Study: Veggies may impact cancer recurrence

Chad Aschtgen, N.D., FABNO will be one of the presenters at the 2nd Annual Cancer Survivor Celebration. For more details on the event click here >> Registration is free for you and a guest.

Fear of recurrence is real, and something we spend a lot of time talking about with our patients.

Dr. Cobie Whitten has explored this topic in two posts:

• Understanding the fear your cancer will come back
• Five strategies for coping with fear of recurrence

Recently new research was presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2012. One study followed 1,807 cancer survivors for more than 18 years. Here are the facts:

• 1,807 cancer survivors followed for 18.2 years
• Over the course of the 18 year study, 776 individuals passed away, but only 51% of these individuals died from cancer. The other 49% died from other causes. Source.

So what does this mean?
As a cancer survivor it’s still important to pay attention to your overall health. How? A recent study at Vanderbilt University found modest results in decreasing recurrence among breast cancer survivors:

• Those who ate one or two servings a day of cruciferous vegetables were attributed a 21 percent decrease in recurrence risk.
• Those who ate more than two servings a day of cruciferous vegetables were attributed a 35 percent decrease in recurrence risk. Source.

Cruciferous vegetables include greens, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli. However, there’s more to eating correctly than just adding in more green vegetables. If you are looking to improve your personal eating habits take a look at these other articles:

• A few guiding principles around food...
• Understanding whole foods