[Contribution] Can we avoid cancer by controlling the food we eat?

“I knew it!”

If a heavy drinker gets a stomach ulcer or an obese person is diagnosed with diabetes, they'll probably say, “I knew it.”

But what about cancer patients? I don't know of any examples of cancer patients saying that. They usually say, “Why did I get cancer?”

That's right. Cancer is rarely caused solely by poor dietary habits. Of course, heavy drinking and smoking have been linked to certain cancers, but they are far from a normal diet.

What about organic food?

Making all our meals organic would be impossible, but can eating organic food free us from cancer? It can't.

If this were possible, humans a century ago would have no reason to get cancer, and our ancestors in the Joseon Kingdom would have been free of all kinds of cancers. Given all this, there is honestly not a single dietary habit that increases your risk of cancer.

You may have heard in the news that a vegetarian diet can lead to a longer life, but this is also questionable.

I once saw a TV program in which a man in his 80s ate instant noodles for three meals a day. He said it was for financial reasons. Interestingly, he would soak the ramen noodles in running water for about an hour, then eat them without soup, accompanied only by soybean paste. The idea is that it removes a lot of fat from the instant noodles, and soup is bad for you.

Then, will everyone live a long and healthy life if they eat like that? From the point of view of a cancer specialist, he was just lucky to live to be over 80 years old and in good health.

Eating habits vary from person to person. Some people like to eat meat, others prefer a vegetarian diet. Some people overeat, some people undereat. Some people like to eat meat, others like to cut off the fat, and others will never eat food made with foreign ingredients.

Of course, it's important to manage your diet well and try not to be obese. It's essential for people with metabolic diseases. But the body doesn't react in the way we know.

The point of me saying this as a cancer specialist is not to say that dietary control is unnecessary, but to say that if you get cancer, don't beat yourself up. Don't ask yourself, “Why did I get cancer?”

Also, cancer patients often go overboard with their diets the moment they enter treatment, to the point of being harmful.

They don't eat meat, and they're very particular about what they eat. They try to find things that are good for them. They take red ginseng for a long time and eat expensive mushrooms that are said to be good for the body. Some patients come to me with weight loss to the point where I wonder if the treatment is not working. They do a lot of exercise that they don't normally do. Some run every chance they get. They are desperate to regain their health.

As a doctor who specializes in treating cancer patients, my view is this: There is no reason to be extraordinary in your diet, and although there are some, I would recommend moderation and not splurging. Don't overeat—not from a cancer perspective but from a general health perspective.

It’s also recommended that cancer patients eat as they usually would. There aren’t many foods to reject. Avoid instant foods if you don’t like them, but don’t think that they’ll worsen the process of your cancer. If you want to eat them, eat them sometimes because cancer is fate that’s not your fault.

I only recommend that you have a medical examination every few years. A surprising number of people are very careful about their diet but don’t go for checkups because they’re afraid something will be found. Can you avoid it by sticking your head in a hole?

For some, cancer is just an inevitable part of life.