Vegetarian Diet & Health Over 55: Lower Cancer Risk
Plant based diet, vegetarian diets protect health, low-fat vegan diet critical for lower cancer risk, heart attack risk, reversing diabetes - Dr. Neil Bernard
According to the latest research from AICR, 1 in 3 “older adults” (55 and up) don’t know about the connections between diet and disease, or think that it’s too late to do anything - like exercise or go vegetarian.
Exercise, and plant-based or vegetarian diets are preventative measures to protect health, and will improve your health from wherever you are. But for lower cancer risk, heart attack risk, and reversing serious health conditions like diabetes, cutting out all animal products and adopting a low fat vegan diet is critical, according to Dr. Neil Bernard, founder of the Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).
Many of us hesitate to take the leap from depending on our doctors to depending on ourselves to make us well. A life threatening health condition is usually a big wake up call, and usually the first time your doctor will mention diet. Nobody’s immune, including vegetarians! I can personaly testify to that.
The AICR post below, about lowering your cancer risk after age 55, uses the term “plant based diet”, which means that people can still eat some animal foods, and yet have a healthy diet. That’s a deluded piece of political correctness, in my humble opinion, but “plant-based diet” has more wiggle room for those who are on the fence over the “vegetarian” label.
But let’s not quibble about something as important as our health. This is great news - and welcome evidence that vegetarian diets are becoming mainstream:
Latest Research: Even Late in Life, Activity and Plant-Based Diet Lower Cancer Risk
WASHINGTON, DC, October 21, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Citing projections that by 2030, America’s senior population will reach 20 percent of the population – 78 million people – and new survey information showing that Americans feel increasingly helpless about their personal cancer risk as they grow older, the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) today highlighted the emerging research showing that even in later life, many cancers can be delayed or prevented through regular physical activity and a plant-based diet.
Presented at AICR’s annual Research Conference on Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Cancer, these research findings reflect the recent surge in the study of diet and activity on cancer’s number one risk factor: aging. According to the latest estimates, nearly 4 in 5 cancers are diagnosed after age 55 and by age 65, a person’s cancer risk is 10 times that of younger people. Increasingly, research is demonstrating that at any age, individuals can take simple steps — like getting and staying more active and eating more fruits, vegetables and whole grains — that will help delay aging and lower cancer risk.
“You can’t control your age, but you can control your cancer risk,” said AICR Nutritionist Alice Bender, MS, RD., “That’s what this new science is showing, and that’s what people need to understand.”
With these research findings as a call-to-action, AICR also launched a new awareness campaign — It’s Never Too Late to Lower Your Risk — which will translate the latest evidence from laboratory research and clinical trials into small, everyday changes that offer real cancer protection. AICR is joining forces with the Alliance for Aging Research to launch the campaign, which is designed to close a significant knowledge gap among older Americans about aging and increased cancer risk. New consumer research commissioned by AICR finds that 1 in 3 adults over age 50 are unaware of the link between aging and increased cancer risk and many mistakenly believe it’s too late for them to take action.
“The over-50 group has the highest cancer risk, and they stand to benefit the most by taking the kind of healthy steps that, according to evidence from laboratory research and clinical trials, offer real cancer protection,” Bender said. “It’s never too late. That’s the message aging Americans need to hear and take to heart.
Read the entire AICR article summarizing the latest research on plant based diet and health
Learn More About Plant Based Diet and Your Health
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