Transcription:
What to Eat to Help Prevent Cancer

Caitlin Whyte: Welcome to Live Greater, a health and wellness podcast brought to you by the University of Maryland Medical System. We put knowledge and care within reach, so you have everything you need to live your life to the fullest.

This episode is sponsored by the University of Maryland Cancer Network, led by the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Care Center, one of the nation's NCI-designated comprehensive care centers. The UM Cancer Network provides access to national experts, the latest treatments, leading edge technology and promising clinical trials all close to home. The UM Cancer Network, helping you beat cancer once and for all.

Today, we are talking about nutrition and cancer prevention with Brooke Sawicki, an outpatient dietician at the Tate Cancer Center at the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center. So Brooke, this is such an interesting topic. To start us off, how can food help prevent cancer?

Brooke Sawicki, MS, RD, LDN: Sure. So plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and legumes have been found to help lower levels of inflammation in the body. They can improve the body's insulin response and lower levels of damage to DNA in the body. So eating more plant-based type foods has also been found to increase healthy bacteria that's found in our gut. Fruits and vegetables contain vitamins and minerals, fiber and phytochemicals, which have all been found to be protective against certain types of cancer. Fruits and vegetables also have a high fiber content and water content as well as a low calorie content, which can increase feelings of fullness with meals and decrease our overall calorie intake.

This can therefore help with weight management. Whole grains can contain a high fiber and phytonutrient content, which has been found to lower risk for colorectal cancer. Whole grains can modify fatty acid production in the intestines, lower inflammatory bacteria and increase intestinal transit time, which helps reduce exposure to potential cancer-causing substances in the intestines. Fiber of whole grains can also help with weight management as well.

Caitlin Whyte: Now, you mentioned the importance of plant-based diets, but are there any other diets to follow that would help like keto or DASH?

Brooke Sawicki, MS, RD, LDN: Sure. So the American Cancer Society and the American Institute for Cancer Research recommend following a predominantly plant-based type diet, which would consist of a diet mainly of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, beans, and legumes. It is recommended to limit intake of red and processed meats, as well as processed foods can be high in fat, starches, sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages.

There are certain types of diets or eating plans that can help to achieve this type of eating pattern. Some of these include things like the Mediterranean diet, the DASH diet, the USDA Healthy Eating Index, a flexitarian-type diet, a lacto-ovo vegetarian type diet, pescatarian diets or even a vegan diet.

Caitlin Whyte: Now, a lot of plans out there promote either grain-free or gluten-free plans, but it sounds like you're saying that a diet rich in whole grains is actually good. So can you tell us more why grains are good for you, and if there are certain grains that are better than others or a certain amount we should be eating?

Brooke Sawicki, MS, RD, LDN: So gluten is a protein that's found in wheat, barley and rye products. For individuals with a diagnosis of celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, gluten can promote a state of inflammation in our intestines, which may therefore for risk for certain types of cancer. However, for the general population, there is no evidence to support avoiding gluten.

Whole grains contain a lot of phytochemicals and fiber, which can modify fatty acid production in the intestines, lower inflammatory bacterial species, increase intestinal transit time, which can therefore lower exposure of potential carcinogens in our intestines. Whole grains can also lower risk of weight gain, overweight and obesity. So it is recommended to consume about three servings of whole grains per day.

Whole grains can be found in foods like oats, brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta or whole grain or whole wheat bread. A serving for whole grains is equal to about a half of a cup of cooked brown rice, a half of a cup of oatmeal, a half of a cup of whole wheat pasta, or one slice of whole grain or whole wheat bread.

Caitlin Whyte: And you touched on this a bit already, but is a vegetarian or vegan diet better for preventing cancer or is some kind of meat okay?

Brooke Sawicki, MS, RD, LDN: So research suggests that consuming a predominantly plant-based type diet is better for preventing cancer. However, it is okay to eat animal proteins, but we want to try to eat them in smaller amounts. When selecting animal proteins with our meals, we want to try to select more fish and poultry options. For red meat, it is recommended to consume no more than 12 to 18 ounces per week. And for processed meats like bacon, sausage, deli meats, it is recommended to limit or avoid these as much as possible.

Caitlin Whyte: Now, let's talk about sugar. I know we're supposed to be cutting back, but are diet sweeteners like Stevia or Splenda any better for us?

Brooke Sawicki, MS, RD, LDN: So it is important to limit the amount of added sugar we consume in our diet as sugar can increase our overall calorie intake and therefore contribute to weight gain. Diet sweeteners like aspartame saccharin, sucralose and Stevia have few to no calories or even nutrients for that matter. They are often derived from herbs, plants or sugar itself. So research shows that these sweeteners appear to be safe when consumed in moderation. However, there are a lot of diet sweeteners that have sugar alcohols in them like sorbitol, xylitol, and mannitol, which when we consume these in large quantities, might cause some abdominal discomfort and bloating.

Caitlin Whyte: All right. Now, some studies say a glass of red wine is healthy and we'd all like to believe that, but would you agree with that study? And what about other kinds of alcohol? Where does alcohol fit into a cancer-free diet?

Brooke Sawicki, MS, RD, LDN: So with alcohol content, there is a lot of strong scientific evidence that says that alcohol intake is linked with several types of cancer. In terms of cancer risk, there really is no specific type of alcohol that is less cancer-causing than others. All alcohol contains ethanol, which is a cancer-causing compound. So to reduce risk of cancer, it is recommended to avoid alcohol. If you do choose to consume alcohol, the recommendation would be to drink no more than two standard drinks per day for men and no more than one standard drink per day for women.

Caitlin Whyte: Now, the problem with a lot of these diets, some people say health foods are expensive. Going organic is expensive. So how can we eat healthy and stay on a budget?

Brooke Sawicki, MS, RD, LDN: So eating healthy does not always have to break the bank. There are many ways to select healthy food options while eating on a budget. Foods like dried beans, peanut butter and nuts are often sold in bulk and are a great way to add plant-based proteins to a meal.

Whole grains such as brown rice, whole wheat pasta, wheat bread and oats are often affordable ways to add whole grains to a dish. Purchasing fruits and vegetables that are in season are going to be more affordable than out of season produce. Even going to local farmer's market is another great way to find more affordable produce, and it also supports local farmers in the area.

Fruits and vegetables do not always have to be fresh. A lot of times frozen or even canned options can be more affordable and still provide a lot of nutritional benefit to our diets. So when we select frozen fruits or vegetables, we want to look for items that do not have any added sauces or flavorings. You can always add flavor yourself and season yourself.

For canned items, selecting canned fruits that are packed in 100% percent fruit juice and canned vegetables that are either low sodium or no-salt-added labeled are also nutritionally beneficial as well.

Caitlin Whyte: Great. Well, Brooke, we've covered a lot of information in a pretty short amount of time. Is there anything else you'd like to add as we wrap up here?

Brooke Sawicki, MS, RD, LDN: So in terms of anything to add, I would always like to direct people to the American Cancer Society website as well as the American Institute for Cancer Research websites as their online resources are evidence and research backed, so everything that you find on the website is going to be scientifically backed as opposed to a lot of other information that might be available on the internet. A lot of times it's hard to differentiate where a lot of information comes from.

Caitlin Whyte: Well, Brooke, thank you for your time today. You can find more shows just like this one at umms.org/podcast. Thank you for listening to Live Greater, a health and wellness podcast brought to you by the University of Maryland Medical System. We look forward to you joining us again.