Better than Cure
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Healthy living switches off genes that promote cancer
That a healthy way of life can prevent cancer is well known. It is also becoming clear living can help those who already have tumours to survive, and may even prevent the disease from coming back. A number of studies have shown these effects in breast cancer and colon cancer. But how they work at a molecualr level remains a mystery.
For examply, prostate cancer, it is slow-growing. When such a cancer has been diagnosed early, doing nothing is a reasonable alternative to the trauma of surgery, radiation or hormone therapy. Dr Ornish of the University of California, San Francisco enrolled 30 such early-stage patients into a programme of “comprehensive lifestyle changes”. These included a low-fat, whole-food, plant-based diet, stress management, moderate exercise and plenty of “psychosocial group support”. Patients’ prostates were sampled at the start of the study, and then three months later to see what had changed.
For a gene to do its work, it has to be transcribed into a molecular messenger. This messenger, a molecule of a substance called RNA, carries instructions to the protein-making parts of a cell, telling them what to make. The more RNA messengers that have been transcribed from a gene, the more active that gene is assumed to be. Count the shifting number of messengers, then, and you can see the effects on the genes of a course of treatment. And that, using so-called gene-chip technology, is what Dr Ornish did.
He and his colleagues found that after three months, the activity of more than 500 genes was altered in the prostate in a way that might be expected to help fight cancer. The good life turned off tumour-promoting genes (known as oncogenes)—including several that are the target of efforts to develop anti-cancer drugs. Meanwhile, disease-preventing genes, including one for a protein that may help the immune system to recognise tumour cells, were switched on. Exactly how changes in lifestyle have this effect on the genes is unclear. But the study suggests the process reaches deep into the body’s molecular biology.
Before anyone rushes out for a quick glass of wheatgrass juice, though, there are a few caveats. First, 30 patients is quite a small sample, so the results should be treated cautiously. Second, there was no control group. Though a “before and after” comparison like this does have some value, it is better to conduct a study in which half the participants do not receive the treatment under test, and then compare the two halves.
Nevertheless, the results are intriguing. As far as Dr Ornish is concerned, the message is that it is wrong to be nihilistic about cancer and assume that nothing can be done because “it is in the genes”. As for how much prevention is necessary, he says his earlier work showed a correlation between the degree to which patients adhere to the kind of changes he proposes and the level of improvement they make.
Experts suggests following eating goals in order to prevent the cancer risk.
Eating goals:
Decrease the total amount of fat you eat to 20%-35% or less of your total daily calories. For a person eating 2,000 calories a day, this would be about 44-77 grams of fat or less per day.
- Limit cholesterol intake to 300 milligrams (mg) or less per day.
- Decrease saturated fat (animal fat, butter, coconut, and palm oils) to less than 10% of your total calories per day. For a person eating 2,000 calories a day, this would be 22 grams of saturated fat or less per day.
- Eliminate trans fats from your diet. Trans fats are in foods like margarine, packaged baked goods, fast food, some frozen prepared foods, chips, and crackers. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that the trans fat content of foods is now listed on the food label along with saturated fat and dietary cholesterol.
Fiber is thought to be a powerful weapon against cancer. Though there is conflicting research as to whether or not fiber has protective effects against colorectal cancer, there is evidence that fiber intake improves overall health by moving wastes through the digestive tract faster. This may give potentially toxic wastes less time to come into contact with intestinal cells.
It is also believed that some types of fiber help detoxify potential cancer-causing substances as well as prevent these substances from being absorbed by the cells of the intestines. Good sources of fibers include: whole-grain cereals and breads, prunes, berries, kidney beans and other legumes, fresh fruits and vegetables, and brown rice.
The bottom line
The way to improve your health and reduce your cancer risk is to eat a plant-based diet, maintain a healthy bodyweight, exercise regularly, and avoid tobacco (smoking and chewing). Ideally, the whole diet needs to be based around vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and legumes (beans). For true health benefit, no more than one-quarter of the plate should be covered by meat or other animal foods. This means that three-quarters of the plate should contain vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and legumes (beans). This style of eating will help you to eat at least 9 servings of vegetables and fruit each day. This type of diet will be naturally low in fat too.
The recent low-fat diet study confirms that very small changes in diet probably will make very small changes in health. Furthermore, studies in cancer survivors do tell us that eating a true low-fat diet and eating plenty of vegetables and fruit can lower cancer risk
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