Dr Richard Beliveau (author of one of my favorite books, Foods to Fight Cancer) spoke at the 2012 Union for International Cancer Control World Cancer Congress.
Here are his key points
- Not all fruits and vegetables protect against cancer; rather, specific plants — mostly vegetables — protect against specific cancers.
- If we consume specific foods in combination, rates of protection against cancer should be higher.
- The 5 “golden rules” of chronic disease prevention also apply to cancer prevention and survivorship:
- do not smoke
- maintain a normal body mass index (The “other side” of the cancer story is obesity. “Every pound of fat necessitates 400 kilometers of blood vessels to feed it, so it produces a lot of VEGF and other growth factors to promote blood vessel development. This creates the perfect environment in which to allow tumor cells to develop.”)
- eat an abundance of plant products (fruits, vegetables, whole grains)
- exercise at least 30 minutes a day
- stay away from industrially prepared (junk) food
Read about related topics on the IOE:
Food As ‘Chemo’? Targeting cancer using a whole food approach
Exercise and Cancer 101: Why You Should “Just Do It!”
Seven Cancer-Fighting Diet Tips
Integrative Oncology: Would you really want any other approach?
