Cancer Prevention Through Fruits and Vegetables

We spend billions of dollars annually on cancer research as if the cause of cancer was unknown, and we are looking for the answer to cancer.  All the research focuses on drugs that can “cure” cancer, which to date has not been very successful.  100 years ago, in the early 1900’s, cancer afflicted 1 person out of 25.  Today, that number has changed to 1 out of 3 having cancer, and it is predicted by 2030 that it will increase to 1 out of 2.  Every other person will meet the challenges of having cancer.  Many medical experts today have voiced the fact that 90% of the cancer that afflicts Americans is caused by our lifestyle choices.  90% of the cancers that afflict Americans are caused by smoking and tobacco related products, a poor diet deficient in many nutrients that are required to maintain good health, the thousands of chemicals that are used in food, beverages, plastic, household items, and the pesticides we spray on crops.  The real cure for cancer is prevention.  Why not focus on cancer prevention?  If just half the annual revenue on cancer research was spent on educating the public on cancer prevention, it could be possible to reduce the rate of which cancer is increasing annually.  I don’t believe there will ever be a cure for cancer since every cancer case is different and every individual is unique and different.  Since the environment and our lifestyle choices influence our health, the same cancer treatment will not affect individuals equally.  Research studies on cancer have shown that diets, based on consumption of fruits and vegetables, reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease as well as most diseases afflicting Americans, especially colon cancer.  Colorectal cancer is the second most common malignancy and cause of cancer related deaths in the United States.  And, according to the American Cancer Society estimates, 145,290 new cases and 56,290 deaths would have occurred from colorectal cancer in the year 2005.  There is a long progression of the process in colorectal cancer.  It could be as long as 30 to 40 years.  Our cancer treatments are to wait until so much damage is done that the drugs used to treat cancer can kill more healthy cells while treatment continues.  Many cancer treatments use drugs that destroy the health of the individual throughout the treatment.  It’s like dropping an atomic bomb on the city of New York to rid the city of the rats in the sewer.  Based on many observational studies, the latest global strategy on the prevention of cancer recommends 7 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables.  Therefore, the focus of cancer research by many institutions, in recent years, has been shifting towards the isolation of potential chemo-preventative substances found in fruits and vegetables.  Bioflavonoids, vitamin C, phytoestrogens and proanthocyanidins have shown promising chemo-preventative and/or anticancer efficacy in various cell cultures in animal models.  So few people ever stop to think that food really and truly is our medicine.  It can’t be found in fast food restaurants, or the drive thru of the coffee shop, or some artificial, packaged food containing white flour, white sugar, vegetable oil and salt.  One of the most powerful forms of medicine is to include more fresh fruits and vegetables in the diet.  Make an effort to try to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily.