03.01.07
Can switching your diet protect you from cancer—or cure it? Everybody seems to have an opinion, and experts say that’s part of the problem. Some say soybeans are good. Others think red meat and whole milk are bad. A recent study suggests red wine contains the magic cure and everybody’s talking about low fat, high fat and trans fats...Cancer experts think many people are rushing into questionable treatment plans…At Moffitt [Cancer Center, Tampa, FL] and across the country, more cancer patients are changing their diets and using alternative medicine and herbal supplements—but often without sharing the details with their doctors. That’s dangerous, said Nagi Kumar, director of nutrition research for Moffitt’s integrative program.
“We still don’t have a complete knowledge of some of these supplements,” she said. Some may have harmful interactions.
Kumar and [Cynthia] Myers [director of the integrative medicine program at Moffitt] agree that alternative therapies and changes in diet have a place and note that the National Institutes of Health is devoting more funding to such issues. The research is in its infancy, though, and there’s evidence that many people are making wrong assumptions…What’s needed, according to the experts, is open discussion, education and a dose of common sense about diet and alternative medicine…However, those who conclude that diet has no effect on cancer risk may be making a mistake, too. Tomato products contain a substance called lycopene, and some studies have shown that frequent consumption leads to a lower risk of prostate cancer. Also, diet accounts for about 30 percent of all cancers in Western countries, according to the World Health Organization. That’s second only to tobacco use as a preventable cause.
—Kevin Begos, The Tampa Tribune, 1/2/07
“We still don’t have a complete knowledge of some of these supplements,” she said. Some may have harmful interactions.
Kumar and [Cynthia] Myers [director of the integrative medicine program at Moffitt] agree that alternative therapies and changes in diet have a place and note that the National Institutes of Health is devoting more funding to such issues. The research is in its infancy, though, and there’s evidence that many people are making wrong assumptions…What’s needed, according to the experts, is open discussion, education and a dose of common sense about diet and alternative medicine…However, those who conclude that diet has no effect on cancer risk may be making a mistake, too. Tomato products contain a substance called lycopene, and some studies have shown that frequent consumption leads to a lower risk of prostate cancer. Also, diet accounts for about 30 percent of all cancers in Western countries, according to the World Health Organization. That’s second only to tobacco use as a preventable cause.
—Kevin Begos, The Tampa Tribune, 1/2/07