By John Whyte, MD, MPH, as told to Alexandra Benisek
In the WebMD webinar "Taking Control of Your Cancer Risk," John Whyte, MD, MPH answered viewers’ questions about cancer risk. He explained risk factors you can and can’t control. He's WebMD Chief Medical Officer.
How risky are smoked foods?
Non-smoked is probably a better choice. But it’s really an issue of moderation. You can eat smoked meats, but you shouldn't be doing it two or three times a week. It’s OK to eat once a month, for example.
When it comes to cancer risk and meat, particularly red meat, how it's prepared plays a role. Smoked meats or other options that aren't as natural are better in moderation.
What's the danger of processed foods? What about red meat?
Processed meats and fast foods have so many preservatives and added ingredients. These are not natural chemicals, and they don’t have any type of nutrients. Part of the issue with red meat is the amount of time it takes to digest. They stay in our digestive tract longer. They have artificial preservatives to give them a long shelf life and taste. These have an impact on our cells.
It also has to do with what you don’t eat in your diet. If you're eating a lot of processed meat, you're probably not eating a healthy amount of fruits and vegetables.
Red meat, especially, has been linked with colorectal cancer. That doesn't mean that you can never have a burger, but don't eat it every day.
What role does being sedentary play in cancer risks?
We say sitting is the new smoking. With physical inactivity, you start to gain weight and have a decrease in muscle mass. Those are all things that can impact your cancer risk.
You should focus on the total of what happens at the end of the day. If you're sitting for 8 hours a day, it's going to be very hard to get 8,000 steps. It’s challenging to make that up later in the day, after you’re off work. You're not going to do it late at night, because that's going to impact your sleep. It’s really about getting up every hour to move around, even if it's just for a few minutes.
Is poor dental health, which can increase cancer risk, just about cleaning your teeth and gum health – or is there something else?
It's really about bacteria and inflammation. Bacteria in your mouth can impact other areas of your body. It’s important to brush your teeth on a regular basis and keep good oral hygiene. There's a lot of data about gum disease and cancer risk as related to oral health.
How does diabetes impact cancer risk?
The issue with diabetes, particularly in type 2, is insulin resistance. When you consume a lot of sugar or glucose, that puts out more insulin.
Insulin is an inflammatory hormone. Diabetes is essentially causing chronic inflammation. This is bad, because it causes cell errors and decreases immunity.
The challenge with type 2 diabetes and its impact on cancer risk involves inflammation.
My mother and grandmother died of breast cancer. But I’m male. Am I at higher risk for cancer?
You might want to get more in-depth information about your family history and consider testing with a genetic counselor. Tests like 23andMe only look for a few types of cancer mutations. They don't test for all of them.
Men do get breast cancer. And depending on the type of breast cancer your family members had, different types of cancers can occur together, too. That’s why family history is very important.
If this is your situation, talk to your doctor about screening for cancer, to see which types you may be at risk for.
What's the increased risk of cancer with gout?
Gout is an inflammatory process. If you have gout, you have a higher risk of cancer, compared to the general population. That includes an increased risk of urologic, prostate, bladder, and rectal cancers.
We're still trying to sort out exactly why that is, but it’s probably related to inflammation. There's a lot of swelling with gout.
When should you choose targeted therapy?
Not all cancers are eligible for targeted therapy. And there are pros and cons for all therapies.
Immunotherapy can have serious side effects because it can attack other normal cells. So, it's not always a better option. It all depends on the stage of your disease, what your biomarker testing showed, and your discussions with an oncologist about what your options are.
A shared decision-making approach is important in this case.
You talked about precision medicine, but how do you look at precision medicine results?
With targeted therapies, we’re taking your personalized data and then making decisions for you. It depends on what your condition specifics are, or what you’ve tried before. It’s really about targeting the underlying causes of your disease with the best medications we have.
Watch a replay of "Taking Control of Your Cancer Risk."
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