30 September 2005

Diet and Cancer


Hold your horses. Before you make sweeping conclusions about my past posts and cancer prevention, read this first. If you refer to my previous post about More Taho and Tokwa, Please, and several other posts which encourage eating of more fruits, veggies, soya, and fiber-packed foods in order to lessen the risk of having cancer, I would like to bring into your attention that as of the moment, scientists have reached no definite conclusions that doing so may indeed prevent cancer.

How's that again?

That's right. All these studies that tell you that eating fruits and veggies may lessen cancer risk is exactly just like that --- it may lessen the risk --- but not definitely prevent you from having cancer.

Gina Kolata, a favorite author of mine, and health/science columnist of the NYTimes wrote this days ago:
The diet messages are everywhere: the National Cancer Institute has an "Eat 5 to 9 a Day for Better Health" program, the numbers referring to servings of fruits and vegetables, and the Prostate Cancer Foundation has a detailed anticancer diet.

Yet despite the often adamant advice, scientists say they really do not know whether dietary changes will make a difference. And there lies a quandary for today's medicine. It is turning out to be much more difficult than anyone expected to discover if diet affects cancer risk. Hypotheses abound, but convincing evidence remains elusive.

Most of the proposed dietary changes are unlikely to be harmful --- less meat, more fish, more fruits and vegetables and less fat. And these changes in diet may help protect against heart disease, even if they have no effect on cancer.

[NYTimes Health, Sept 27 2005]


Read the full article here and be enlightened.

Almost everyone diagnosed with cancer is devastated, and will usually do everything to prolong his life. While there are studies that show that diet may reduce the risk of cancer and its progression, let us be clear that the truth is, that statement is not a definite conclusion.

But like any other desperate person pushed to the wall, definite conclusion or not, I think most cancer patients will still opt to do something than just sit, or lie down, and wait for Death to come.

6 reactions:

duke said...

I vote for an ice cream diet! maybe they will soon find out that it's not about fruits and veggies ( which is highly unlikely!) ;)

I think you said it right, doc. If I were a cancer patient I would rather do something to find out how I can get cured than sit back and wait.

eye said...

sorry doc, natawa ako dun sa name ng writer, para kasing pina colada hehehe!

we don't eat healthy food just to cure/prevent cancer. bottom line is that it feels good, wala namang mawawala sa iyo, so go lang sa taho, tokwa and all those healthy stuff :)

batjay said...

baka i-announce nila one day na nakakapag cause ng cancer ang pagkain ng gulay.

huwag naman sana.

rolly said...

Dok, halos wala na akong pwedeng kainin kung tutuusin. Bakit kasi hindi sila maghanap ng gamot sa kanser kesa sa kung anu-anong sandata ang pinag-gagagawa nila e.

Dr. Emer said...

Gusto ko din ng ice cream diet, Duke, kaso alam ko naman na wishful thinking lang yun. :)

Go taho! That sounds like a nice motto, Eye. :)

I fear to see that day, Jay.

Don't despair, Tito Rolly. You have lots to eat. Puro nga lang walang lasa at di kasing sarap ng super adobo mo. :)

Anonymous said...

nakakatakot naman yan. ang pagkaka alam ko mga sunog na pagkain lang ang nakaka cancer e.