The Truth About Cancer and the Myths That Frighten Us

Sometimes it seems as if cancer has reached epidemic proportions. Every day I seem to hear of another case and most people could probably say the same. The truth, however, is quite different and we should not be misled by anecdotal stories that make it appear that cancer is tightening its grip on our health. Although the war on cancer has not yet achieved its goal of finding a cure, tremendous progress has been made in the last few years and new studies are showing that it's conquest is in sight - not necessarily in the sense of a cure, but in its prevention.

According to the American Cancer Society, although an average of 1500 people are expected to die of cancer each day in 2010, overall survival rates have improved dramatically. Between 1975 and 1977, only 50% survived five years from diagnosis. Today that number is close to 70%.
Some recent studies reported just this year have shown a dramatic connection between diet and cancer development, making it clear that we all have the power to prevent cancer from ever striking us.

According to a study by the University of Western Australia published in the International Journal of Cancer, a daily serving of mushrooms may reduce breast cancer risk by as much as 66%. Those in the study who ate at least one third of an ounce of fresh mushrooms daily were 64% less likely to develop breast cancer. Dried mushrooms reduced the risk by about 50%. When combined with daily consumption of green tea, there was a 90% reduction.

Vitamin B may play a role in the prevention of lung cancer. A long term study of almost 400,000 adults from ten European countries, reported recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed that those who developed lung cancer had very low blood levels of vitamin B6. Those with high levels of the vitamin were 50% less likely to develop the disease, regardless of whether or not they had ever smoked.

Barbecuing is a risk factor known for thirty years and recently confirmed by yet another study that showed overcooked meat increases prostate cancer by 40%, pancreatic cancer by 60%, as well as a significant increase in colon, breast, and lunch cancer. The danger comes from the reaction at high temperatures of creatine with certain amino acids and sugar within the meat to form cancer causing chemicals. This does not happen to the same extent when meat is cooked gently at lower temperatures. Beyond barbecuing, a recent study by the University of Oxford published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found a much lower rate of cancer among those who did not eat meat at all.

These are just a few of the recent studies that show the link between diet, nutrition, and cancer, and the extreme numbers make the case for a healthy diet virtually unassailable.

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Adrienne Bell is a researcher in natural health and anti-aging.