Free meeting at the Campus Bio-Medico in Rome with patients and family members
Rome, 5 June 2014 - Prevent pancreatic cancer or fight the disease through a healthy diet, without imposing too many sacrifices on the palate. For this purpose the Campus Bio-Medico Polyclinic of Rome brought together surgeons, oncologists, nutritionists and a starred chef of the caliber of Fabio Campolli, known to the television audience for his advice on 'healthy' cooking dispensed on RaiUno.
A diverse team of experts who Saturday June 7, At the Great Hall ofUniversità Campus Bio-Medico di Roma (Via Alvaro del Portillo, 200 – Rome), meet those who are dealing with the disease and those who, out of familiarity, must learn more than others to prevent it. A morning of free advice and suggestions to help defeat one of the most insidious neoplasms, which in 2013 alone, it is estimated to have affected 12.200 people, of which just under two thousand in Lazio.
Pancreatic cancer, among other things, is a pathology which, in its early stage, does not give particular symptoms and comes diagnosed in only 7% of cases at the initial stage. "At our University Hospital – underlines the Dr. Sergio Valeri, campus surgeon – there is an active group of experts, the Pancreas Club, which deals with this pathology, each for its own field of interest. This has made it possible to obtain a clear improvement in terms of reduction in the rate of complications, mortality and hospitalization times".
Obesity, reduced physical activity, high consumption of saturated fats and low intake of fresh fruit and vegetables are among the dietary risk factors, while the proportion of cases attributable to smoking varies between 20 and 30% in males and 10% among females. Among the pathologies, chronic pancreatitis increases the risk of the onset of this neoplasm tenfold, just as the exposure of those suffering from diabetes mellitus is 3-5 times higher than the general population. Without forgetting that one in ten patients has a family history of pancreatic cancer.
Hence the idea of extend the meeting on Saturday 7 June to patients' families as well. For them, the brochure that will be distributed during the meeting lists eight suggestions to keep in mind:
1. control your weight and always keep active;
2. more cereals, legumes, vegetables and fruit;
3. choose quality and limit the amount of fat;
4. take sugars, sweets and sugary drinks within the right limits;
5. drink plenty of water every day;
6. a little salt, re-educating the palate with spices and aromatic herbs;
7. yes to alcoholic beverages, but only in controlled quantities;
8. Often vary your choices at the table.
Recommendations to which are added those for compose a good shopping cart, starting from a careful reading of the nutritional labels; passing through the reduction to the minimum terms of fats that increase 'bad' cholesterol, such as saturated ones (present above all in cheeses and fatty meats) and trans fats (present for example in fried foods); ending with the indication of at least two portions a day of vegetables and two-three portions of fruit, as well as a plate of legumes to ensure the right fiber intake.
For those who are instead fighting their battle against the disease, the enemy to defeat is that of malnutrition, since the lack of protein and caloric intake it is bad for all types of cancer, but even more so for pancreatic cancer. Also because malnutrition can negatively interfere with oncological therapy and increase its side effects.
"But our commitment explains it Chef Fabio Campoli – is also to combine healthy eating with taste”. Hence a whole series of tips on how to enhance the nutritional properties of what we put in the trolley in the kitchen. “For example, season the vegetables before putting them quickly in the pan, limiting the cooking times also in relation to the size of the previously cut vegetables. Or - adds Campoli - eliminate the oil used to brown the food and then season with good raw extra virgin olive oil".
"It has been demonstrated - dichiara il Prof. Roberto Coppola, Head of the UOC of General Surgery – that a correct diet not only helps prevent pancreatic cancer, but also increases the effectiveness of therapies”. Precisely for this reason, the role of the dietitian has an important value.
"Actually - explains the Dr. Sara Emerenziani, nutritionist of the Gastroenterology Operative Unit – it is not the single food that makes the difference, but the energy balance, made by the amount of food eaten and energy lost. For the prevention of pancreatic cancer it is important not to gain extra kilos, but in patients under treatment it is necessary to try to overcome various problems, such as nausea and loss of appetite, which often lead to weight loss, to the detriment of the continuation of therapies
