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

Understanding whole foods

As a naturopathic physician, I know that nutrition is a foundation of health. Because of this, I encourage my patients to make whole foods the basis of their diets. Whole food is food in its natural state. It is unprocessed, unrefined and does not contain added ingredients such as sugar, salt, vitamins or fat. However, just because a food is whole does not mean it is organic, pesticide-free or locally grown (and vice versa). What it does mean is that the food contains a whole host of nutrients that the body can use to enhance health.

Examples of whole foods include:

• Whole grains
• Beans and legumes
• Nuts, seeds and berries
• Brown rice and wild rice
• Herbs (such as basil, rosemary and others)
• Eggs
• Fish
• Shrimp, lobster and crabs
• Chicken, pork and beef

Processed and refined foods, in contrast, have lost many of their healthy nutrients during the manufacturing process. White flour and rice are two common examples. In the refining process, they lose their germ and bran, which takes away many of their nutrients. At the same time other components – such as sugar and fat – are often added.

Whole food benefits:

• Take longer to digest, meaning more nutrients are absorbed in your body.
• Have a higher fiber content which helps to regulate your blood sugar
• Allow healthy bacteria to grow in your intestines, which helps get rid of disease-producing bacteria
• Have strong antioxidant properties which may help to protect the body from developing cancer and from cancer recurrence. Source.
• Provide the best source for vitamins and minerals As an added bonus, foods in their whole state are usually less expensive than processed foods. However, they can take longer to prepare.

Remember, make changes that you are comfortable with; otherwise you won’t stick with them. As long as you are striving to decrease the amount of processed foods and increase the amount of whole foods, you’re on the right track.

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• A few guiding principles around food ...
• Reader response: Changing your diet to recover some energy
• Crockpot oatmeal recipe

A few guiding principles around food …

As a naturopathic physician one of the most common questions I get from my patients is, “What do you eat at home?”

Instead of sharing what I specifically eat, I think it’s more important to share the guiding principles I follow when feeding my family and myself.

First, the majority of my diet consists of whole foods. This doesn’t mean you have to shop at a specialty store to find them. Whole food is food in its natural state, and it contains a whole host of nutrients that the body can use to enhance health. If you can’t picture the food in nature, chances are there is a significant portion of it that’s not real food. (Have you ever seen a Twinkie tree or a TV dinner plant?)

In contrast to whole foods, processed and refined foods lose many of their healthy nutrients during the manufacturing process. Additionally, other components – such as sugar and fat – are often added.

Second, I try to get my basic vitamins and minerals from my diet, not from a supplement. That’s not to say that supplements are bad, because many can be useful and therapeutic. However, supplements cannot replace the vitamins and minerals found in a nutritious diet.

Finally, I make sure to get the appropriate amount of calories. I tell my patients all the time, your body needs calories to function – especially if you’re undergoing treatment for cancer and you need to keep your strength up.

• Eat a well-balanced diet. Your diet should include:
  - Whole foods
  - Plenty of vegetables (6-8 servings) and fruits (2-3 servings)
  - A variety of grains, beans, nuts and seeds
  - Protein spread throughout the day (not all in one meal)
• Your diet should not include:
  - Fast food, junk food, soda pop and any foods high in refined sugar/simple carbohydrates
  - A lot of bread—shoot for no more than one serving daily (this includes pastries, pasta and potatoes)
  - A lot of alcohol—limit your intake to no more than 3-4 drinks per week

You might also like:

• Just because it's natural doesn't mean it's safe
• Cancer and your diet: The hidden connection
• Take a minute, and just breathe

What can naturopathic care do for me?

As part of its Integrative Cancer Care program, Providence Regional Cancer System offers naturopathic medicine services. Naturopathic doctors emphasize a holistic approach to care that incorporates diet, nutrition, exercise, botanical therapies and vitamin and mineral supplementation. As a board certified naturopathic physician specializing in integrative oncology I see cancer patients at Providence. Want to know more? Here are answers to some of the most common questions I get from patients.

Q. How can I benefit from naturopathic care?
A. Many individuals want to improve their general health in order to remain as strong as possible throughout their cancer treatment. Others want help managing side effects or adverse effects of treatment. Almost all are seeking professional advice on which natural therapies are safe and effective for their unique circumstances.

Q. What types of cancer patients do you see?
A. I work with patients at every stage of diagnosis and treatment – newly diagnosed patients, those in the middle of treatment and those who have completed their therapy. Different care strategies can help people enhance their health at any stage during and after cancer treatment.

Q. How do you help patients reach their goals?
A. I counsel each patient on diet, nutrition and lifestyle changes that can improve his or her health. Many patients also have questions regarding vitamins and mineral supplementation. I help them prioritize each supplement appropriately, while weighing the benefits of supplements vs. healthy nutrition habits. A handful of supplements will never make up for a poor-quality diet.

I also ensure that each supplement a patient is taking will not interfere with his or her current course of cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiation. Although many herbs provide a tremendous benefit, some have the potential to alter treatment effectiveness. For example St. John’s wort, which is a commonly used herb, may potentially decrease the cytotoxic, or cell-killing effect, of a particular type of chemotherapy.

If you would like to learn more about naturopathic medicine services at the Providence Regional Cancer System call 360.412.8951.