Raw Food Vegetarian Diet Protects Us from Cancer 
 
Long-term low-protein, low-calorie diet and endurance exercise modulate 
metabolic factors associated with cancer risk by Luigi Fontana published 
in the December 2006 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 
found that a low-protein, low-calorie diet and exercise lower hormones 
and growth factors that increase a person's risk of developing and dying 
from cancer.1 This research compared three groups, each consisting of 21 
people. The first group selected from members of the St. Louis 
Vegetarian Society ate uncooked and unprocessed plant foods; the second 
group selected from local running clubs ate the Western diet but ran an 
average of 48 miles a week; the third group was made up of sedentary 
people who ate the Western diet. The lowest levels of the very powerful 
cancer-promoting growth hormone, Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) 
were found in the raw food group. These same healthy eaters had low 
levels of C-reactive protein, insulin and cancer-promoting sex hormone 
activity.  
 
Comments: This study demonstrates the health benefits of a plant food 
based diet and some people will argue the importance of the diet 
consisting of all raw foods. Their foods choices were raw vegetables, 
fruits, nuts, seeds, grains, and cereals, and olive oil; and they 
strictly avoided processed and refined foods, and foods of animal origin. 
As this and other studies have demonstrated, a diet of uncooked plant 
foods is far healthier than the American diet, and can reverse and 
prevent many diseases. 
 
From the title of the article you should notice that the raw food group 
ate a "low-protein, low-calorie diet," but fat is not mentioned. This is 
because this raw food diet was very high in fat-actually 43 percent of 
the calories were from fat-compared to 34 percent from fat for those on 
the Western diet.  
 
1) Fontana L, Klein S, Holloszy JO. Long-term low-protein, low-calorie 
diet and endurance exercise modulate metabolic factors associated with 
cancer risk. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Dec;84(6):1456-62. 
 
2) McCarty MF. A low-fat, whole-food vegan diet, as well as other 
strategies that down-regulate IGF-I activity, may slow the human aging 
process. Med Hypotheses. 2003 Jun;60(6):784-92. 
 
3) Roberts CK, Chen AK, Barnard RJ. Effect of a short-term diet and 
exercise intervention in youth on atherosclerotic risk factors. 
Atherosclerosis. 2006 Oct 18; [Epub ahead of print] 
 
4) Tymchuk CN, Tessler SB, Barnard RJ. Changes in sex hormone-binding 
globulin, insulin, and serum lipids in postmenopausal women on a low-fat, 
high-fiber diet combined with exercise. Nutr Cancer. 2000;38(2):158-62.

__._,_.___