, what people choose to eat,
relates to as many, or more, cancer deaths as tobacco.
Most researchers now agree that 33% of cancers could be prevented
with an improved diet, and others put the figure even higher.
Food? You may ask. How can food cause cancer? Is it because
of the chemicals and pesticides used to grow and preserve our
food? Carcinogens, which refer to cancer producing substances,
are a concern, especially with the array of… additives, preservatives, flavor enhancers,
pesticides, and other chemicals that are used in producing and marketing
much of our food. However, only two percent of cancers can be
reliably linked to these substances.
In contrast, evidence of the connection between cancer and such dietary
factors as fiber and fat grows stronger every day. Compared with diets
at the turn of the century, the average Westerner now eats thirty six percent more fat, and
one-third less fiber. In areas around the world where fat intake is low and
fiber consumption is high, there is a negligible incidence of the
more common cancers such as colon, breast, and prostate cancers.
In countries such as the United States, Canada, and New
Zealand, where diets are low in fiber and high in fat, rates for
these kinds of cancers are much higher.
How can things such as fiber and fat influence cancer?
Not all the answers are in yet, but cancer is associated with
carcinogens, chemical irritants that can produce cancerous
lesions over time.
Bile acids are an example. The amount of fat in the diet affects
the amount of bile the body produces. In the intestinal tract some
of these bile acids can form irritating carcinogenic compounds.
The longer these compounds stay in contact with the lining of
the colon the more irritation results.
This is where fiber comes in. With a low fiber diet, digestive material moves slowly
through the intestines, often taking from seventy-two
hours to seven days transit time to complete the journey from
entry to exit. Fiber absorbs water like a sponge. This helps
fill the intestines and stimulates them to increased
activity. With a high fiber diet our food travels through
the intestines in twenty four to thirty six hours.
This helps the colon in two ways. It shortens the exposure to
irritating substances, and it dilutes the concentration of the
irritants because of fiber’s water holding ability and
insulating effect.
Could racial or cultural variations, rather than diet,
account for these differences? Researchers have asked the same question.
They have found, for example, that Japanese living in villages
and rural areas have very few of these cancers. Their traditional fiber consumption is high,
and fat intake averages only 15 percent to 20 percent of
the diet, half as much fat as Americans. But when Japanese migrate
to America and other Westernized countries, and adopt Western
eating habits and lifestyles, their rates for these cancers
increase dramatically and soon equal those for Westerners.
What about other cancers?
A high fat intake depresses the activity of important cells in the
body’s immune system. This effect has been studied extensively
in connection with breast cancer and is believed to affect other
types of cancer as well. A weakened immune system literally
opens doors for many kinds of cancer to invade the body.
Alcohol is another important risk factor for cancer. Excessive
alcohol consumption increases the risk of cancer of the
liver, the esophagus and pancreas, and does so dramatically
for those who smoke as well. Even moderate use of as little as
three drinks a week may increase the risk, especially for women.
Twelve percent of cancers are found to relate directly to alcohol
use and this figure does not include the 50 percent rate of auto
accident fatalities caused by drunk drivers each year. Another
consideration is the havoc wreaked on individuals and families
by alcohol use.
Skin cancers are increasing worldwide, and have been related to
sunlight. Sunshine, in moderation, promotes health and
strengthens the immune system.
Excessive sun exposure, however, can produce two relatively
harmless types of skin cancer, basal cell and squamous cell
cancers. These grow slowly, and are usually discovered and
removed before they have a chance to spread.
Melanoma is another story. This is the black mole cancer that
spreads very quickly to other parts of the body. When it spreads,
this cancer has a high fatality rate. If discovered early and
completely removed, a near 100 percent cure can follow. Melanomas
are believed to result from repeated sunburns.
Protection of the skin from burning is extremely important. This
may be accomplished through wearing protective clothing,
minimizing exposure outside during the strongest sunlight of the
day, 10 am to 4pm, and wearing sunscreen.
Inactivity also appears to relate to cancer. There are over
100 kinds of cancer, so it’s hard to make a statement that
covers them all. However, so far researchers have found that
those who log at least four hours of exercise a week cut their risk of breast and colon
cancer by more than a third.
Excess weight raises the risk of cancer. Obesity is spreading like
an epidemic around the world, especially in countries where fast
foods are introduced. A healthy plant-based diet and regular
exercise will do a great deal to prevent this problem.
Since we all have to eat, the hardest lifestyle change for
most people is in the realm of diet. The American Cancer
Society recommends the following for maximizing a
cancer prevention diet.
Choose most foods you eat from plant sources. People who eat largely of fruits, grains,
and vegetables have the lowest rates of cancer, 50 percent less than
those who regularly eat meat but few fruits and vegetables.
The Cancer Society says this, Many scientific studies show that
eating fruits and vegetables protect against cancers. They
mention especially green and dark yellow vegetables and those
in the cabbage family, soy products, and legumes.
Limit your intake of high fat foods, particularly from animal sources.
The American Cancer Society warns, High fat diets have been
associated with an increase in the risk of cancer.” But are all fats bad?
Nuts, seeds, olives, and avocados contain healthy plant fats.
When possible, choose plant sources of fat.
Consumption of meat, especially red meat, has been associated
with increased cancer risk.
Those who fill up on hamburgers, French fries, doughnuts,
sodas, and potato chips lose out on the cancer fighting
substances found in fruits and vegetables.
Don’t neglect your health. Participate in screening examinations.
Early detection and treatment offer much higher survival rates,
and may be life saving.
God never intended that people get cancer. Just four
lifestyle factors no smoking, no alcohol, a high fiber, low fat plant food diet,
and normal weight could prevent close to 80 percent of cancers found
in Western society today. Instead of one in four dying of cancer, the
risk could be reduced to one in twenty.
It’s not an impossible dream.
In fact we can even look for better than that, we can look
forward to a new heaven and earth when there will never be
another case of cancer. The Bible says And God himself shall be with them. And God
shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there
shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall
there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
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This information does not replace your doctors expertise and you should not make any changes
in your health without first consulting your physician
Thank you and God bless