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Diet, stress and vaccines: What does and doesn't impact cancer risk

Dr. John Whyte, Web MD's chief medical officer and author of "Take Control of Your Cancer Risk," joins us to break down cancer myths. #newdaynw

We recently spent time talking to Dr. John Whyte, Web MD's chief medical officer and author of "Take Control of Your Cancer Risk."

We played true or false when it comes to our cancer risk including sleep and even brushing our teeth. Continuing our conversation, we asked him more about the theory that vaccines prevent cancer and what effect diet and stress have on our cancer risk.

Vaccines for preventing cancer:

The available vaccines that can prevent cancer are for Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) and Hepatitis B.

The medical community previously thought that the HPV vaccine was only for girls but it is now known to be effective for boys as well, Dr. Whyte said. The HPV vaccine helps prevent cervical, vaginal, and penile cancers.

The Hepatitis B vaccine can help prevent liver cancer in people that might be at increased risk, he said.

Diet and cancer:

While staying up to date with your vaccines can prevent cancer, Dr. Whyte added that diet is also powerful when it comes to prevention.

“The biggest thing that I want people to remember is: food is medicine. It’s as powerful as a prescription drug, " Dr. Whyte said. "Everything you put in your mouth impacts your body."

While this doesn't rule out the occasional candy bar or burger, he said that we are too often eating those foods every day.

“It’s the daily choices that we make over time,” he said, that really have an impact on our health.

Daily choices are also where the medical community has its best data on which foods are most hazardous to our health. Dr. Whyte singled out two food and drink items that are most hazardous if consumed frequently: red meat and alcohol.

Alcohol not only damages the liver, it actually damages the body’s cells, he said. Therefore, eating is an especially important component in reducing cancer risk.

Genetic testing and family medical history:

Suppose you go to the doctor’s office and undertake genetic testing to determine if you have or are at risk of cancer and the tests results are negative or somewhat questionable. Does that mean you do not need to worry?

Dr. Whyte reaffirmed that you still need to be concerned about cancer, even if you have one of the over-the-counter tests that are negative.

In a doctor’s office with genetic counseling, they can do more than over-the-counter testing kits, he said, but that type of testing is only looking for some of those inherited mutations, typically in colon cancer and breast cancer.

Dr. Whyte recommended doing a family history. 

“That’s actually the best genetic test,” he said.

He recommended finding out which family members had cancer. Many people don’t know the specifics, so it’s important to ask and investigate.

He also highlighted that what is particularly concerning is if there are repeat cancers in multiple family members, for example, colon cancer then breast cancer then pancreatic cancer. Cancer at an early age is also a concern because, in general, cancer is a disease that occurs as we get older.

Stress:

Stress happens to everyone, especially recently. This is an issue because stress significantly increases risk of cancer. According to Dr. Whyte, stress gets to the heart of what cancer is: abnormal growth in cells that aren’t working properly.

“What we’ve learned over the last few years is that cancer is, in many ways, a disease of inflammation, he said. "And inflammation is bad.”

When we have stress, we make mistakes. We may not calculate things exactly right, and we make mistakes at work if we’re in a hurry, Dr. Whyte said.

What chronic stress is – that daily stress that you have – it causes inflammation and it’s basically having your cells then make mistakes, he said.

Dr. Whyte also said the chronic stress you have every day is going to cause you to be at greater risk for making mistakes in cell division which is going to cause cancer.

"That's why stress is so important to address," he said.

Segment Producer Suzie Wiley. Watch New Day Northwest 11 AM weekdays on KING 5 and streaming live on KING5.com. Contact New Day.

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