[Mtngrl]

There are dozens of things that influence health and disease. There's no "magic bullet" that helps everyone prevent cancer or prevent recurrence. However, as this thread shows, there are many studies that show a link between certain lifestyle factors and cancer occurrence or recurrence. Causation can't be proven or disproven, but there are associations.

I remember from reading Anticancer; A New Way of Life that one study showed that walking a half hour a day appears to be as protective against recurrence of HER-2+ breast cancer as Herceptin is.

Diet and lifestyle modifications certainly "couldn't hurt," and they affect many more things than simply cancer recurrence. Regular exercise helps people handle stress, and it lifts mood and can help people sleep better. Eating a mostly plant-based diet and loading up on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can help ward off diabetes, high blood pressure, and excessive body fat.

I'm with Rhonda on limiting dietary fat. I think it's very hard to do, and tends to result in eating insufficient protein and too much carbohydrate. Another thing about a flat rule (30 gms per day) is it doesn't take into account your overall calorie needs, which depend on body size and amount of physical activity.

Those of us who did all those things and got cancer anyway can take comfort in the fact that, even so, we are stronger, more vigorous, and less cranky than we might be if we hadn't done all we could to take care of ourselves. Besides, cancer isn't the only threat to health: heart disease, diabetes, and infectious diseases threaten us too.

If I were considering lifestyle changes after a cancer diagnosis, I think the first thing I'd do is start taking a 30 minute walk every day.

Best wishes,
Amy