World Cancer Day is on the 4th of February: Cancer risks are increasing at an alarming rate due to diets high in sugar but low in fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains. In addition, increased use of processed foods and obesity contribute to the growing cancer threat. Some blame it on lifestyle, while others on food habits and heredity. No doubt consuming the right food right away plays a significant role.
On asking Nutritionist Karishma Chawla if this is a Lifestyle Disease, she says, "Yes, I would put cancer under the umbrella of lifestyle diseases most often caused by inflammation. We must remember that we all have cancer cells in our bodies that flare up when we have environmental triggers such as stress, faulty eating habits, poor sleep and so on! We can't ignore the genetic composition, but it is important to understand that it would most likely express itself with triggers!"
On further asking if food and cancer are co-related, she shares, "Food has the ability to express your genes. It is information to the body.It determines the quality of your blood, cells, tissues and organs! That's what we see in our blood work, remember?? A diet high in sugar and inflammatory foods breeds cancer cells along with deficiency of nutrients and I would not ignore the stress factors and negative thinking that goes a long way in the development of diseases!"
People are constantly exposed to many risk factors. Firstly, we must remember that risk factors will differ for different cancers. In general, the primary cause of cancer could be Genetic Factors, Environmental Factors, Stress Factors, Dietary Factors, and Carcinogenic.
The proper diet, food consumption and lifestyle play a significant role. The goal is a balanced, mostly plant-based diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and nuts to prevent cancer. In addition, antioxidants are essential in treating people with different cancers.
Nutritionist Karishma Chawla concludes by saying we all have cancer cells. However, besides a strong genetic link, our immune systems are compromised due to lifestyle factors which suppress our natural cancer-killer cell activity resulting in disease.. hence it is imperative to work on the immune system nutrients to combat cancer!
