Living to thwart cancer and save the planet
Returning to dietary and exercise patterns that humans followed before there were cities could play a part in averting a predicted surge in cancer rates.
Internationally recognised researcher and scientist John Potter will be in Palmerston North next week to explore the theme of diet, human health and planetary health at a Cancer Society-hosted event.
The professor at Massey University’s Centre for Public Health and chief science adviser to the Ministry of Health says there is no doubt the risks of cancer and chronic disease are influenced by what people eat and drink, whether they exercise and what they are exposed to.
But in modern life people had adopted food and exercise habits far different from those of much earlier generations.
‘‘A time that, when we needed food, we had to work hard for it. When we needed to be somewhere else, we walked and ran.’’
As the world changed, people’s habits changed and were taken for granted unless they reflected on how they were living and made conscious choices to do things differently.
Diet has been closely linked to the risk of bowel cancer, the second-highest cause of cancer death in New Zealand, and the number of people developing cancer was expected to increase by 50 per cent by 2035 unless something changed.
There was potential for people to take simple steps to help prevent cancer, with Potter’s advice drawing from research and some of the 690 scientific papers he has written.
Potter recently published a book, Thought for Food, which broadens the theme, exploring how shifting to a more plant-based diet could be not just better for people, but better for the environment and the planet.
Alongside his presentation, Cancer Society Manawatu¯ will have its inflatable ‘‘colossal colon’’ available for guided tours to help people understand changes and symptoms that could lead to colon cancer.
People need to register for the free event at the Speirs Centre at 7pm on Thursday, November 15.