Oncologist practices what he preaches for patient health

Health, beauty and lifestyle with Denise McNamara

Galway radiation oncologist Professor Frank Sullivan has been 40 years practicing medicine, fully embracing “hard core, high tech, the latest and greatest”.

It was only when he ran into health issues himself that he started to pivot in his own approach to dealing with cancer.

He had high blood pressure and cholesterol and there were signs of cardiovascular issues in some of his tests.

When he went to consult an array of specialists for each of the problems he was not satisfied with what he heard.

“Nobody was talking about the 50 extra pounds I was carrying, the fact that my blood sugars were rising and that a few inflammatory markers were there. I effectively diagnosed my own metabolic syndrome,” Frank reveals.

“Had I carried on without making changes in my nutritional programme at home I was in trouble. I started to pay attention to my own and my family members’ struggle with these things. These were areas that traditionally we haven’t focused on in our field.”

He researched all the latest evidence-based studies on metabolic health and how best to address it through diet, exercise and lifestyle.

Over the years he had his wife have experimented with various diets – vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, Mediterranean, low carbohydrates – all with the aim of addressing insulin resistance. He currently follows a largely Mediterranean diet, relaxing things at weekends.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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