Top Ten Foods That Increase Your Cancer Risk
Last week I posted about Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, and this past Wednesday, I participated in a very informative phone conference on bio-technology, cancer research, and cancer prevention. The conference focused on breast and ovarian cancer. Biotech.org invited health and wellness bloggers to have a Q&A with Dr. Gil Mor and Lori Lober. I was very happy to be asked to participate.
Dr. Gil G. Mor, who has both an M.D. and a PhD, is an associate professor at Yale Medical School, where he is director of two departments: Reproductive Immunology and Translational Research in Gynecologic Oncology. His focus is ovarian cancer detection and treatment. Dr. Mor, who was trained in Israel, Germany and several U.S. institutions, has conducted years of research in ovarian cancer and, among other things, has found a new, more accurate diagnostic tool for this mostly “silent” disease.
Lori Lober was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer in 2000. The cancer had spread through her lymph nodes and to her liver. Doctors told her that the standard treatment for her type of cancer offered no hope; her physician said she had 12-18 months to live.
Lori chose to participate in a clinical trial for a biotechnology treatment called Herceptin, which is a monoclonal antibody. Monoclonal antibodies block a process or molecule in order to specifically target the disease. By using this as the foundation of her treatment, and adding other therapies, Lori is alive and well today. She’s maintained a diagnosis of “no evidence of disease” for five years now, and works to provide the resources she couldn’t find when she was originally diagnosed.
You can listen to the one hour conference call here…
Questions were submitted by a number of bloggers and covered a wide range of topics from the latest in detection technology to what foods and beverages to avoid to reduce your cancer risk.
Dr. Mor talked about the benefits and controversy surrounding a new ovarian cancer diagnostic test, meant for women who fall into a high risk category.
Several factors may increase your risk of ovarian cancer. Having one or more of these risk factors doesn’t mean that you’re sure to develop ovarian cancer, but your risk may be higher than that of the average woman. These risk factors include – (see high risk factors here)
Jennifer from The Smart Mama asked about the role that environmental toxins and nutrition play in cancer prevention.
Dr. Mor and Lori Lober, both agreed that nutrition plays an important role in cancer prevention. Lori is a proponent of a new nutritional program called Isagenix, she also recommends locally grown fruits and vegetables (particularly blueberries, pineapple, and grapes). Dr. Mor emphasized the importance of avoiding fast food and soda, at all costs.
Lori Lober reminds us that barbecuing foods on a grill, produces known carcinogens. But, you can reduce the carcinogenic affects, by wrapping food in foil before grilling. She also suggests avoiding chicken and dairy products that are not hormone free.
Melissa Breyer from Care2 has posted on the Top Ten Foods That Increase Your Cancer Risk…
1. All charred food, which create heterocyclic aromatic amines, known carcinogens. Even dark toast is suspect.
2. Well-done red meat. Medium or rare is better, little or no red meat is best.
3. Sugar, both white and brown–which is simply white sugar with molasses added. (See Care2’s Directory of Natural Sweeteners for great, healthy alternatives.)
4. Heavily salted, smoked and pickled foods, which lead to higher rates of stomach cancer.
5. Sodas/soft drinks, which pose health risks, both for what they contain–sugar and various additives–and for what they replace in the diet–beverages and foods that provide vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.
6. French fries, chips and snack foods that contain trans fats.
7. Food and drink additives such as aspartame.
8. Excess alcohol.
9. Baked goods, for the acrylamide.
10. Farmed fish, which contains higher levels of toxins such as PCBs.
Journey: A Letter 2 Ovarian Cancer
ACS: What Are The Risk Factors For Ovarian Cancer
