cancer

The incidence of cancer seems to be on the increase among the Indian population. Deaths from heart disease also seem to be on the increase. This is a fallacy. It only appears so as Indian life expectancy has increased dramatically from 45 years it was in 1964. People, who earlier died at a young age because of infections, now live long enough to succumb to these diseases.

We age because the DNA in our cells progressively breaks and becomes shorter. It also mutates and changes. This is not always a bad thing. Some good changes occur. It is the fundamental process of evolution and it has brought us from having been apes and cavemen to where we are today. Sometimes the mutated DNA has errors and abnormalities. It escapes from central control, the cells multiply and these abnormalities are passed on to daughter cells. This can give rise to cancerous tumours.

Sometimes the changes in the DNA can be passed on. This is because the cancer starts and kills after the person has already had children and passed on the defective genes. People may inherit genes like the BRAC1 or BRAC2 which predisposes women to breast and ovarian cancer, the FOX MI gene associated with prostate cancer, the multiple genes associated with colon cancer and the Philadelphia chromosome associated with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). These genes trigger cancer at a certain age or when the environmental factors are conducive.

The trigger may be repeated exposure to cancer-causing chemicals such as the ones present in tobacco or asbestos. Despite the presence of risk factors, lifestyle and diet changes can make a difference in the battle against cancer. We are what we eat. Our food choices can make a difference in susceptibility to cancer and the ability to withstand and fight off the disease. The best preventive diet is a predominantly vegetarian diet. This means fruits, nuts and vegetables. These have less fat, fibre, and more cancer-fighting nutrients. These three elements work in cohesion to support the immune system and help ward off cancer.

When food is served, only a third of the normal sized plate should consist of meat, fish or cheese. Another third should be grains like rice, wheat, corn or ragi. The rest should be vegetables.

Eat vegetables of as many different colours as possible. The colours are pigments which contain immunity boosting antioxidants. Vegetables are stripped of nutrients when they are peeled, boiled or fried. The less they are altered from their natural state, the better they are. Indian spices like turmeric are also cancer fighting.

It is better to eat the fruit than drink the juice. Essential fibres are removed as fruit is juiced. Even in this, in India we have to be careful. Artificial colouring (often carcinogenic) is added to fruits and vegetables to make them more appealing. Fruits are artificially ripened to make a profit. The chemicals used to do this are also poisonous.