EATING RIGHT: EIGHT PRINCIPLES OF FOOD AND HEALTH 237ated in adolescence and not become detectable until after menopause!
So we very well may have lots of middle-aged women walking around with
breast cancer initiated during their teens that will not be detectable until
after menopause. 14 For many people this translates into the fatalistic no-
tion that little can be done later in life. Does this mean that these wom-
en should start smoking and eating more chicken-fried steak because
they're doomed anyway? What do we do, given that many of us may
already have an initiated chronic disease lurking in our bodies, waiting
to explode decades from now?
As we saw in chapter three, cancer that is already initiated and grow-
ing in experimental animals can be slowed, halted or even reversed by
good nutrition. Luckily for us, the same good nutrition maximizes health
at every stage of a disease. In humans, we have seen research findings
showing that a whole foods, plant-based diet reverses advanced heart
disease, helps obese people lose weight and helps diabetics get off their
medication and return to a more normal, pre-diabetes life. Research has
also shown that advanced melanoma, the deadly form of skin cancer,
might be attenuated or reversed by lifestyle changes. 15
Some diseases, of course, appear to be irreversible. The autoimmune
diseases are perhaps most frightening because once the body turns
against itself, it may become unstoppable. And yet, amazingly, even
some of these diseases may be slowed or attenuated by diet. Recall the
research shOWing that even Type 1 diabetics can lower their medication
requirements by eating the right food. Evidence also shows that rheu-
matoid arthritis can be slowed by diet,16 as can multiple sclerosisY' 18
I believe that an ounce of prevention does equal a pound of cure, and
the earlier in life good foods are eaten, the better one's health will be.
But for those who already face the burden of disease, we must not forget
l that nutrition still can playa vital role.
PRINCIPLE #7Nutrition that is truly beneficial for one chronic disease
will support health across the board.When I was trying to get this book published, I had a meeting with an
editor at a major publishing house, and described to her my intent to
create disease-specific chapters that related diet to specific ailments or