On this edition of Your Call, we continue our discussion on rising cancer rates by taking a deeper dive into diet, lifestyle, environmental toxins, and other factors. Dr. Urvi Shah, a cancer survivor, recommends that people get at least 80 to 90 percent of calories from unprocessed plant foods. She says she's looking for progress, not perfection.
What does the latest science and research say? What else needs to be studied?
Guests:
Dr. Urvi Shah, cancer survivor, myeloma specialist, hematologist-oncologist, assistant attending physician at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine
Dr. Vanita Rahman, clinic director of the Barnard Medical Center, certified nutritionist, and former internal medicine doctor at Kaiser Permanente, where she launched a plant-based weight loss program
Resources:
American Cancer Society: Annual Report: Cancer Mortality Continues to Drop Despite Rising Incidence in Women; Rates of New Diagnoses Under 65 Higher in Women Than Men
American Cancer Society: Proportion and number of cancer cases and deaths attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors in the United States, 2019
Keck School of Medicine of USC: Large-scale study explores genetic link between colorectal cancer and meat intake
World Health Organization: Cancer: Carcinogenicity of the consumption of red meat and processed meat
The Mayo Clinic: Plant-based diet is encouraged for patients with cancer
International Agency for Research on Cancer: Ultra-processed foods are associated with increased risk of cancer and cardiometabolic multimorbidity