To ask how else I can reduce risk of cancer ?

[iloveshetlandponies]

I just recently had a minor cancer scare and - thank god - after a long wait I've just found out that I'm okay. But I am absolutely terrified of it . I know one in two get it in their life time and that stat is beyond fucking depressing . I realise some cancers are sheer bad luck and nothing you can do. But I know some is lifestyle related etc

so want to try my absolute hardest to minimise my personal risk

This is what I do already

Intermittent fasting (16:8 but I try and aim for 18:6)

Eat at least 5 different fruit and veg a day (I need to eat way more I know)

I run most days for at least half an hour plus do other exercise

I don't smoke ever (Altho I did used to gave up 15 years ago at 29)

I very rarely drink alcohol

Always have smears when due and check my breasts monthly or so and keep an eye on any moles

Keep slim (8 stone 7 and 5 foot 2)

Always wear spf50 (on my face every single day) and any exposed bits of my body between say May and September

And - Don't laugh - but very cold showers at the end of each shower as it's meant to boost immunity (it defo wakes me up at least!)

I also, luckily, have no family history that I'm aware of

Does anyone else do this ? Or am I weird. And if there's any drs / nutritionists / scientists on here can anyone suggest anything else ?

Someone else already mentioned UPF, I would agree. And cut right down on toxins in your home- anything scented like candles, diffusers. Check cleaning products and toiletries (yuka is a fab app). But don’t aim for perfection, the stress of it will be the most dangerous thing.

It sounds like you are doing great, OP, and I am sorry for your anxiety.

My two friends who died in young middle age from cancer were both fit nonsmokers and light drinkers. Cancer is fundamentally mysterious.

DH is doing very well so far some years after standard treatment for an aggressive cancer. His oncologist (at a top NHS cancer hospital) was very big on fruit, veg and fish. His excellent surgeon is a big believer in exercise.

Neither thinks much of supplements except for Vit D and in fact they pointed us to studies showing that those who take multivitamins have greater all cause mortality. A significant piece of this is the excess lung cancer deaths that correlate with Vit A supplementation.

Both feel there is an unproved link between stress and cancer’s manifestation.

Both debunk the acid/alkaline theory. I note that one PP gives two journal references. However one journal is Frontiers in Integrative Oncology. The Frontiers series is not well thought of; it is called ‘predatory’. The journal has an overall ranking around 2200. I cannot find a ranking within the field of oncology. The other journal’s name now slips my mind but not its ranking: 136/22x within oncology. These are not quality publications to say the least.

However a lot of the advice around an alkaline diet seems to boil down to fruit, veg and fish!

Anyway, very best wishes

My oncologist when I asked this just said keep your weight down.

But most of it is luck. The thing you can help is to avoid triggers. But food/environment takes decades to contribute to cancer so most people who get it fairly young have not had it triggered by anything you can do anything about.

I also agree with PP about stress being fairly key.

I had breast cancer. I exercise daily (including strength training) and eat healthily give or take the odd steak and bacon sandwich. I was told very clearly that there was absolutely nothing I could have done. I wondered about by wine intake but was told no. Mine was hormone led and has now been linked to medication I was taking for peri bleeding (there is peer reviewed research).

I can think of people in my family who had lifestyle related cancers including my own mum (all largely gastric). Indeed, the medication I now need to take for a decade can cause uterine cancer but it's a risk I have to take. One in two of us will get cancer sadly. I've come to the conclusion that I do what I can within reason. I take Vit D, fish oil and a low dose aspirin daily. I also think stress and cortisol play a massive part. I went through an absolutely horrific abusive divorce that went on for years. I have no doubt that seriously impacted my health. I was in fight or flight mode for a very long time. Constant crippling anxiety. These days I try very hard not to get stressed as there is always a solution somewhere.

But for some people turmeric is very bad, especially for the liver while it is trying to process chemo for example. My breast care nurse told me to never take a thing without asking them first. Same goes for CBD oil. I double check everything these days.

Honestly, the best way of avoiding cancer is to die of something else when you’re relatively young. I can’t get my head round spending so much of my life trying to avoid something that is so common.

Eating healthily, keeping active, and being normal/low weight will benefit you in so many ways, i.e. reduce risks of strokes, heart attacks, diabetes, joint problems, etc.

Whether it reduces risk of getting cancer is unknown, but by being fit and healthy, you've a lot more chance of cancer treatments being successful and reduce the chances of severe side effects of cancer treatments, so if you did get it, your chances of recovery are higher.

I'd also try to manage stress levels and do things like yoga, meditation, etc., to stay calm and "chill out" and help avoid getting annoyed, aggravated, worried, etc as far as possible. I believe that stress is a major factor in weakening your immune system and allowing some cancers to take hold. My view is borne out by no less than 3 family members who were diagnosed with 3 different cancers literally months after high stress situations including an early/unexpected death of a spouse, a business failure leading to house repossession (due to being excluded from covid support) and an unexpected redundancy. I know you can't avoid being stressed by such life changing events, and that's not what I mean, but my point is that reducing stress, where possible, can help your body stay on top of things and fight off diseases and infections.

Personally, I don't think it's healthy to obsess about cancer as a lot of different cancers are entirely random and nothing at all to do with lifestyle, weight, fitness, etc. But at least by being fit and healthy, you improve your chances of tolerating the treatments and getting through it.

Sleep - it’s one of the very best things we can do for our health, if not THE best thing.

Antioxidants - eating the rainbow so lots of different veggies, not just sticking to the same ones day in day out.

Avoid single use plastics and pesticides where possible.

long fasts, definitely try to work up to 2/3 day fasts. The benefits on cell renewal are incredible

I worry about cancer a lot too. Especially since having children and seeing lots of people around me die from it

I'm post breast cancer (I hope). I run, practice martial arts, cook from scratch, aim to eat 30 different fruit & veg a week. I'm 60, BMI is 23, cholesterol, resting heat rate and blood pressure are low. I have never smoked or taken drugs, don't drink, I seldom fly. Attend all routine screening.

I do have family history, and when I was diagnosed, I asked the care team what I'd missed. They said I hadn't missed anything, that I just produced too much hormone. So now I take a hormone suppressant.

If you have family history of BC and you are post-menopause, you could ask your GP to prescribe you a protective hormone suppressant. There are plans to bring that in.

Has anyone ever mentioned orthorexia to you? I'll probably get jumped on but I think I'd better ask

@iloveshetlandponies

And be fit enough to hopefully fight it if I get it (Altho I hate that term, "fighting cancer", people can fight as hard as they want but I really think it's down to luck if they survive)

I agree that the terminology isn't great and hints at almost victim blaming those who don't "fight" hard enough.

But I think there is something in it, in terms of your body fighting cancer, it has to be as fit and healthy as possible to respond to the drugs, maybe recover after operations, for your antibodies to "fight" the growth of cancer cells, etc. A fit and healthy body will also be better at dealing with the side effects of the drugs meaning you can take the highest feasible dose and still function, whereas some people's bodies react badly meaning drug doses have to be reduced or some drugs stopped altogether.

So it's more a matter of your body being in the best possible position to "fight" it rather than it being a mental attitude that you have control over! If you see what I mean.

I think a lot of it is luck/ genetics tbh

You have to die of something so the statistics are over your lifetime chance so not 1 in 2 right now but over your lifetime. What else would you not mind dying from? Heart disease? Diabetes? Dementia?

As Billy Connolly said, you’ll add 2 years at the end of your life not in your prime!

There is actually research out there that suggests those who do 'fight' cancer and have a more positive outlook, are more likely to survive. As someone else mentioned, it's to do with mindset affecting your general immunity/immune responses.

I'll see if I can dig out the references.

Well my DM definitely did not want to die and was the eternal optimist so get quite cross when I hear about fighting cancer. Who doesn’t for God’s sake?

Absolute and total bollocks

Thank goodness someone has said this.

You could upping your gut flora, by having a quality prebiotic as well as homemade natural yogurt.

I agree. Speaking as someone who has kept fit all my life, never smoked,dont drink, eat mostly vegetarian, I've been diagnosed with 2 separate cancers, one of them incurable.

What are the ingredients if dark brown henna please?

I've never heard of it

Olivia Newton John was obsessive with her anti cancer diet. It didn’t work sadly.

i remember having chemo and a woman saying to the nurse about how healthy she had been and she didn’t understand.

its just luck. That’s why it’s so hard to tackle.

And the outcome is also luck.

What is it about cancer that terrifies you so much, OP?
Given we all end up dying of something, why are you obsessed with cancer? Why is it especially the important thing to avoid?

My mom was obsessive about being euthanised if she ever got cancer. She died of something else.

We know a colo-rectal surgeon and he says never eat bacon. He also says sugar feeds cancer. But he drinks a lot, so 🤷‍♀️