Diet & Exercise key to Surviving BC Study

Lhunhen

This is maybe not news to some of us but it's worth mentioning again. Here is a study they did on diet and exercise for BC survivors. According to the study diet and exercise can reduce your risk of dying by half!

Cathy
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Diet and Exercise Key to Surviving Breast Cancer, Regardless of Obesity_
(http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/health/06-07DietExerciseBreastCancerNS-.asp)
[_University of California San Diego_ (http://www.ucsd.edu/) ]
Breast cancer survivors who eat a healthy diet and exercise moderately can
reduce their risk of dying from breast cancer by half, regardless of their
weight, suggests a new longitudinal study from the Moores Cancer Center at the
University of California, San Diego (UCSD).
Previous studies have looked at the impact of diet or physical activity on
breast cancer survival, with mixed results. This study, published in the June
10 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, is the first to look at a
combination of both in breast cancer.
"We demonstrate in this study of breast cancer survivors that even if a
woman is overweight, if she eats at least five servings of vegetables and fruits
a day and walks briskly for 30 minutes, six days a week, her risk of death
from her disease goes down by 50 percent," said the paper's first author, John
Pierce, Ph.D., director of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at the
Moores UCSD Cancer Center. "The key is that you must do both."
The study looked at 1,490 women aged 70 years and younger (average 50 years)
with early stage breast cancer who were randomly assigned to the
non-intensive dietary arm of the ongoing Women's Health Eating and Living (WHEL) study.
The WHEL study is a multi-center study, based at UCSD, investigating the
effect of a plant-based diet on additional breast cancer events.
The women in the study were diagnosed with early stage breast cancer between
1991 and 2000 and had completed their primary therapy prior to enrollment.
Dietary pattern and physical activity were assessed at enrollment and the
women were followed for between five and 11 years.
The researchers found that only 16 percent of women who were obese were both
physically active and had a healthy diet, compared to 30 percent in the rest
of the study population. Those who were both physically active and had a
healthy diet were much more likely to survive through the follow-up period than
the rest of the study group. The mortality rate was 7 percent, approximately
half of that seen for the rest of the study population.
"Of particular importance is that this halving of risk was seen in women who
were not obese as well as in those who were obese," said co-author Cheryl
Rock, Ph.D., R.D., of the Center's Cancer Prevention and Control Program. "Also,
the effect was not seen in women who practiced only one of the lifestyle
patterns - high vegetable and fruit intake, or physical activity."
Because of the strength of the findings from this longitudinal (observ
ational) study, the researchers want to further investigate the combined protective
effect of diet and physical activity on breast cancer survival in an
interventional study in which they will change the diet and level of physical
activity in breast cancer survivors.
Besides Pierce and Rock, who are both faculty members of the Department of
Family and Preventive Medicine at the UCSD School of Medicine, co-authors are:
Marcia L. Stefanick, Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford
University, Palo Alto, CA; Shirley W. Flatt, Loki Natarajan, Lisa Madlensky, Wael K.
Al-Delaimy, Sheila Kealey, Barbara A. Parker, and Vicky A. Newman, Moores
Cancer Center, University of California, San Diego; Barbara Sternfeld, Division
of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, California;
Cynthia A. Thompson, Arizona Cancer Center, University of Arizona, Tucson; Richard
Hajek, MD Anderson Cancer Center, The University of Texas, Houston; and
Bette Caan, Kaiser Permanente Medical Group Inc., Oakland.
This work was supported by the Walton Family Foundation, and grants from the
National Cancer Institute. [_University of California San Diego_
(http://www.ucsd.edu/) ]

Anonymous

Cathy..Definitely worth seeing again. Thanks. I think that until all of the medical community gets on the bandwagon and actually prescribes proper diet and exercise, rather than merely strongly suggesting it and then letting it drop in favor of pharmaceutical fixes, we should continue to remind ourselves and one another that these behaviors are actually some of the few things that we can control in our cancer journey in an effort to avoid recurrence. Where is there a downside to that???!

Marin

mcgaffey

I went for my base line dexa scan of my bones yesterday before I start on Arimidex (ugh!) The doctor came out to give me my results in two languages one for my onc and one for me and said "it's easy to write up normal in two languages, in fact you are better than normal." Then he added, "keep up with the good diet and exercise." And I thought, I didn't tell him I was doing that, did the pictures of my bones show that? Do they?

Me too. I would sure like to see studies of people with my type of cancer, stage etc. who have chosen diet and exercise as a form of therapy. Where are they?

Rosemary44

I'm wondering who here can say that their Dr. recommended a diet and exercise plan with them? Not one word from my Doctor about it. Not even a hand-out.

That's why these boards are so important. We get the word out. But someone has to get the word out to the Doctors so they can pass it along.

Lhunhen

Quote:

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Cathy..Definitely worth seeing again. Thanks. I think that until all of the medical community gets on the bandwagon and actually prescribes proper diet and exercise, rather than merely strongly suggesting it and then letting it drop in favor of pharmaceutical fixes, we should continue to remind ourselves and one another that these behaviors are actually some of the few things that we can control in our cancer journey in an effort to avoid recurrence. Where is there a downside to that???!

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Marin, That's it exaclty. The Doctors don't stress enough the importance of doing some things, like exercise or eating healthy or taking a vitamin supplement. So you, as a patient, don't put much emphasis on it either. Unless you do your own research and learn for yourself. But our doctors are supposed to know a lot more then we do. Not always so. Sadely sometimes we end up educating them on a subject you think they should already know.

Cathy

Blundin2005

Hi Rosemary,

I felt obligated to respond to your question. They are still testing the new GM diet and health club exercises on the mice!? The mice became sterile from the GM food and refuse to exercise until they can wear designer gear!? Just Kidding!!!!!

My doctors .... all of them .... talk about eating healthy and exercise .... it's almost a .... "well dahhhhh" kind of response. Every doctor that I visited about the Arimidex SE tells me first to loose weight (I'm 5' 8" and size 14).

Everyone is different and those differences need to be taken into consideration, but diet and exercise can go a long way to "fight our way out of the corner" that we are in. It does take patience .... with ourselves first.

I was told to eat low fat cheese, small portions especially pasta and fresh bread, lots of fruit and veggies, little red meat, more fish and white meat and everthing in moderation. It's also true that food is available here only when in season unless it's canned....but fresh is preferred.

I saw my endocrinologist today. She reviewed my meds and suppliments. She (as well as my oncologist) advised that I not take B-12 because it promotes cell growth. She agreed that glucosamine can help with small joint pain but not help significantly the pain that I experience in my back and hips (I have arthritis and 3 slipping discs). She noted that the NSAIDS are hard on the stomach and to try and avoid to take them if I can. If not, to be certain to take Riopan with it. She said that the anti depressive is necessary while I'm taking the Arimidex.....that aromasin is a problem for the joints in the long term rather than the near term so the choice is slim for change. She said too that the doctors are obliged to follow protocols but that the choice is mine to follow or not. She suggested that with clear margins and nodes (2)...NED since the treatment....the prognosis is very good relative to BC....and the choice again is mine to make.

I commented to my husband when we returned that I am very pleased with my care here and very comfortable with the doctors. This is still socialized/private medicine here and it isn't rought with legal problems ..... yet! I hope that they can continue to evolve without drawing in the depilitating negative aspects of legal and corporate systems.

Oooooops, I got on my soap box .... but I'm done.

Best wishes to all .... grow wellness gardens if you can .... you'd be surprised where gardens can grow!

ciao

thomcat

Thank God for the message board and you ladies for getting the word out!!!!

I asked my former oncologist, upon finishing chemo, if she could refer me to a nutritionist to get on the right path for my diet and she said, "I don't know of one"!!! Can you believe it?????!!!!?????? My current oncologist at a major breast care clinic specifically told me to exercise and watch my diet. The clinic has a nutritionist who will consult with you on the day of your visit at no extra charge.

Eat well and exercise everyone!!!!

Blundin2005

Here's a web site AICR for cancer research .... links ..... list diet and supplements first ... take a peek.

Rosemary44

Marilyn,

I laughed out loud. I needed that. They might have taken their exercise wheels away just to see if the diet can work while they lay around all day getting those pesky whiskers cleaned. Those mice get the best foods, treatments and duds.

I'm off to read the GM diet, though it's making mice infertile, or something like that. Lose 10 lbs in 7 days eating fruits and veggies, I'm in.

Lhunhen

Quote:

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Here's a web site AICR for cancer research .... links ..... list diet and supplements first ... take a peek.

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I don't see a link...

Cathy

BlindedByScience

Try the links on this page:

http://www.aicr.org

Blundin2005

OMG! Thanks BBS Kris! How many times I do this ....forget to add the link!

That's the one! How do you do that?! Ohhh, right, I gave you a hint.

There is a book that was recommended here on the boards that is excellent too. The Breast Cancer Survivor's Fitness Plan .... from our friends at Harvard. I showed it to the docs here and they are intriged. It's well done. By the way, the information is good for my archery, to keep gardening, to run after my husband ..... it's not just about getting past the surgery!!!

http://www.aicr.org.uk/links.stm

Lhunhen

Thanks BBS and Marilyn for the link.

I should have known it was that link as that is one orginazation I donate to. I get the information in the mail too. The recipies and information is very good and helpful.

The study on meat and BC is also interesting.

Cathy