Eating right and getting cancer...

I was just going through some old emails and papers and ran across two articles on foods that supposedly help prevent cancer and I decided it was worth blogging about.

The first article linked drinking a cup of coffee a day with preventing cancer. In a Japanese study it was shown that coffee helped lower the risk for oral cancers in people, even those with risky life behaviors (smoking and drinking). Well, I've been drinking my daily Joe for a long time...so so much for that one on me.

The second article I read was about how a diet high in fruits and vegetables helps protect against cancer. In a study of 33 common vegetables, the one leading the pact was brussel sprouts. Most people out there probably don't eat enough of this leafy green, but I was a weird kid, and I LOVED brussel sprouts and ate them all the time. Go figure!

I've read studies about fruits high in anti-oxidants and started eating berries every day for lunch after the first surgery, again obviously with no positive effects.

So, it just goes to show you that sometimes even eating all the right things and avoiding smoking and drinking can only get you so far. I can just be thankful for being so aware of myself to notice when things in my mouth and neck were not quite right. Sometimes even with doing all the right things, the best you can do is still just detect it early.