1/6/15

Tonight's homework is to complete Assignment 29 through question 4.

Assignment #29 Cancer: Promotion and Prevention

Introduction

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States and is attributed to one in every four deaths. The seemingly simple act of cells abandoning their normal schedules for division and growth is actually caused and mitigated by a complex mix of factors including lifestyle, genetics, and the environment. Evidence suggests that between 20 and 30 percent of cancers are due to poor food choices and physical inactivity. Some dietary factors may act as promoters, other may have protective roles.

Your task is to continue your research about the role that diet and behavior can have on cancer. Again, the ultimate goal is that you are better able to discuss and make recommendations about how diet and behavior are related to chronic disease – and then be able to support those recommendations.

To begin accomplishing this task, please do the following:

1. Use the this link to access the “Nutrition Link” section of Harvard School of Public Health’s website.

2. Find cancer and notice that there are 7 different links to access further information about different dietary factors (ex. Vitamin D and cancer).

3. Choose at least 4 dietary factors that are of the most interest to you (and different than what you researched over break) and take note of and record the following:

· How does this factor affect the development of cancer?

· What is the research that supports this relationship – ex. how do we know that fiber intake can (or cannot) affect the development of cancer?

4. Write a summary paragraph of what you learned about the effects of diet on cancer development. For example, you could answer one of the following questions:

· What should people eat (or not eat) to lower their risks of developing cancer?

· How does one’s diet affect his or her likelihood of developing cancer?

5. Now that you are more aware of the effects of diet on cancer, what is your reaction?

a. Do you feel as though you are at a high risk? Low risk? Why?

b. What behaviors/choices could you change to lower your risk of cancer? What barriers exist to making those changes?