Whole grain consumption v. refined grain consumption and disease free survival in stage III colon ca

SandiaBuddy said:

Statistics

Mike, the statistics always make my head spin, and unfortunately they do not use consistent reporting techniques.  On simple things like whole grains instead of refined grains, where switching is simple and seems risk free, I do not really bother to suss out the specific gain (I think they said something like 13%).  To me, it is a more logical risk/benefit analysis.  There is no real risk to eating better, so even a non-statistically significant benefit would make it wothwhile from my perspective.  With that said, I more or less avoid all grains and stick to vegetables and fruits.  If something more compelling comes along, maybe I will change that approach, but when I eat gain I put on too much weight.

this is consistent with the general priciple of keeping refined carbs and sugars out of our diet to lower the growth signaling pathways which influence tumor growth.  It puzzles me why more attention isnt paid to monitoring HbA1c and insulin in cancer patients.  These should be on the low end of the reference range and if elevated swift action should be taken to bring them down.  

Short article in Harvard Gazette linking insulin and colon cancer

https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2012/11/insulin-and-colon-cancer-linked/

You're right, no risk to eating better.  Actually, quite a lot to gain...

BRHMichigan said:

Grain dilemma

I cut out all simple carbs for about 3 months, and felt extremely weak. I added whole grains and feel much better. My integrative Onc endorses a Mediterranean diet with some whole grains for all his cancer patients. It's good to see reinforcement like the article you shared!  Thanks 

John McDougall, a plant based MD, is an advocate for a high starch diet (potatoes, corn, whole rice) in complex form and makes the point about about starches providing needed energy and that most preindustrial societies ran on high levels of starches.    This seems valid for the last ten thousand years or so, but not sure that this holds when you take the long view, what our species evolved to eat over the last million years or so   

In any case, whole rice is a complex carb and in modest amounts may not drive up glucose and insulin. And if it makes you feel better and be more active that's good. I also eat a small amount of brown rice or red potatoe and can feel the difference, in a positive way. It seems that you're beneifiting from your relationship with a good Int Oncologist.  Too bad most patients don't go beyond their conventional oncologist for guidance.       

peterz54 said:

have heard the energy issue elsewhere

John McDougall, a plant based MD, is an advocate for a high starch diet (potatoes, corn, whole rice) in complex form and makes the point about about starches providing needed energy and that most preindustrial societies ran on high levels of starches.    This seems valid for the last ten thousand years or so, but not sure that this holds when you take the long view, what our species evolved to eat over the last million years or so   

In any case, whole rice is a complex carb and in modest amounts may not drive up glucose and insulin. And if it makes you feel better and be more active that's good. I also eat a small amount of brown rice or red potatoe and can feel the difference, in a positive way. It seems that you're beneifiting from your relationship with a good Int Oncologist.  Too bad most patients don't go beyond their conventional oncologist for guidance.       

 

I think that this works for societies where there is a lot of physical labor involved in day-to-day livng but most of us aren't living that kind of life. I've noticed that potatoes and corn have a thickening effect on illeostomy output and that's often a good thing (it's a lot easier to manage than watery output).

I've walked or run 17,000 steps or more per day for the past six days and it means that I sleep better and probably consume more calories. It's fewer calories than my running days (running burns lots more calories than walking) but it's the best that I can manage for now. I would guess that exercise, even walking a lot, helps numbers - actually there's probably research that shows that. My list is exercise, tree nuts, vitamin D3, whole grains and low carb now.

SandiaBuddy said:

It would be nice. . .

It would be nice if there were a single resource for natural or easy strategies to optimize the odds of cancer avoidance, but as of yet I have not found an easily accessible, up-to-date resource.  I think for the time being it is up to us to educate ourselves about what is available and to share that information.  That's why I post things I think are useful that I come accross monitoring pubmed.

we really have no other option but to educate ourselves.  It's dangerous to be a passive consumer of information.  PubMed is also my primary resource for finding out new things and validating what I read or hear elsewhere.