The Blog

Making Cancer History in Texas, the nation, and the world. This is the mission of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and they’re tackling cancer from every angle by delivering the highest quality care, conducting cutting-edge research on cancer prevention, and providing trainings for medical students and professionals.

How often is cancer preventable with a healthy diet and regular exercise? According to a 2007 AICR and World Cancer Research Fund study, the most comprehensive study to-date on the link between diet and cancer, there is an undeniably strong link between excess body fat and increased risk of cancer of the esophagus, pancreas, colon, endometrium, kidneys, breast, gallbladder, ovaries and prostate. It’s a scary topic, but the #2 cause of death (preceded by heart disease, also directly correlated with poor diet and physical activity) is well worth improving our daily habits to prevent.

“Aside from not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight is the single most important way to protect against cancer.” –MD Anderson Cancer Prevention page

MD Anderson has a section of their site devoted to cancer prevention with sections on food, exercise, skin safety, tobacco, screenings, and general health. Texas is so lucky to have the MD Anderson team working to increase the quality of our lives and, in many cases, save our lives; we owe it to these committed researchers, to ourselves and to our families to make the healthy changes they recommend.

The modifications MD Anderson suggests to prevent your risk of cancer include avoiding sugary drinks, getting active for at least 30 minutes every day, cut back on oversized portions, avoiding tobacco, and eating a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes (such as beans with no added sodium).

We are all bombarded with gimmicky information online: fad diets, ‘must-have’ exercise equipment, weight loss pills… if you or a member of your family needs to lose weight, we recommend tuning those advertisements out and using these MD Anderson resources to make an action plan. Pair these online resources with our Choose Healthier Coaches (you can call from anywhere in Texas) for trustworthy information and ongoing, free support.

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Ernest Hawk, Vice President and Division Head for Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences at MD Anderson, will be our keynote speaker at the 2015 Summit! Dr. Hawk’s remarks with kick off the Summit on Monday morning, June 15th. We admire and share in Dr. Hawk’s determination to end cancer and create a lasting culture of health in Texas.

There is still time to register for the Summit, where you will hear from Dr. Hawk and many other inspirational thought leaders in the health space.