Vegan with cancer?

[LuVegan15]

I was wondering - has anyone ever heard of a vegan who got cancer while being vegan?

[Korn]

I haven't personally heard about this, but I'm sure these people exist. Cancer can have different reasons, and even if diet would have been the only possible reason, the effects of having been brought up on a diet associated with increased cancer risk won't disappear overnight when people would go vegan...

[LuVegan15]

I haven't personally heard about this, but I'm sure these people exist. Cancer can have different reasons, and even if diet would have been the only possible reason, the effects of having been brought up on a diet associated with increased cancer risk won't disappear overnight when people would go vegan...

Actually, I've read/heard the opposite. There have been lots of cases where people (omni's) develop cancer, and are advised by others to cut out animal products all together. So they do, and are cured from their illness! Veganism = life.

[Korn]

Well... the way I see it, that's not 'the opposite'. I've heard of such cases, and posted many links about the association between consuming animal products and cancer, but I haven't seen anyone suggest that cancer may never occur in vegan person's life. It's probably a lot less likely that a vegan will get cancer, and less likely the longer she or he has been eating healthy vegan food.

When meat, eggs or dairy are linked to cancer, eg. in the intestines, esophagus, breasts, prostate or ovaries, it isn't 'pieces of meat' that has entered these body parts; it's something in animal products that is associated with "abnormal and uncontrolled cell division" (= cancer).

The two main elements in animal products that seems like to cause exaggerated growth/cell division is animal growth hormones and vitamin B12, because growth hormones stimulates growth and B12 is important for rapidly multiplying cells. B12 is essential for cell division and is the nutrient that is found in much higher amounts in animal products than in plants. (Too little B12 is not good either, and is also associated with cancer.)

It seems that when (at least certain types of) cancer has reached a certain stage, the disease sometimes can't be stopped, and while it would be great if a person who switched to vegan food would be cancer safe immediately, I haven't seen any scientific evidence that this is the case.

With all the info that's presented about links between an animal based diet and cancer (see the links listed below), it seems clear to me that there is a strong association between cancer risk and consumption of animal products, and I wouldn't be surprised if we'll see more research supporting the idea that too high B12 levels is associated with increased cancer risk in the future, but I don't see a reason to assume that people who eat animal products, will become immune against cancer if they just stop eating animal products before they get cancer.

One reason for this is that exaggerated amounts of whatever it is in animal products that causes cancer won't disappear from the body the day someone stops consuming animal products. Another reason is that too low B12 is associated with cancer, and some vegans have very low B12 levels. A third reasons is that there are other reasons for cancer than animal products. A fourth reason is that there is no such thing as a vegan diet. People can live on junk food, talk in cell phones hours per day and work long shifts in the chemical industry or in an environment with high amounts of risk-associated radiation and still be vegans.


B12 overdose / megadose?

High B12 levels associated with an up to 3-fold increased prostate cancer risk

Cancer, adaptation and the vegan diet

Red Meat 'Linked To Breast Cancer'

Bacon & Skinless Chicken Associated With Bladder Cancer

Dairy Products May Increase Testicular Cancer Risk (German study)

Cheese linked to risk in testicular cancer (Canadian study)

Cancer and animal products

Red meat and cold cuts linked to colorectal cancer

Cancer patients go vegan

[mjnewbould]

bsically "cancer" is not one disease but many thousands of different ones all of which have different aetiological agents and associations; some are viral assdociated for example and some are almost purely genetic/familial, many are a combination of genetic factors and environmental ones (carcinoma of the large intestine for example) Though the incidence of some forms may be reduced with a vegan diet - this will not be the same for all - the term "cancer" is totally a lay one and not soemthing that we talk about in medicine. I'm sure - for example - that vegans who smoke will be at risk of the many forms of cancer associated with smoking!

[mjnewbould]

Nor would we ever think that adopting a vegan diet can be a cure for "cancer" - though of course it is likely that many people find it easier to be adequately nourished when eating a vegan diet and this always helps.

[gogs67]

I was wondering - has anyone ever heard of a vegan who got cancer while being vegan?

If a guy lives past 80 he's 99% sure to have prostate cancer in some form, and i'm sure there are a few vegan males over 80 out there. I know meat eating increases the chance of it though!

[Korn]

I'm sure - for example - that vegans who smoke will be at risk of the many forms of cancer associated with smoking!

Sure - this makes sense. However, since a healthy vegan diet contains a lot more phytochemicals, flavonoids (and antioxidants, which possibly have an anti-carcinogenic effect), a person with cancer or who is about to develop cancer would have a decreased risk of becoming sick - not because of the lack of meat per se, but because of all the stuff meat eaters consume less of because they eat less plants with a favorable effect on cancer and other diseases than vegans on a balanced diet. There's only so much you can eat per day, so eating eg. a piece of meat means that you'll eat less plant based food during that meal than if you would live on a 100% plant based diet.

Humans are healing themselves constantly through what we eat - with a healthy immune system, we could (to some degree) be exposed to stuff that are more or less unhealthy and still not get sick, so it makes sense to live on a diet that has a high/healthy amount of the stuff that's known to prevent or even heal disease.

Check out this post from the 'Cancer patients go vegan'-thread...

[LuVegan15]

Well... the way I see it, that's not 'the opposite'. I've heard of such cases, and posted many links about the association between consuming animal products and cancer, but I haven't seen anyone suggest that cancer may never occur in vegan person's life. It's probably a lot less likely that a vegan will get cancer, and less likely the longer she or he has been eating healthy vegan food.

When meat, eggs or dairy are linked to cancer, eg. in the intestines, esophagus, breasts, prostate or ovaries, it isn't 'pieces of meat' that has entered these body parts; it's something in animal products that is associated with "abnormal and uncontrolled cell division" (= cancer).

The two main elements in animal products that seems like to cause exaggerated growth/cell division is animal growth hormones and vitamin B12, because growth hormones stimulates growth and B12 is important for rapidly multiplying cells. B12 is essential for cell division and is the nutrient that is found in much higher amounts in animal products than in plants. (Too little B12 is not good either, and is also associated with cancer.)

It seems that when (at least certain types of) cancer has reached a certain stage, the disease sometimes can't be stopped, and while it would be great if a person who switched to vegan food would be cancer safe immediately, I haven't seen any scientific evidence that this is the case.

With all the info that's presented about links between an animal based diet and cancer (see the links listed below), it seems clear to me that there is a strong association between cancer risk and consumption of animal products, and I wouldn't be surprised if we'll see more research supporting the idea that too high B12 levels is associated with increased cancer risk in the future, but I don't see a reason to assume that people who eat animal products, will become immune against cancer if they just stop eating animal products before they get cancer.

One reason for this is that exaggerated amounts of whatever it is in animal products that causes cancer won't disappear from the body the day someone stops consuming animal products. Another reason is that too low B12 is associated with cancer, and some vegans have very low B12 levels. A third reasons is that there are other reasons for cancer than animal products. A fourth reason is that there is no such thing as a vegan diet. People can live on junk food, talk in cell phones hours per day and work long shifts in the chemical industry or in an environment with high amounts of risk-associated radiation and still be vegans.


B12 overdose / megadose?

High B12 levels associated with an up to 3-fold increased prostate cancer risk

Cancer, adaptation and the vegan diet

Red Meat 'Linked To Breast Cancer'

Bacon & Skinless Chicken Associated With Bladder Cancer

Dairy Products May Increase Testicular Cancer Risk (German study)

Cheese linked to risk in testicular cancer (Canadian study)

Cancer and animal products

Red meat and cold cuts linked to colorectal cancer

Cancer patients go vegan

Thanks for the links! I'll get right on them. I agree with all you've said ^

I know, I'm sorry, I just didn't read your post properly. I get plently of B12... yummy marmite!

[harpy]

it makes sense to live on a diet that has a high/healthy amount of the stuff that's known to prevent or even heal disease.

True, but I don't think it would make sense to carry on smoking cigarettes and rely on your diet to stop you getting lung cancer! (I know that's not what you meant, Korn, but wouldn't want someone reading this to get the wrong idea.)

[green woman]

I personally know one vegan person who had cancer and I've been told by friends that they know vegans who have had the disease and have sadly died from it. The vegan diet is not a guarantee that you won't get a serious illness. Hopefully you'll be less likely too, but it happens.

Actually, I've read/heard the opposite. There have been lots of cases where people (omni's) develop cancer, and are advised by others to cut out animal products all together. So they do, and are cured from their illness! Veganism = life.

I've read of cases where people are advised to try a vegan diet and it has prolonged their life but never cured the disease.

yummy marmite!

Unilever make Marmite. Natex is an excellent alternative http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-...ead__250g.html

[Gorilla]

it's good that a vegan diet can help prevent cancer but there are so many factors that cause these diseases that i don't believe diet alone can necessarily guard against all of them.

[green woman]

it's good that a vegan diet can help prevent cancer but there are so many factors that cause these diseases that i don't believe diet alone can necessarily guard against all of them.

I agree. Genetics also plays a part.

[Dylan Mulenburg]

A vegan with cancer? Isn't that impossible? JK, but pretty close to. All of the toxins, hormones, dioxins, even the type of protein found in meat, are all linked to illnesses such as cancer, and I have never heard of a vegan with cancer.

[Ruby Rose]

^ Did you actually read the posts above yours??

[Dylan Mulenburg]

Yes. I assume you were pointing to "Isn't that impossible?" I said JK..

[Digital Ghost]

I really don't want to talk about it but basically - I'm vegan and I had cancer while being vegan.