How Effective Is Vegan Diet For Cancer Patients

Cancer is one of the major threats to human health in the current time. Characterized by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the human body, cancer creates tumour tissue that affects the growth of other healthy cells by hijacking their nutrition. Cancer cells can also travel to other parts of the body and create tumours, facilitating the overall growth of cancer in the body. One of the most concerning factors about cancer, however, is the increasing incidence rate of the diseases in the current world.

A study showed a stark difference in the percentage of people at risk of cancer in between 2 generations. Between people born after 1930 and after 1960, the lifetime risk of developing cancer increased for men from 38.5 to 53.5 respectively, and for women, it went from 36.7 to 47.5, respectively. This means that half the people under the age of 65 right now are at a risk of developing cancer at least once in their life. Corroborating with this change is the fact that diet of people has changed drastically during this period. The patterns of eating have changed significantly among this population. So is there a direct correlation between cancer and diet & lifestyle?

Understanding Lifestyle and Cancer

The most common thing that is seen in patients is that a certain change in lifestyle takes place during and after treatment. There are a number of research projects taken up by some of the leading and renowned medical institutions around the world that underline a number of important findings towards cancer in the world. A few of them are the following:

●       Animal product consumption has been a major reason for the increase of at least 12 types of cancer in the world. This is because over consumption of animal products like meat and dairy can cause an increase in production of insulin, insulin-like growth factor, and sex hormones, all of which are strongly linked with the risk of cancer.

●       Cooking meat at high temperatures produces a variety of carcinogenic compounds that are then directly consumed by humans.

●       Environmental pollutants, especially the ones that can cause cancer are abundantly present in animal products. The reason being, these pollutants accumulate on the tissues and then spread throughout the body, irrespective of the body belonging to a dairy animal or a human.

●       Including fruits, vegetables, and legumes into the diet brings in more antioxidants and fibre, both of which are known to be essential in not only reducing the risk of incidence in high-risk cases but also help in fighting cancer itself.

While the world has traditionally been divided into 2 schools of thought (vegetarian and non-vegetarian), the idea of the 3rd way of living life came into existence; Veganism.

Is Vegan Diet Helpful in Cancer?

The main concept of a vegan diet is abstaining from the consumption of any animal products. Be it meat or dairy products, veganism is all about abstaining from both in order to be fully free of anything that comes from or is obtained from animals. In doing so, the food begins to be including more of “cancer-fighting” elements, like berries, greens, whole grains, nuts, and seeds.

To support the argument, a research conducted in the year 2014 concluded that out of the 60,000 people under observation, the 2,246 vegans had a 19% lower chances of cancer incidence, even when personal differences like age, gender, and body-mass index were taken into consideration. So in all manners of this argument, the final conclusion that has been drawn by a number of studies and personal experiences is that not only vegan diet can help in reducing the risk of cancer incidence, but also can go a long way in ensuring that a cancer patient can live happily after diagnosis and during treatment.

All this goes in hand with the common knowledge that the leading cause of cancer in this world, more than any other factor, is genetics. A healthy lifestyle and proper dietary habits can significantly reduce cancer incidence in people at high risk of cancer as per their genetics. For the best opinion on this, talk to the best cancer doctor in jodhpur , Dr Vinay Vyas at Medipulse Hospital. Dr Vinay is the Senior Consultant at the Department of Oncology at Medipulse Hosital Jodhpur. Schedule an appointment or visit for the best consultation on cancer.