To think the PoW’s diagnosis makes healthy living seem pointless?

[Notsuretoputit]

I try my best to live heathily (although definitely not fanatical). I try and stay away from ultra processed foods, try and avoid saturated fat, too much meat etc., try and exercise every week. I’ll have the odd takeaway and definitely overindulge on wine, but always try and be mindful of living heathily because so much information is constantly battering me through the radio, media etc. about getting ill from various foods and not exercising.

I’ve recently lost my mother far too young too, so I suppose it’s particularly on my mind at the moment. But then you hear Kate’s diagnosis, who obviously exercises regularly, has the best instructors, best food, best ingredients, best preparation, and she still falls ill, and it all seems a bit pointless.

AIBU to feel this way? I just wonder whether I really should make an effort to watch what I eat and run when I don’t feel like it if really, what will be will be regardless.

@Notsuretoputit I know what you mean tbh , I’ve only read your first point but I know everyone will have come back with the obviously true facts that being healthier reduces risks of cancer etc .
My fil smokes like a chimney, proper unfiltered black tobacco and drinks v heavily , he’s had a check up and is in amazing good health and is in his 70’s. Same for some of my family who were heavy smokers (now not ) but zero issues health wise thankfully . The people I know in real life who’ve have died or going through very serious cancer are my friend who is a vegan , non drinker, non smoker , two v v small children ☹️ I knew a guy growing up who was a professional athlete, died in his 30’s of aggressive form of cancer . Obviously this is antidotal so means absolutely nothing. I can’t remember the celebrity recently diagnosed with cancer but I read in the paper how she had gone through some v specific tests and had a mammogram the year before and all clear and now she has just been diagnosed with bc, also v fit and healthy.
I do think we have way way less control over our lives that we think we do tbh ….
The only thing I’ve ever seen any correlation with is it’s all the good people who get screwed over in this life…

@cakeorwine

I do understand, it was just frustratingly pointless and the irony of prolonging one's life as long as possible only for it to turn out a horrific experience at the end isn't lost on me.

Also I think there are some people who want to reassure themselves that there’s reasons that people got sick and that they can avoid it . It’s actually awful as it’s almost blaming the person . I mean a huge part of it is genetics and shit luck . I remember my friend who is obsessed with health being shocked over a friend of ours getting throat cancer (non smoker/never drank a drop of alcohol , healthy as you can get) and she kept saying but there must be something, maybe her diet wasn’t great……🙄 It was just a way to reassure themselves when knowing there was no controlling this.
Im not sure if stress plays a part like maybe there’s a link , when I’m stressed I lose weight (I’m already thin) , don’t sleep and maybe don’t put time into proper exercise so that probably does affect my health negatively.
Tbh though I just think it’s one of awful things that usually happens to good people. We are also living way longer .

I am of Indian origin, and the cancer rates for British Indians eating an Indian diet are much less than for a traditional British diet. There are studies to that effect. Not just anecdotes.

I think diet plays a huge part, but I also like my traditional foods ( modified to reduce carbs) , so that is a bonus. And now the Zoe diet and the Tulleken brothers have leapt on to that bandwagon of fermented foods and 30 veggies a week, which many of us from other cultures have been doing all our lives.🙄

@Lentilweaver are there higher rates of vegetarianism in British people of Indian descent?

Dh is vegetarian purely to combat cancer risk. He’s read studies saying meat consumption raises the risk.

@CormorantStrikesBack I am not sure about that. I am veggie, DH is not. But even meat eating Indians often eat very little meat, maybe once or twice a week and he eats mostly fish or chicken. No red meat. I expect these habits arose because most people couldn't afford meat.

We don't eat much processed food because we weren't reared on it. Maybe crisps, chocolate and the occasional Coke. We like our veggies and lentils so it's no terrific hardship..What is a hardship is reducing the carbs: rice, parathas and all the other delicious stuff.

My mum lived a healthy outdoor life (vetinary nurse and farmers wife), ate home cooked food including plenty of fruit and veg, drank moderately and never smoked. She died from a brain tumor at 46.

I still think living a healthy life is worth it.

She's rich, that doesn't mean healthy. Of course she can ask her chef to make nutritious food, plenty of sleep, exercise, low stress and all the boxes ticked but she could also eat a lot of rubbish, smoke, drink, unhealthy habits. Just because she's rich and thin. But ultimately cancer is no-ones fault, all you can do is give yourself a better chance.

Most things that are enjoyable in life are advised to be BAD for us, but there is no proof of this (Smoking excepted). Those who eat reasonably well but occasionally use packaged ready meals and have take aways at the weekend along with a bottle of something alcoholic are often vilified.

All the nice things are bad therefore many feel guilty and remorseful for that bar of chocolate or bottle of wine. That adds to the stress of life. There are no guarantees and there is far too much lecturing going on with mixed messages about different food types, low carb, high protein, veggie, vegan and so on. None of the regimes is perfect and in fact high protein can affect kidney function for one thing.

So people become obsessed with doing it RIGHT. Or feeling guilty if they perceive they are doing it WRONG. Then they get up at 5 am to do a punishing gym routine, home for breakfast and kids, throw on the washing machine. race around and get to work for a stressful 8-10 hour day. Rinse and repeat at night. It is guilt, worry and wanting to be in control. It doesn't work that way I don't think. Life is a lottery for most of us.

I'm not saying that everyone hates eating well and doing hard exercise at all, that's great if you enjoy it. But for those who don't, why put yourself through that because someone said you should? Go for a walk instead.

The biggest thing we can do for our health long term is to stay within the average weight for height as far as possible. Add a little exercise, enjoy life and off you go. A contented person in the end.

Yes and we see it on here. People can’t accept that the P of W is healthy. Insisting she must have been a heavy smoker, a bad diet (as if - she’s hardly going to be living off takeaways).

We have far less control than we think. You can stack the odds in your favour but no guarantees . But I think it’s so odd that all the people I know who have had cancer have been super healthy. As many on here have said the same. There’s clearly something else going on.

I think it’s unfair to infer from a diagnosis

In some cases it will very sadly be a childhood diagnosis, in that case lifestyle may not have any impact at all

Although that does not negate population trends, so the op should still strive to be healthy

Yes that’s my point. It’s unfair to infer anything about her diagnosis so why are people?

Children get cancer, animals get cancer. It’s cells going wrong. It can happen to anyone.

Yes completely agree with you, I should have said that

I also find it not very nice if someone is suffering to have the unhealthy accusation a further stress on top

Yes it’s not very nice at all. I can’t believe what I am reading on here.

No two things can be true at once. We can admit that we don’t really know how healthy she is and that even if you are healthy you can get cancer.

That’s really interesting. Statistically, people of South Asian descent are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes. When I asked during a work training course if this was as a result of their genetics, I was told possibly, but more likely to be because their traditional diets are high in fat - particularly ghee.

I knew a guy growing up who was a professional athlete, died in his 30’s of aggressive form of cancer
I think it's likely that being professional athlete can have a negative effect on your health compared to being someone who exercises in a more moderate way.

And there is this
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/jun/11/scientists-link-intense-exercise-with-mnd-risk-in-some-people-motor-neurone-disease
scientists described how they analysed data from the UK Biobank project, which holds detailed genetic and lifestyle information on half a million people. They found that people with a genetic makeup that made them more likely to do strenuous exercise were also more likely to have developed MND.
With vigorous exercise, activity levels changed for many of the genes linked to the condition, while individuals with a mutation that accounts for 10% of MND developed the disease earlier if they took part in regular, high-intensity exercise.

More is not always better!

I dont cook with ghee any more either @Fireangels. Also cut out all the fried snacks like samosas. Just kept the veggies and lentils part of my trad diet😀
I think most people cook with vegetable oil these days. Genetics does play a huge part in Type 2 diabetes, I think.

All that said, I think the PoW has just been unlucky, as millions are.

A lot of cancers are genetic-you can't protect yourself from them. But there are many you can reduce your risk of.

Also, we have no idea about the POW's life style.

I had a heart attack last year at 47. According to the cardiologist I’m just the unlucky one person in one million who had one for no reason at all. I’ve always eaten healthily, cooked from scratch almost all the time, watched my saturated fat intake, never smoked, exercised a lot and kept my BMI between 18-19. I still had a massive heart attack known as a widow-maker due to its severity. I hope that my previous good health helped me bounce back quickly and kept my heart undamaged.

I had to listen to people (who didn’t necessarily even know me!) telling me that it ‘must have been’ my high cholesterol that caused it (I didn’t have high cholesterol) or that my diet/stress levels must have been responsible. If the cardiologist couldn’t pinpoint the cause, I can’t imagine a random stranger would have much luck either!

I am even more careful now, in the hope that should anything else happen in the future I am in the best position to deal with it. Unfortunately crappy things happen to anybody and you can’t always mitigate against them - you just have to ensure you are in a good position to fight off whatever happens to you.

Oh @Furtling I’m so with you there - some people think they know so much about (my) cancer, I feel like telling them to get in touch with an oncologist because medical science really needs to hear their input!

To your very good health!

You shouldn’t be speculating how healthy someone is after a cancer diagnosis. There really is nothing more to it than that.

Covid is a vascular disease as well as a respiratory one. It’s possible that it was a longer term consequence of Covid.

Covid is a vascular disease as well as a respiratory one. It’s possible that it was a longer term consequence of Covid.

😂😂 Quick @Furtling , call your cardiologist!

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.2147/VHRM.S355410

hth