A Book Recommendation
Posted 7/18/2012
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I have written many times about the associations/links between weight gain and breast cancer. The more body fat you have, the greater risk you apparently have both for an initial diagnosis and a recurrence. Of course, nothing in 'Cancer World' is ever straightforward or simple, and maintaining or losing weight is never a guarantee of good health. We do know, however, that extra pounds are unhealthy in other ways, and it is increasingly clear that paying attention to diet and exercise are among the few things we can control and do for ourselves to try to stay healthy.
Mary Flynn, PhD, RD, and Nancy Verde Barr have written an excellent book called The Pink Ribbon Diet. Dr. Flynn is a research dietician at the Miriam Hospital in Providence, RI, and an Assistant Professor of Medicine in Research at Brown University. Ms Barr served as executive chef (and what a job that must have been!) to Julia Child and is a award winning cookbook author. This book thoughtfully presents the evidence to support an olive oil and plant-based diet, and then serves up many excellent recipes to tempt you. As you likely have surmised, I am very skeptical of most books that promise that Diet X will reduce or eliminate cancer risk (my favorite nominee for scathing criticism is The Breast Cancer Prevention Diet; no one can promise such a thing).
This book is widely available and worth your attention; here is one brief review:
From Publishers Weekly
Under the auspices of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation, Flynn, a research dietitian at the Miriam Hospital and assistant professor at Brown Medical School, studied the effects of a plant-based olive-oil diet ("PBOO") for overweight women who had undergone breast cancer treatment, compared to a low-fat diet recommended by the National Cancer Institute. Her conclusion--that the plant-based olive oil diet is both more effective and more satisfying--is the basis for this combination research/recipe book, penned with the help of Barr, a cookbook author formerly associated with Julia Child. The authors explain that the PBOO diet concentrates primarily on foods that women should eat in order to lower their risk of breast cancer or to ward off its recurrence, while omitting foods associated with risks; the focus on olive oil and veggies leads to improvement in blood lipids, blood sugar, and insulin, all biomarkers for breast cancer. Part II presents a 1,500-calorie diet that includes 150 simple, affordable, and enticing recipes, ranging from breakfasts, salads, and sandwiches to main courses and desserts. This user-friendly and preventive diet plan will benefit every woman concerned about breast cancer and health.
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