does eating vegan/vegetarian prevent cancer?

http://www.womansday.com/health/9004/the-cancer-fighting-diet
try this artical for start.
I got more information and will post late.
Lialia

I had been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for 20 years when I was diagnosed...I now eat fish (salmon for the omega-3) and poultry for the protein, so I can cut back on the dairy.

I still worry about everything I put in my mouth, but I'm starting to realize that it probably doesn't matter very much. I ate a healthy diet before and it didn't help, and I know plenty of women at high risk for bc (which I wasn't) with horrid diets who never met a veggie they liked who don't have bc, so I think there's a lot we don't know yet.

Just my opinion,

Cynthia

i was completely vegetarian before breast cancer. i also think it's the pesticides and hormones in our foods. i was told at a seminar that fruits and veggies should always be organic...especially ones that do not have skins, like berries. ones that do have skin, like bananas, it's okay if it's not always organic. meat is okay as long as it's lean and hormone free, free-range, etc. i also eat dairy, but again, get it at natural food stores where it says "hormone free" on the label.

we can't avoid everything, but i think just eating healthy and trying to be organic if possible is the best way to go.

This should probably be a separate thread, but when we're all wondering if what we ate contributed to our diagnosis, does it make sense to consider what our mothers ate while pregnant? I was a spring baby and spring babies have higher rates of bc. It means my mom carried me through the winter (no Vitamin D from the sun) and had few choices for leafy greens (folate) fifty years ago. She also worked in a deep-fry fish carryout place and I'm sure she ate a lot of hydrogenated oils from the breaded fish & chicken.

Recently I read a small study that suggested girls who eat french fries 3 or more times a week before the age of 5 are more likely to get bc. This was based, however, on interviewing the women & their moms about eating habits that they had 30 or more years ago, but this is what popped out. I'd guess that the association was was deep-fried foods in general and partially hydrogenated oils were the best thing out there for frying....

So, I'm in the flexitarian group with Marin. I have no evidence, but I do consider it possible that parts of my diet kept me from being diagnosed much younger. And all the changes I'm making about food choices now may help prevent mets or hold them off longer.

One thing that may also have an effect is the amount of pasta, bread & rice we eat. I am clearly a carb junkie. From what I read now, that is not a good thing. And, of course, I live in wine country. Alcohol may have its own special effects, but it certainly raises ones blood sugar....

Just so we know:

Q. Should I be concerned about hormones in chicken?

A. The use of hormones has been illegal in U.S. poultry production since 1952, according to USDA regulations. If you're eating American-grown chicken from a reputable source, there's no need to be concerned about added hormones or other growth-enhancing agents.

Q. What does "all natural" mean?

A. To be labeled as "all natural" according to USDA guidelines, chicken must be minimally processed. All-natural chicken has simply been cleaned, cut up, trimmed and packaged without adding artificial ingredients, preservatives, colors or fillers. Only products that meet these criteria can display all natural on the label.

Q. Are there antibiotics in the chicken we eat? Why are people concerned?

A. Stringent FDA and USDA regulations require chickens to be weaned from all antibiotics well before processing, so there are absolutely no antibiotics or antibiotic residue in the chicken you buy and serve to your family.

Because many consumers are worried that overusing antibiotics will make them less effective and could lead to antibiotic-resistance, many chicken producers are working to find new ways to reduce their use without compromising the quality of their animal care or products.

///////

But the birds aren't being fed organic feed, so what's in that?

I am highly skeptical as I have eaten right all of my life, primarily vegetarian, don't drink, don't smoke, exercise and all of that crap, and I got Stage 3, Grade 3, 7 cc+ cancer! Life is a crap shoot, unfortunately, and often healthy people inexplicably get diseases and people who smoke and drink like mad do not.

I try to eat as heathily as possible, simply because I have always taken good care of my body - and not because any food or food combination will prevent cancer.

Of course, if you are estrogen positive, you should limit yourself to 2 or 3 small servings of soy products a week and never use supplements that are soy based, but beyond that, I don't think there is anything preventative that you can do.

I'd say just eat right, take good care of yourself and enjoy life!

Valerie R

Cynthia,
While i wish it weren't true,my oncs at U of M do not think diet has any impact on BC unless it is extremely unhealthy.Most studies suggest being overweight at time of dx promotes BC. But even there ,some contradicitons exist. Native American, African American and Hispanic women are on the whole heavier, yet they have a lower incidence of BC. It does seem prudent to lose weight if over and to exercise 30 minutes a day. 6 hours a week seems even better.Beth

The Cancer Project (www.cancerproject.org) has a lot of info (and recipes) about how diet correlates with cancer in general and breast cancer in particular.

I personally decided to go vegetarian when I finished treatment in september. We buy mostly organic, but not exclusively (and then there is eating out).

I do not know if this will help prevent a recurrence, but at least it is healthy in general and I also see educational value in it for my children. They are still in time to make lifelong healthier choices.

All things said, even if it turns out that diet actually does help lower the risk of a recurrence, it is of course no guarantee, as attested by the several longtime vegetarians that do get breast cancer. We can only hope, and do whatever we can to improve our chances of long, healthy survival.

Love and hope,

Iza

hello sunshine, just a note to say hi from a friend in ct. its been 2 years this past january since i was diagnosed with bc. have been a vegan almost 10 years now and know it can't hurt by eating right and taking care of ones self. there are lots of books on healthy eating at any book store. i always look everytime i go. good luck.

I've been reading this thread with great interest, since this has been my first question to the onc: what it is I did wrong, being so "health conscious"?
I cook a lot by taste, like others enjoy sewing, making it my "mission" to work toward our well being at home (and we do not like going out to eat when you think about what's going on in restaurants kitchens). Since my early 20's (I am now 54) I've been very "sensitive" (thanks to my older sister who was then in a macrobiotic cooking journey) to the organic veggies/fruit and whole grains, organic dairy products and no-hormone/no-antibiotics meat, wild fish vs farm raised, etc. I was living in France, where organic stores were inexistant then, and depressing, and controls were far from being as strict as here (to this day France has the highest residue levels of pesticides, etc. on fruit and veggies in regular stores compared to other European countries). So, organic was not always in the picture, but we always washed carefully veggies in water with white vinegar first, then clear water (2 or 3 times) to get rid of slugs, bugs and dirt (garden veggies, especially, even if not sprayed with chemicals). I've been awash in broccolis, cauliflower, carrots, leeks, turnips, lentils, beans of all kinds, berries, fruit (red apples of all kinds), you name it, for as long as I can remember. But I like everything else (salmon, beef, lamb, chicken, duck, pork spare ribs... eggs...). It is a matter of having a little bit of everything with "measure" (try not to get a second helping of anything), same for wine (we have been drinking religiously our red, high in tanins, wines, in France and here, every evening with dinner (a small glass or 2, not more). I am not overweight (not skinny either, and have to "watch it", because I enjoy good food). We like carbs, too, who does not? But we try not to overdo it... And I have been walking every day (3 miles on average, up to 4) for the last 14 years (in the country side, by the sea, and now even more so in Denver, plus some biking in the park). Anyway, trying to find where I "failed", the surgeon and the onc told me it had nothing to do with my food habits (oestrogen +++), but that, on the other hand, because my diet is so varied and balanced, I am in a strong position to take the surgery (bilat mast on Jan 10, went home the next day, recovered immediately) and start chemo. My heart is very good (ejection fraction at 70+), did not get damaged by 4 DD tx of adryamycine+cytoxan+Avastine (heart echography shows no degradation at all). I never experienced nausea or fatigue with AC (now on Abraxane+Avastine). So I guess, that is the justification to continue and even improve on our diets -- with all the greens we eat at home, my calcium levels, and all electolytes, are completely normal (I do not take supplements of any kind, did not take HRT either, used very little soy products).
So we must not beat ourselves over the head about what we did, did not do, should have done, etc. But a variety of quality foods in reasonable amounts can only help us stay strong, maintain a healthy heart, and resist the agressive treatments we have to go through. Exercise, as mentioned many times here (FitChick and others) can only help too, but prevention is obviously a new planet waiting to be discovered... To the surprise of many, I am sure, living in the US provides us with many options of organic foods, at reasonable prices because there is a high demand and warm states to cover the needs. Organic foods are very expensive in France, for instance, even if supermarket are increasingly adding "organic" sections. And turnover is not as good as here, so freshness is an issue: non organic fresh produce is better than wilted or stale organic...
Lialia, I went to the link you provided (very useful), and it lists everything we eat on a regular basis (except hot peppers...)... and, yet, here I am: IDC, stage IIa, grade 3 (1.7 cm tumor, 2 SN+/11). My mother is almost 77, overwheight, does not move even to walk her doggy, eats little veggies and fruit... and has a great life, thank you very much... I can't even tell her to eat better and move, since I am the one with BC, not her... It is frustrating, but this is not a reason to abandon a sensible diet...
The thread with recipies is neat, too.
Thank you all for all your info, allows us to see we are truly on the same boat...
You take care,
CatherineH

Susan, you wrote:
------------------------------------------------------- "Did you know that factory farms are one of the biggest contributers to pollution? Look it up and read about it.

In fact just last year in the sacramento newspaper I read an article that said the pig farms in that area were causing more pollution then cars !! Just think of the poor people who work in them also."
------------------------------------------------------------
I was listening to PBS Science program on the radio today, and that was just their point: each time we buy food "flown" from far away we contribute to the incredibly wastful and polluting (and energy consuming) food industry (not just in the US, same problem everywhere). In fact, they were saying that the food industry (intensive agriculture, etc.) is doing a lot of damage (with all the pollutants washing into the sea, not stopped by any wetlands anymore). Air freight, and air travel in general, are big energy suckers (and polluting/global warming factors). Buying local produce in rythm with the season is a first step... Wait until this ethanol frenzy gets momentum: there is nothing more polluting and energy consuming (fertilizers) than corn growing to produce the quantities that will make this "new"?? "green??" energy juicy...

I lived in Brittany (France) for years, and you should see what pig farming did to the coast: magnificent sandy bays covered with stinky green algies as soon as the sun is warm enough... and yet, they keep delivering permits for more pig farms... this certainly turned me off pork... It costs a fortune (and uses gallons and gallons of fuel) to have norias of tractors and trucks picking the green stuff off the beaches so the little tourism still alive can survive... a complete nonsense. Nobody has the guts to cut off farming subsidies to put an end to this dead-end industry... pig farmers are the sacred cows of Brittany... better drive with your windows down before you buy real-estate out there... it's not necessarily the smell of the ocean...
And so it goes...
CatherineH

I guess this is a good spot to remind us that giving up eating meat was for the better:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=67275

I'm not 100% there yet. Every once in awhile a good looking steak will turn my head.

For what it is worth, I have to add that I was married to a cattle rancher in California (the salad bowl of the world - San Joaquin valley) and observed first hand that the cattle, both beef and dairy are given hormone implants immediately upon birth with the thought that the faster from birth to beef or milk production, the more money; ranchers are paid by the pound and the gallon and dairy cattle are sent to slaughter for beef after 3-4 years of milk production.

More disturbing though is that the fertilizer used throughout the valley is the byproduct of the cattle, manure, which I am sure is laden with the hormones and antibiotics.

In that six-year marriage, I witnessed the lifestyles of these ranches which is the equivalent of living like rock stars. I believe the FDA should make us aware that the byproducts of cattle treated with hormones is used to fertilize the fields, from trees (citrus, nuts) to lettuce and corn.