The risk of developing bladder cancer appears to corre-late with fat and cholesterol intake. Some studies have suggested that eating a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet that is high in fruits and vegetables may decrease your risk of developing bladder cancer. A recent study from Japan showed a decreased risk of bladder cancer in patients who had diets that were high in green vegetables or carrots.
Those who ate five or more servings per week were half as likely to develop bladder cancer, as were those who ate one to three servings per month. Soy protein and garlic intake may also decrease the risk. Garlic has been shown to have a direct toxic effect on bladder cancer cells grown in a culture dish in the laboratory. This effect may be due to stimulating the body’s natural defenses to kill cancerous cells. Some vitamins have also been found to have anticancer effects, although little information is specifically related to their effects on bladder cancer. In a recent study of almost a million adults, those who were cigarette smokers and regularly took vitamin E for 10 years or longer had a decreased risk of death from bladder cancer.
The effect was less in nonsmokers. Smokers who took vitamin E were, however, still at high risk for bladder cancer; thus, avoiding cigarettes is still important! There was no decreased risk in those who took vitamin C. If you are confused about all of the different recom-mendations for a “healthy” diet, you are not alone. It is difficult to study the effects of diet on any disease because it requires hundreds or thousands of patients making strict changes to their diet for many years.
Anyone who has ever tried a new diet can imagine how difficult it is to find volunteers who are reliably able to do this! The best recommendation, therefore, is to use common sense and to be wary of any expensive pills that claim to be highly effective. Eat a balanced diet with fruit, meat, breads, and vegetables without overdoing any one item. Quit smoking, and exercise regularly. Even without a scientific study, we can all agree that those three things will keep you healthy.