Mike Milken is best known as one of America’s wealthiest men, but what isn’t discussed as much about the billionaire is his most important investment: his health. In 1993, Milken was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. At age 46, he was told he had 12 to 18 months to live. Thirty years later, his CaP Cure and Prostate Cancer Foundation organizations have helped heal thousands of people. He is the largest funder of prostate cancer research in the world.
He spoke about his journey in depth at the 2023 HOPE Global Forums in Atlanta with John Hope Bryant.
“I had 10 family members die from cancer,” Milken said.
Milken wanted to focus on cancer in the early 1990s because the disease was taboo back then. Some employees lost their jobs if they told management they had cancer. He took a page from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s book and organized a march in Washington, D.C., demanding that federal funding for the National Institute was doubled. President Bill Clinton signed $500 billion in incremental financing into law two months later. The funding is how Americans got a COVID vaccine within a year of the shutdown.
“In the past 120 years, we’ve extended life expectancy by more than 40 [years],” Milken said. “It’s not just the length of life; it’s the quality of life.”
The diet change that worked for Milken to survive his cancer diagnosis mainly consisted of raw fruits and vegetables.
“You can change how your genes are constructed by changing your microbiome,” Milken said. “…we’ve created this table that asks, ‘What does broccoli do? What do Brussels sprouts do? What do all of these things do? Why are they on this planet? What is their purpose from that standpoint?”
“The food chain is going to change. We can create healthy humans, healthy plants. We grew 72 billion animals last year to feed human beings. We’ve caught 100 billion fish. In doing that, 10 of the 20 major things that affect the environment involve growing something for you to eat by going into a plant-based diet. You can be healthier, you can be safe and, as you know today, it’s becoming more mainstream.”
Milken said about 10% of college students today are vegetarians.
“We’re going to change the food chain, and we’re going to change your life,” he said. “It’ll be healthier now.”
