This is not my specialty, but it sounds like a very important study:
Surgery may not be needed to treat some patients with early-stage breast cancer
Healthday photo accompanied this article.
HealthDay (3/31, Thompson) reports, “Surgery might not be needed to treat as many as 60% of early-stage breast cancers, a new study says.” Investigators found that “breast cancers that have been completely wiped out by chemotherapy and radiation treatment are not likely to come back.” The trial involved “31 women whose breast cancer had been eliminated with chemo and radiation, without surgery.” The data indicated that “all of the women remained alive and cancer-free five years following treatment.” The findings were published in JAMA Oncology.
Editor’s note: This is a small clinical trial. Notice the headline “Surgery may not be needed…” If you click on the HealthDay link above, there is more detailed information. Talk to your breast specialist.
Healthy plant-based diet may help patients with obesity, diabetes, and heart disease live longer:
Cardiovascular Business (3/31, Walter) reports, “Embracing a healthy plant-based diet can help patients with obesity, diabetes and heart disease live longer, according to new research.” Investigators found that “overall…closely following a healthy plant-based diet resulted in a 17% to 24% lower risk of death from any cause, cardiovascular disease or cancer.” However, “diets that did not adhere to the requirements of a healthy plant-based diet…increased a person’s risk of death from any cause, cardiovascular disease or cancer by 28% to 36%.” The findings were presented at ACC.25.
Dr. Chen, one of the authors of the study said, “Among populations with cardiometabolic disorders, higher adherence to a healthful plant-based diet was significantly associated with a lower risk of total, cardiovascular and cancer mortality,” lead author Zhangling Chen, MD, PhD, a researcher with the department of cardiovascular medicine at the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in China, said in an ACC statement. “More intake of healthy plant-based foods, less intake of unhealthy plant-based foods and less intake of animal-based foods are all important.”
Chen also presented a separate study that explored that same NHANES data and examined on the drinking patterns of all patients, not just those with cardiometabolic conditions. He noted that drinking tea, coffee and low-fat milk and avoiding sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages, whole-fat milk and fruit juice can reduce a person’s risk of dying at a young age.
Blogfinger: Note that the data for this trial came from US, UK, and China, and that data is from 78,000 adult participants in the study. What impressed me in this trial is the size of the trial, the international cooperation, and evidence that such diets can allow high risk individuals (obesity, diabetes and heart disease) to live longer.
When Eileen and I completed our prevention book in 2011, written for lay people, we stressed the importance of such “plant based” diets, but our approach featured the Mediterranean diet which did allow some non-plant based foods such as fish, poultry, and red wine.
I notice that Dr. Chen did not mention alcohol (above). And our book covers details such as which oils to use. (eg canola vs olive oil vs extra virgin olive oil. ). But we did not have such evidence about longevity which this trial brings. And I did not read the published trial data. This summary is exciting enough.
Our purpose in our book was to cover details that doctors rarely find time to discuss. When I would lecture on prevention I would ask the audience, “How many of you have ever seen a doctor who uses the word “prevention.” Usually, no one raises their hand.
Our book “Prevention Does Work” gets into practical information such as cholesterol risks, fish oils, good and bad cholesterol, different diets, etc. We did say, “Most of what you eat should be derived from plants.” And we said, “Do not refer to yourself as being on a diet. Instead you must view this as a lifestyle change that will govern how you eat forever..”
Our book contains 35 heart healthy recipes by Eileen Goldfinger which are based on “evidence.” We discussed her recipes with “heart healthy” concepts in mind, especially how to prepare sea food. Most people who eat fish in the US usually deep fry it.—no,no! Eileen never fries anything in our recipes. The closest she gets is to sauté in a pan with a minimal amount of plant based oil such as canola or olive oil.
Even though our book was written quite a few years ago, most everything in it is still valid. It is a good guide to keep in the kitchen. It is still available at Amazon. Look under Paul Goldfinger, MD. It costs about $15.00 for paper and more for hard cover
Paul Goldfinger, MD, FACC