The score on nutrition and cancer prevention

MANILA, Philippines - Cancer remains as one of the top killer diseases in the Philippines. And if most Filipinos insist on pursuing their current unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyle, medical experts believe that this disease would continue to plague the country in the years to come. 

According to Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Enrique Ona, “lifestyle-related diseases account for more than half of all deaths annually.” 

“The cancer incidence in the Philippines is just as alarming as other infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, HIV, and malaria. As a matter of fact, this is more dangerous than malaria… Cancer is a hidden killer,” Ona was quoted as saying during the Public-Private Partnership for cancer care and control conference held last month in Manila.

In 2010, the estimated total number of new cancer cases in the country is 82,468, based on data from the Philippine Cancer Society.

Also among 15 Asian countries — including China, Malaysia, and Indonesia — the Philippines currently holds the highest breast and prostate cancer mortality rate (27 per 100,000 population and 13 per 100,000, respectively) and lowest survival rate (0.58 mortality-to-incidence ratio) for breast cancer.

According to Dr. Eliza Mei Perez-Francisco, a nutrition expert, cancer incidence could rise in the Philippines if people will continue practicing an unhealthy diet, sedentary lifestyle, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption, as these are some of the leading causes of cancer that are often abused and/or ignored.

But Francisco revealed that most health experts believe that about one-third of all cancers are caused by poor diet, and are thus preventable. Likewise, healthy lifestyle and nutritional supplements play an important role in the reduction of this disease.

Multivitamins vs cancer

A landmark study released in October last year, dubbed Physicians’ Health Study II, found that a daily dose of multivitamins, specifically using Pfizer’s Centrum Silver in the randomized trial, reduced the total risk of cancer in study participants by eight percent than the subjects taking placebo or dummy pills.

The study’s lead author, Dr. J. Michael Gaziano, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the VA Boston Healthcare System in the US, said the reduction in total cancers was small but statistically significant.

But he added that while the main reason to take a multivitamin is to prevent nutritional deficiencies, “it certainly appears there is a modest reduction in the risk of cancer from a typical multivitamin.”

In a statement last October, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare said it is pleased that study investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School, chose Centrum Silver for the Physicians’ Health Study II.

“A prior formulation of Centrum Silver was used in the study. Centrum Silver multivitamins currently available in stores have since been updated and improved to reflect advances in nutritional science,” it said.

The study, supported by the National Institutes of Health, tracked a total of 14,641 men aged 50 or older from 1997 to 2011. According to its authors, Pfizer only provided the multivitamins and did not in any way influence the study design, data analysis or manuscript preparation.

Of the PHS II findings, Francisco said, “Multivitamins should support and not replace other known ways of reducing one’s risk of cancer.”

“Eating a diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables (excellent sources of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals), maintaining a healthy body weight, avoiding smoking, and limiting alcohol intake still remain top cancer prevention tips,” she added.

The nutrition expert revealed that people who eat only small amounts of fruits and vegetables have an increased risk of developing cancer, noting that 20 percent of people who have the lowest fruit intake have a 20 percent higher risk of getting lung cancer, while evidence indicates that reducing salt and salt-preserved foods may reduce stomach cancer incidence.