Last week I got to go to a very interesting training with the rest of the AmeriCorps crew. We were all shocked, and thrilled and fascinated by the following information. So, I thought that I would share it with others.
The training and presentation that we attended was put on by
The Cancer Project. This non-profit was started by a physician and a dietitian who noticed the overwhelming amount of data suggesting that there is a connection between what we eat and how susceptible we are to cancer. Furthermore, they have data on how people who have changed their diets while in cancer treatment have significantly improved their outcomes.
As many of you know, cancer usually occurs due to some form of DNA damage that causes the cell to divide uncontrollably and/or fail to die off as normal cells do. This will result in unusual growth - sometimes malignant, sometimes benign. Thirty percent of all cancers are caused by tobacco. At least one third of all cancer is associated with dietary factors. As many as 80% of the breast, prostate and bowel cancers are associated with diet. Most carcinogens are neutralized by our bodies, but sometimes the body just cannot keep up.
Dietary fiber (not supplements, but actual plant roughage) is one of the best things to assist with the removal of carcinogens from our body. What happens is that when your body wants to remove the harmful elements, or excess hormones it will do so via the digestive tract (yes, I mean poop it out). What fiber does is assist with that process by binding to these elements and carrying them through the digestive tract. If there's not a lot of fiber, the harmful stuff just gets reabsorbed back into the blood stream. With growth hormones, for example, such excess may result in the "feeding" of the pre-cancerous cells.
What The Cancer Project people suggest is a diet rich in fiber, and low in animal fat. Unlike fiber, animal fats will actually promote cancer growth. Furthermore, animal products contain no fiber, and therefore don't do the body any good.
Yes. These people are suggesting that we all become vegan.
That thought to me is terrifying. But, the data that they shared in the presentation, which can be found on
their website, was pretty convincing. For example, they quote several studies done throughout the world that, on average, found
vegetarians to be 40% less likely to develop cancer than meat eaters. A Harvard study found meat-eating milk-drinking women to be at a much higher risk for breast cancer. Also from Harvard, there's data that suggests that vegetarians are 3 times less likely to develop colorectal cancer.
Dairy is a whole other can of worms! Some scientists suggest that the human body is actually nto meant to digest and use dairy past the age of 4-ish (essentially as soon as a child stops being breastfed). Cow's milk is no different from a woman's milk, since it is produced to sustain a growing calf, and is technically not produced when a cow is not feeding offspring. In order to support a growing creature milk will naturally contain several growth hormones, including Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF1). What studies have shown is that adding milk to pre-cancerous cells in laboratory setting will actually cause those cells to grow and divide at an amplified rate. Something that I have not considered before.
To, to end this sciency rant I will say this - do your research and consider limiting the amount of animal product you consume. I don't know how really effecting a fully vegan diet is, but, I know that I can definitely eat more fiber, and not have to make drastic changes in my habits. I can also eat more veggies, and cut out a yogurt or two, use vegetable oils and no butter. Cheese will never disappear from my diet, but I can always cut out most meat.
Just some food for thought.
