EXT Cancer Nutrition

EXT.COM Nutrition education should be top of the list of education topics addressed in healthcare today

There is clearly a lack of both medical education and leadership by governmental agencies on nutritional education. While health associations such as the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, and the American Heart Association all claim that up to 70 percent of common diseases are avoidable through proper nutrition, the message simply has not made it down to the medical colleges, nor to the general public.

While the internet is a large source for information for many patients, they still turn to their doctor for advice. But doctors are not apt to give out nutritional advice when they have only taken a class or two when in medical school. The lack of nutritional education is hurting us all.

Cost of a Poor Education

Today more than 60 percent of the population of the United States is considered overweight. This number has exploded in the last 30 years, when only 10 to 20 percent of the population was considered overweight.

Likewise, other diseases have also increased:

• Diabetes, which used to be less than one percent of the population is now approaching 15 percent.

• Heart disease is now one of the most common killers of women.

• Cancer has overtaken heart disease as the number one killer and a new report out by the World Health Organization says that cancer will be the number one world-wide killer by 2010.

The cost of poor nutritional information extracts a heavy toll on our health.

Nutrition

The foods that we eat become the basic building blocks of our bodies. The better nutrition we put in our bodies, the better our bodies function and the less disease we are likely to encounter. A balanced and healthy diet means more than simply avoiding disease, a healthy diet has been shown to:

• Increase energy and vitality of life.

• Help you to maintain a healthy weight.

• Boost your immune system.

• Keep people active throughout their lives

• Protect mental capabilities.

Nutrition Education

Healthcare needs to take a step forward and understand that preventing a disease is far easier than trying to treat one. Good nutrition should start at the medical doctor’s office, but should also be a part of the education of our children and adults. There is a missed opportunity in not educating ourselves and our doctors to the importance of proper nutrition.

Proper nutrition is essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle before and after a cancer diagnosis. Nutrition education and assistance programs, therefore, should be funded and implemented immediately at both a national and local level.