Cancer rate ‘can be cut by 40%’

THE PRESIDENT of the Barbados Cancer Society believes that if Barbadians pay closer attention to their health, the number of people diagnosed with cancer could be reduced by as much as 40 per cent.

While admitting that Barbadians were “very aware” of cancer, Dr Dorothy Cooke-Johnson said the problem was that they were not acting on it.

 “If people start off and do the right thing, we could probably reduce 40 per cent of the cancer in Barbados by getting rid of these late stages for breast, cervix, stomach and lung, stomach and colon and prostate cancers and also other cancers which are environmentally and lifestyle associated.

“The main thing to do is, from the time you are young, watch the diet and get rid of the carbohydrates, the sweet stuff and the fats and try to eat fruits and fish. Try to have a good diet and you have to exercise a lot and keep your body lean and slim,” Cooke-Johnson told the SATURDAY SUN during an interview at the Financial Services Commission (FSC), where she collected a cheque for $5 005 on behalf of the Cancer Society. (RB)

Please read the full story in today’s Saturday Sun, or in the eNATION edition.