Dr. Brett Hill - Eat Think Move Chiropractic

I was fascinated last week to hear Sam Newman, a man who has just recently had a major cancer scare, reveal that he doesn't eat fruit. In fact not only does he not eat fruit, he cannot stand the smell of it. It got me thinking. If he knew what I know about the amazingly strong links between fruit and vegetable consumption and cancer, would he think differently?

For many people a cancer scare can be an opportunity to reassess their lives, to really analyse what they have being doing with their health and how they have ended up in the situation they are in - be it the way that they eat, exercise or think - or all of the above.

Here are some compelling studies showing the link between what you eat and your risk of cancer.

1. Consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with a lowered risk of lung cancer, skin cancer and colon cancer.
2. People who eat the most apples are 58% less likely to get lung cancer than those who eat the least.
3. Men who consume most of their fibre from vegetables are 18% less likely to develop prostate cancer.
4. Sugar intake is a strong risk factor that contributes to higher breast cancer rates, particularly in older women.
5. Men whose average intake of lycopene (an antioxidant abundant in tomatoes) is 19 milligrams each day have a 16% lower risk of prostate cancer than men who take three milligrams.
6. Broccoli and tomatoes, both of which have been previously found to help fight cancer, have been found to be even more effective against prostate cancer when eaten together as part of a daily diet.
7. Fish oil consumption can delay or reduce tumour development in breast cancer.
8. High carotene intake (found in carrots) - especially high alpha-carotene intake - significantly reduces the risk of ovarian cancer.
9. Men who eat small amounts of onions, garlic, scallions, shallots and leeks each day decrease their risk of prostate cancer by more than 33%.
10. Prostate cancer risk was significantly higher in a group of men with the lowest selenium (found in brazil nuts and walnuts) blood levels.
11. Prostate cancer patients who added three tablespoons of ground flaxseed daily to their diet had more slowly-dividing tumour cells and a greater rate of tumour cell death.
12. Women with the highest intakes of folate (found in leafy green vegetables) were 40% less likely to develop cancer of the colon and rectum.
13. Individuals in the top 20% in terms of weekly fruit and vegetable consumption had a 25% lower risk of developing stomach cancer than those in the bottom 20%.

I have included all of these studies here in the hope that you will not be one of those people who waits until they have a massive scare before they decide to reassess their lives. If you want to create health in your life and reduce your risk of chronic disease later in life, the time to start is now. Early detection is good. Prevention is better than early detection. Wellness is even better again, ensuring that you are not just avoiding getting sick but your body is in fact functioning to its full potential. Of course the reason to eat a healthy diet is not just to avoid cancer. Your goal should be to get healthy. If you eat the foods that your body is designed to eat you naturally decrease your cancer rates, find your ideal weight and improve your immune system function. In fact if you eat, think and move in a healthy way you will improve your health in more ways than you can imagine.