Different dietary camps often make bold claims regarding the impact of lifestyle on cancer prevention and treatment. Many people diagnosed with cancer will ask themselves whether it is their “fault”, too. We’ve touched on cancer many times on The Proof, but in Episode #254, I sit down with Dr Urvi Shah and Dr Neil Iyengar for the show’s first conversation dedicated to understanding cancer.

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Dr Iyengar and Dr Shah both have a keen interest in the role of lifestyle in cancer development and treatment, having recently published a review titled “Plant-Based and Ketogenic Diets As Diverging Paths to Address Cancer*”*. In today’s conversation, we take a closer look at what cancer is, how it develops, and how lifestyle factors come into the picture.

Drs Urvi Shah and Neil Iyengar are board-certified oncologists at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. They are both actively involved in nutrition research, looking at how lifestyle interventions can affect cancer-related outcomes. Dr Shah specialises in treating patients with multiple myeloma, and Dr Iyengar specialises in treating patients with breast cancer. Together, Dr Shah and Dr Iyengar hold a wealth of knowledge on cancer, with both hands-on experience treating patients and as researchers.

In Episode #254, you will learn about pre-cancerous cells, our bodies’ surveillance systems to prevent cancer, and the hallmark features of cancer. This episode is packed with practical information on the intersection between lifestyle factors and cancer: we identify the lifestyle habits that can reduce cancer, treat it, and prevent its recurrence. We also weigh up plant-based and ketogenic diets for cancer treatment and prevention, and the clinical trials currently underway looking at nutrition and cancer.

Specifically, we discuss:

00:00 - Intro
06:51 - Cancer and precancerous cells
20:09 - Genetics and cancer risk
24:33 - Obesity and cancer risk
36:44 - Modifiable factors and reducing recurrence risk
47:34 - The role of nutrition in cancer treatment
51:50 - Plant-based diet vs ketogenic diet
1:13:35 - Dr. Neil investigates the effects of plant-based diets and exercise on breast cancer
1:17:25 - Soy, dairy, protein, and cancer risk
1:31:25 - Unprocessed red meat and colorectal cancer
1:37:42 - Organic foods vs conventional produce
1:41:10 - Ultra-processed food and cancer risk
1:43:42 - Alcohol intake and exercise recommendation
1:50:04 - Strong predictors of breast cancer
1:52:26 - Stress and sleep
1:53:36 - Importance of screening
2:02:39 - Outro

I hope you find this episode’s focus on cancer illuminating. Drs Shah and Iyengar bring an evidence-based yet practical lens to this complex topic, and you will no doubt finish this episode with a better understanding of how to reduce your risk of cancer in the future.

Connect with Dr Neil Iyengar
- Twitter:   / neil_iyengar  
- Website: https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/doc...

Connect with Dr Urvi Shah
- Twitter:   / urvishahmd  
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/urvishahmd/...
- LinkedIn:   / urvishahmd  
- Website: https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/doc...
If you have any additional questions you would like answered in the future, let me know in the comments.

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Enjoy, friends.

Simon

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