#301 Anticancer diet, lifestyle and supplements with the UK’s first NHS Integrative Oncologist Professor Robert Thomas
The Doctor's Kitchen Podcast
Dr Rupy Aujla
4.8 • 2.5K Ratings
🗓️ 11 June 2025
⏱️ 95 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Up to 40% of cancers are attributable to modifiable risk factors, including diet, obesity, alcohol, tobacco use, and physical inactivity. The WCRF estimates that about 1 in 3 cancer cases in high-income countries could be prevented by healthier diets, maintaining a healthy weight, and regular physical activity. And according to the National Cancer Institute in the US, physical inactivity is a recognized risk factor for colon, breast, and endometrial cancer.
But even with the best intentions there’s a lot of confusion around lifestyle and cancer. One day it’s red meat, the next it’s microwaves. We hear about them in headlines, social media posts or passed around in conversation, which can make it really hard to know what matters most.
I’m joined today by Professor Robert Thomas, an NHS oncologist and researcher who’s spent decades studying how lifestyle (from food and movement to gut health and supplements) affects cancer risk and recovery.
We talk about …
🧠 Common cancer myths - mushrooms and herbs
🥗 Anticancer diets – What to eat to reduce your risk.
🦠 Gut health & cancer – The powerful connection between your microbiome and cancer.
🔥 Inflammation & risk – How chronic inflammation increases cancer susceptibility.
🏃♂️ Exercise & cancer – The science behind how movement helps fight cancer cells.
🧴 Microplastics & personal care products – The hidden risks in everyday items.
💄 Aluminium in makeup & deodorants – Investigating the potential health impacts.
👶 Fertility impact – How lifestyle and environmental exposures may affect reproductive health.
He’s also recently appointed Head of Integrative Oncology at The Royal London Hospital for Integrative Medicine making him the UK’s first NHS Integrative Oncologist, to complement his existing role as an NHS Consultant Oncologist at Addenbrooke's and Bedford Hospitals. He is also a Clinical Teacher at Cambridge University. At the start of our conversation we talk about his new role and the types of patients he encounters.
You can find out more from Professor on his YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@ProfThomasMD
Books: How to Live, Keeping healthy with Cancer
🎬 Watch the podcast on YouTube here
📱 Download The Doctor’s Kitchen app
🌐 View full show notes, including guest details, on our website
🥗 Join the newsletter and receive a 7 day meal plan
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Does sugar cause cancer? Indirectly, yes. |
| 0:03.7 | Ah, interesting. Okay. Can diet prevent me from getting cancer? |
| 0:08.0 | Yes, it can reduce the risk considerably. Can a poor diet impact cancer treatment? |
| 0:14.3 | I believe so. It will certainly increase the side effects and reduce the risk of it being curative. |
| 0:20.4 | Okay. |
| 0:26.8 | Can everyday products like cleaning products and deodorant raise cancer risk? |
| 0:32.6 | The evidence is suggesting very much yes, and they're increasing a lot in our environment. |
| 0:35.7 | So the amount of exposure we get is going up year by year. |
| 0:40.9 | Can fasting help lower the risk of cancer? That's a more difficult one. I do believe that fasting has a strong place in lifestyle medicine and certainly |
| 0:46.1 | improve well-being and gut health and all these other things. There's not been a single publication |
| 0:51.7 | to say that if you fast, you would have a lower risk of |
| 0:55.7 | cancer, but I believe the answer would be yes, actually. |
| 0:59.6 | Is it true that most cancers are not caused by genes? |
| 1:04.0 | It's about 50-50. |
| 1:06.0 | So it's not true that most cancers are caused by genes. |
| 1:10.3 | Okay. |
| 1:11.8 | All right. |
| 1:18.8 | Hi, I'm Dr. Rupi. I'm a medical doctor and nutritionist. And when I suffered a heart condition years ago, I was able to reverse it with diet and lifestyle. This opened up my |
| 1:24.4 | eyes to the world of food as medicine to improve our health. |
| 1:28.6 | On this podcast, I discuss ways in which you can use nutrition and lifestyle to improve your own well-being every day. |
| 1:35.8 | I speak with expert guests and we lean into the science, but whilst making it as practical and as easy as possible so you can take steps to change your |
| 1:45.4 | life today. Welcome to the Doctor's Kitchen podcast. |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 24 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Dr Rupy Aujla, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Dr Rupy Aujla and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.