CANCER RISK

CANCER RISK

Few diseases seem more fearsome than cancer. It feels like cancer can strike anywhere, anytime, seemingly randomly and unfairly. While there are promising treatments, there's still no definitive cure. As such, it's often something that people start to worry about as they age.

One reason cancer is so hard to treat is that it's a complex disease - in fact, likely a cluster of diseases. In general, cancer occurs when abnormal cells divide without control, often invading nearby tissues. Yet there are many types of cancer, and within cancerous tissue itself, different cells have different variations in their DNA.

Typically, cancer begins to occur in the face of cellular mutations - "mistakes" that occur in genetic processes - and aren't corrected. Our cells actually make quite a lot of mistakes, but many of these are quickly spotted and fixed by our body's cellular repair crew. For instance, cells that are damaged beyond restoration undergo programmed cell death (apoptosis). However, when the mistakes don't get fixed, or cells produce specific chemicals that evade our body's normal detection and defense mechanisms, we can develop cancer.

KEY NUTRITION SKILLS

While cancer may feel random, and there's a lot we can't control, there are in fact many nutrition behaviors that can affect our probability of cancer. And those behaviors, we often can control. In fact, some estimates suggest that dietary habits account for 30 percent of cancers.

Here are some ways to tackle that 30 percent.

EATING A WIDE RANGE OF NUTRIENT-DENSE, VITAMIN- AND MINERAL-RICH FOODS

This is, of course, a good baseline practice, but potentially even more crucial for reducing the risk of cancer and supporting people recovering from cancer treatment. Malnutrition is strongly linked to poorer health outcomes in many types of cancer. Supporting the body with lots of nutrients can help decrease this risk.

Many vitamins and minerals are linked to lower cancer risk, such as vitamins A, C, D, E, and the B vitamin family (many of which are involved in DNA repair and proper DNA replication).

EATING PLENTY OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

...particularly colorful ones. Cells can be damaged for many reasons, such as being exposed to environmental toxins or radiation. One of the most common cellular challenges is oxidative stress. This is sometimes described as being like cellular "rusting," and it occurs naturally as a result of many everyday cellular processes.

For this reason, our body makes antioxidants, and we can also consume antioxidants in our diet. While supplementing isolated antioxidants doesn't seem to help (and may in fact worsen our health risk), consuming the bounty of antioxidants and other phytonutrients normally present in colorful (and aromatic plants is strongly linked to good health.

EATING ENOUGH FIBER

Fiber is our friend, especially when it comes to reducing the risk of cancers like colorectal cancer, one of the most common cancers. Nourishing our gut bacteria likely produces a wide range of health-promoting substances as byproducts of their digestion.

CONSUMING HEALTHY FATS

...particularly omega-3s. Regularly eating healthy fats like nuts and seeds, oily fish, and olive oil is linked to a lower risk of various types of cancer. Omega-3s also seem to inhibit the promotion and progression of carcinogenesis (i.e., the production of cancer cells).

EATING FEWER HIGHLY PROCESSED FOODS

...particularly those containing saturated, trans, and hydrogenated fats as well as high levels of salt and sugar. Highly processed foods, such as sugar-sweetened drinks or processed meat products, are strongly linked to increased risks of cancer.

DRINKING LESS ALCOHOL

Alcohol is linked to many types of cancer, such as breast cancer and digestive cancers (e.g., esophageal cancers, gastric cancers, colorectal cancers).

Indeed, the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), American Institute for Cancer Research, and American Cancer Society suggests that the best option is no alcohol. But as this may be unrealistic for most clients, the American Cancer Society's 2020 guidelines state that if a woman chooses to drink, she shouldn't have more than one drink a day.

MANAGING BODY COMPOSITION

When it comes to health, each woman has an optimal body fat range that's best for her - neither too much nor too little. Because adipose (fat) tissue is metabolically active and secretes a range of hormones and cell signals, higher body fat is linked to many types of cancers. That said, this varies with many factors, including where the body fat is located.

For example, in the case of breast cancer, adipose tissue in breasts may have effects on neighboring breast tissue cells.

However, low muscle mass may also affect cancer risk and recovery. So, remember both sides of the body composition equation: both fat and lean mass may have an impact.