Lifestyle Impacts Cancer Risk
- Three weeks after Maree, 48, decided to embrace a healthier lifestyle by working out and eating clean, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
- Maree was still determined to embrace her new healthy lifestyle despite battling cancer. She says it served as a sort of stress reliever while facing the diagnosis.
- Although there's been no scientific evidence to prove a certain diet or amount of exercise causes or prevents cancer, there is a definite link. Women who exercised regularly cut their risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer dropped by 12%.
In 2018, Maree started gaining weight and eating unhealthy due to her coping with losing her mother to abdominal cancer. However, a year later, she decided to get back on track by embracing workouts and eating clean. While volunteering as a breastfeeding counselor, Maree then noticed soreness in her breast as well as a lump. Two weeks later, she visited her doctor to get a mammogram, and was diagnosed with breast cancer.
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Role of Lifestyle in Cancer Risk
When it comes to trying to prevent a cancer diagnosis, there are a few factors to consider. Making sure we are healthy is important for our everyday lives, and that means prioritizing a healthy diet and consistently being active. Although there's been no scientific evidence to prove a certain diet or amount of exercise causes or prevents cancer, there is a definite link. For example, among the women who exercised regularly, their risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer dropped by 12%.
As for diet, it's recommended to practice moderation as much as possible. Cancer risk can be linked to consuming high amounts of sugar, carbs, and overcooked processed meats. That's why it's important to balance your cravings with nutritious foods such as dark green, red and orange vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. By making sure you eat a balanced diet, this can decrease inflammation which is often associated with cancer risk.
In addition to affecting your cancer risk, lifestyle can play an important role in going through active cancer treatment as well. While it’s important to not lose weight while going through certain treatments such as chemotherapy, a healthy diet can strengthen your immune system which can help you push through treatment. Additionally, doing light exercises such as yoga can also lend itself as a stress reliever, which is helpful for one’s emotional health.
“Diet, exercise, and stress control are extremely important when going through both cancer therapy, as well as once you’re done treating your cancer and trying to get back to the rest of your life,” Dr. Sairah Ahmed, a medical oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, previously told SurvivorNet. “You want to have a moderate diet where you’re including lots of fruits and vegetables, but you’re still eating fat and protein. You want to maintain physical exercise. The more physically fit you are going through your cancer treatment, the less side effects you’ll have and the faster you’ll get back to your normal quality of life.”
Dr. Sairah Ahmed explains the role of diet and exercise while fighting cancer
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