How can I reduce my risk of autoimmune disease, chronic inflammation, and cancer?
Many patients have been led to believe that problems like heart disease and stroke are mostly caused by our lifestyle choices, whereas diseases like lupus or pancreatic cancer strike people randomly.
This most likely just isn’t true.
What steps can I take that could reduce my risks of these diseases?
Eat cold water fish high in omega-3 fatty acids and low in mercury. One small can of Season brand sardines has 1,700 mg of full spectrum omega-3 fatty acids! It has long been observed that populations eating higher amounts of fatty fish have lower incidence of inflammation as well as lower rates of autoimmune problems and some kinds of cancer. In 2022, a study produced evidence that supports the concept that simply taking omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D supplements reduces the risk of developing autoimmune diseases.
Make sure yours is a full spectrum omega-3 supplement. Did you know that most omega-3 supplements are highly processed? It is now understood that minimally processed oils from cold water fish - that retain the full range of fatty acids found in the fish - are superior to EPA and/or DHA. Processing omega-3’s strips out important compounds that may confer a large part of the benefit. Therefore, it is important to buy a full spectrum fish oil or cod liver oil.
Get your vitamin D levels measured and target the higher end of the normal range by increasing dietary vitamin D, sunlight exposure, and/or supplementation with vitamin D3 combined with vitamin K2. Vitamin D and A seem to work synergistically with omega-3’s to reduce inflammation.
Get aerobic exercise, especially moderate intensity. This has been shown to modulate the immune system in beneficial ways. There is strong evidence that higher levels of exercise are linked to both lower levels of inflammation in the body and lower risks of several kinds of cancer.
Eat a whole foods based diet. Highly processed foods increase the risk of cancer and other diseases.
Avoid packaged foods with long lists of ingredients, especially ingredients you would not have in your kitchen. Ever added a dash of maltodextrin, carrageenan, or guar gum to your recipe? Focus on low starch organic vegetables, nuts and seeds, brightly colored fruits and vegetables, fish, organic poultry, and smaller amounts of pasture raised red meat or wild game.
There is no guarantee that any specific lifestyle choice will either cause or prevent things like rheumatoid arthritis or cancer. There are strange cases of individuals who smoked for 50 years and were fine and then others where people lived very healthy lifestyles but were diagnosed with lethal cancer. For those suffering from these diseases, they did not “cause” themselves to develop them. Like most biological processes, cancers and auto-immune diseases are complex and risks vary based on genetics, environmental exposures, and lifestyle choices. But don’t give up hope! You can’t change your genes, but you likely can lower your risk of suffering from one of these very unfortunate conditions by taking some simple steps.
