Feeling Celebrity

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

There is a 5K run that I participate in every year that supports a local school and Breast Cancer Awareness. Besides the run, they also have music and program to celebrate this campaign. For this year, the organizers, partly sponsored by Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, is advocating a 4-pronged approach to beat breast cancer.

The four steps are:

• Eating plant-based food
• Exercising regularly
• Limiting alcohol consumption
• Aiming for ideal body weight

Here’s their flyer for this year.

Of course I participated again in this event this weekend. But there was a big difference this year: the event was covered by local news and I was interviewed on live TV!

One of the organizers who knows me well, gave my name to the local TV news team not just because I am a physician but more so as a proponent of a healthy lifestyle, specifically the plant-based diet. They wanted me to promote plant-based diet and how it is important for our health.

Here’s what I can share about this topic:

One of the largest and most prominent ongoing research efforts evaluating plant-based diet is the Adventist Health Study 2, which is tracking more than 96,000 participants. This study is being conducted by Loma Linda University. The study has found that people who adhere to plant-based diet has these benefits:

• Heart disease: Lowers risk of ischemic heart disease (up to 15%) and reduces LDL cholesterol and blood pressure.
• Diabetes Prevention: Significantly decreases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
• Lower BMI: Associated with lower body mass index (BMI) and easier weight management.
• Longevity: Linked to a reduced risk of all-cause mortality and premature death.

Perhaps you will say, my grandfather had heart disease, and my father had heart disease, so I am sure I will develop heart disease too. That may be true, but only partly. The genes may have loaded the gun, but it is our lifestyle that pulls the trigger.

There was a neat study done by Stanford University and was published in 2022. They took 22 sets of twins, who obviously share the same hereditary predisposition. They place one twin on a plant-based diet, while the other twin was placed on an omnivore diet. After 8 weeks, this is what they found:

• LDL Cholesterol: The vegan group experienced a significant drop in “bad” LDL-C cholesterol (averaging about 13.9 mg/dL lower than the omnivore group).
• Insulin Levels: Fasting insulin levels dropped more noticeably in the vegan group (averaging 2.9 µIU/mL lower). 
• Weight Loss: Vegan participants lost more weight, dropping an average of 4.2 pounds (1.9 kg) more than the omnivore group

And that was just 8 weeks of change! This just shows that lifestyle choices stomps hereditary tendency.

How about plant-based diet and cancer?

There was a major study published in February 2026 in the British Journal of Cancer, which reveals that people who have a plant-based diet have a lower risk of five specific types of cancer compared to meat eaters.

Compared with meat eaters, plant-based eaters showed a lower risk for:

• Multiple myeloma: 31% lower risk
• Kidney cancer: 28% lower risk
• Pancreatic cancer: 21% lower risk
• Prostate cancer: 12% lower risk
• Breast cancer: 9% lower risk

Another study, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study, which was published in July 2025, showed that plant-based diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes and nuts, is associated with 11% reduction in breast cancer.

How about if you already have cancer? Can a plant-based diet still make an impact?

A study from Harvard a few years ago involved nearly 9,000 women with breast cancer who they followed for up to 30 years. The researchers have observed that those who consumed higher amounts of fruits and vegetables after their diagnosis were less likely to die during the study period than those with lower amounts of fruits and vegetables in their diets.

All these studies are important, but I support a healthy lifestyle not just of the research behind it but because of a personal experience. No, I did not have breast cancer, but something similar.

By the way, males can develop breast cancer too, but that is rare.

Two years ago, I was found to have an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) which is a blood test for prostate cancer screening. My level was 7x higher than normal. Then I underwent an MRI and this showed a small tumor in my prostate. My doctor wanted to do a biopsy, but I bargained with him to defer the biopsy and possible treatment, and give me 6 months to manage this by changing to a healthier lifestyle.

That was when I switched to a strict plant-based diet. I also continued my regular exercise, and other healthy habits.

After 6 months, when I returned to my doctor, they checked my cholesterol level, and my LDL dropped from 126 mg/dL to an admirable level of 72 mg/dL. But more importantly, when they repeated the MRI, the small tumor seen on my prostate before was nowhere to be found. My doctor said there was nothing more to biopsy, but advised to follow me up closely still.

I had a repeat MRI of the prostate a few months ago, and still has no visible tumor. That’s why I am sticking to this healthy lifestyle habit, and advocating for it to anyone who would listen.

By the way, the interviewer was more impressed with my personal story than the studies I quoted.

The interview was shown live on local TV news and was aired early Sunday morning. We tried to watch a replay of it but it is not available. The news team also interviewed other people including a breast cancer survivor, a doctor who runs a breast screening imaging center, and one of the organizers, which we could view on their website. But my specific segment was not there.

The only consolation I have is that there was friend of ours who saw my interview on TV and was able to snap a photo and sent it to us, so I have something for keeps.

Am I a celebrity now? Nah!