Right habits from childhood keep cancers at bay
Published: 06:05 AM,May 30,2021 | EDITED : 01:05 PM,May 30,2021
Can cancer be prevented? It is a question that has always been asked for years. Today, there seem to be more studies that conclude that cancer can be prevented in many situations.
According to the World Health Organization, Cancer is one of the most common causes of death, with nearly seven million deaths each year worldwide. Some 24.6 million people are living with cancer, and by the end of 2020, it is projected that there will be 16 million new cancer cases and 10 million cancer deaths every year.
Dr Rajyashree Kutty, a specialist surgeon who conducts awareness lectures on cancer in Oman and internationally, and founder of Barakath al Noor and a board member of Oman Cancer Association said, “About 15 per cent of the cancer is only because of certain factors that we cannot control and 85 per cent of them are because of what we can change. So if we can make that change, it can be prevented. Factors such as genes we cannot prevent, certain changes such as being a woman, increasing age are all factors. For example, prostate cancer cannot happen in youngsters as it happens in old age. So these factors could be what we cannot change, but what can we change?”
She pointed out, “About 85 per cent of cancers are because of our lifestyle. When we talk about lifestyle, there are three major factors: diet and food habits, obesity and one’s weight, physical activity and fitness. There is no point in working out for so many hours and not taking care of what you eat. On the other hand, if you eat healthy food but prefer to sit on the couch and not exercise, that is not helpful.
When it comes to breast cancer, apples, pomegranates, berries, cherries and peaches are known to prevent breast cancer to a great extent. WHO says that eating five fruits a day prevents breast cancer. These fruits are available in Oman. These fruits and vegetables prevent a type of cancer called hormone-dependent breast cancer. It can arrest breast cancer if a person is suffering from it. Do not forget the cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts etc’’, noted Dr Kutty.
There are two other factors that are important in the present era, said the specialist surgeon.
“Stress is directly responsible for producing certain cancers. The stress hormones have tendencies to trigger off the cancer gene, and the next one is sleep. An adult requires a minimum sleep of six to seven hours. If you do not have that, the chance of getting cancer is high’’, Dr Kutty pointed out.
One of the main reasons, according to her, is that our circadian rhythm has been altered. “If you see nature, the plants bloom with sunrise, and by sunset, we can see the birds go back to their nests, but human beings have gone completely against nature’’, she said.
Let us begin from childhood
“A child is not born with a taste for chocolates and chillies. So the mother and father at home must train the child from early years to have a vegetable salad and fruit salad everyday. God has made every vegetable and fruit with some element of vitamin or mineral or some sort of property such as antioxidant and anticancer. The need to drink enough water has to be stressed. It prevents blood pressure, diabetes, gastritis, stones and so many other diseases. Incorporating all these natural elements into life makes a big difference’’, she explained.
Meat, chicken and fish are good, but processed meat with added hormones begins to accumulate in the consumer’s body from the early years. Later, when they reach the reproductive stage, they face problems as everything is altered, so the progeny that comes in also has new traits and genes susceptible to all these diseases.
“So the best thing is to try to follow natural food habits. Once we teach a child a habit at home that remains life-long. Chubby kids are cute, but we have to remember the heart is only the size of our fist so we should not put unnecessary strain on it. Unfortunately, it is when people hit their 40s when they want to jog and workout until then, nobody does. Instead, let us start from childhood with the right habits.” Different people have various types of stress. For students, it is studies at adolescent age, it is about friends so it is natural, but what is important is how we neutralise it, says Dr Kutty.
“It is best to take up a passion, art, games, gardening or having pets is something that we should let them develop at early years and do not wait to be in the 30s.”
According to the World Health Organization, Cancer is one of the most common causes of death, with nearly seven million deaths each year worldwide. Some 24.6 million people are living with cancer, and by the end of 2020, it is projected that there will be 16 million new cancer cases and 10 million cancer deaths every year.
Dr Rajyashree Kutty, a specialist surgeon who conducts awareness lectures on cancer in Oman and internationally, and founder of Barakath al Noor and a board member of Oman Cancer Association said, “About 15 per cent of the cancer is only because of certain factors that we cannot control and 85 per cent of them are because of what we can change. So if we can make that change, it can be prevented. Factors such as genes we cannot prevent, certain changes such as being a woman, increasing age are all factors. For example, prostate cancer cannot happen in youngsters as it happens in old age. So these factors could be what we cannot change, but what can we change?”
She pointed out, “About 85 per cent of cancers are because of our lifestyle. When we talk about lifestyle, there are three major factors: diet and food habits, obesity and one’s weight, physical activity and fitness. There is no point in working out for so many hours and not taking care of what you eat. On the other hand, if you eat healthy food but prefer to sit on the couch and not exercise, that is not helpful.
When it comes to breast cancer, apples, pomegranates, berries, cherries and peaches are known to prevent breast cancer to a great extent. WHO says that eating five fruits a day prevents breast cancer. These fruits are available in Oman. These fruits and vegetables prevent a type of cancer called hormone-dependent breast cancer. It can arrest breast cancer if a person is suffering from it. Do not forget the cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts etc’’, noted Dr Kutty.
There are two other factors that are important in the present era, said the specialist surgeon.
“Stress is directly responsible for producing certain cancers. The stress hormones have tendencies to trigger off the cancer gene, and the next one is sleep. An adult requires a minimum sleep of six to seven hours. If you do not have that, the chance of getting cancer is high’’, Dr Kutty pointed out.
One of the main reasons, according to her, is that our circadian rhythm has been altered. “If you see nature, the plants bloom with sunrise, and by sunset, we can see the birds go back to their nests, but human beings have gone completely against nature’’, she said.
Let us begin from childhood
“A child is not born with a taste for chocolates and chillies. So the mother and father at home must train the child from early years to have a vegetable salad and fruit salad everyday. God has made every vegetable and fruit with some element of vitamin or mineral or some sort of property such as antioxidant and anticancer. The need to drink enough water has to be stressed. It prevents blood pressure, diabetes, gastritis, stones and so many other diseases. Incorporating all these natural elements into life makes a big difference’’, she explained.
Meat, chicken and fish are good, but processed meat with added hormones begins to accumulate in the consumer’s body from the early years. Later, when they reach the reproductive stage, they face problems as everything is altered, so the progeny that comes in also has new traits and genes susceptible to all these diseases.
“So the best thing is to try to follow natural food habits. Once we teach a child a habit at home that remains life-long. Chubby kids are cute, but we have to remember the heart is only the size of our fist so we should not put unnecessary strain on it. Unfortunately, it is when people hit their 40s when they want to jog and workout until then, nobody does. Instead, let us start from childhood with the right habits.” Different people have various types of stress. For students, it is studies at adolescent age, it is about friends so it is natural, but what is important is how we neutralise it, says Dr Kutty.
“It is best to take up a passion, art, games, gardening or having pets is something that we should let them develop at early years and do not wait to be in the 30s.”