Diet and Cancer Prevention
Your diet can kill you or cure you. Did you know that you have the power of life or death in your daily diet? Medical science has found that your diet can cause cancer of the breast, prostate and bowel. Dietary considerations have also been indicted in cancers of the stomach, esophagus, lungs, and pancreas. For example – It has been shown that heavy consumption of red meat and saturated fats, substantially increases the risk of several different cancers specifically stomach, pancreas and prostate cancers. Let’s take a look at some of the cancer types to learn which diet can add to prevention versus which diet increases the chances of developing this type of cancer:
Diet and Stomach Cancer:
Diet can certainly affect stomach cancers. Nitrates and other preservatives added to food including meat are converted into ‘nitrites’ in the human stomach. The nitrites undergo nitrosation to form ‘nitrosamines’ and ‘nitrosamides’. These substances increase the risk of stomach cancer.
One study in Belgium showed a strong correlation between the nitrate and salt consumption and stomach cancer. The analysis of this model showed that the significance of nitrate as a risk factor for stomach cancer mortality increased markedly with higher sodium levels.
A recent study of diet and cancer risk was done in Shanghai, China. It showed that risk of cancer increased with higher consumption of carbohydrates in people’s diet as well as frequent consumption of preserved, salty or fried foods. In addition irregular meals, speed eating and binge eating added to the risk factors.
Additionally, cancer of the stomach appears to be five times more common in the Japanese people compared to Western populations. One study conducted in Hawaii involving both Japanese and Caucasians showed that the stomach cancer risk seemed to be related to the consumption of pickled vegetables, dried/salted fish, and other heavily salted foods.
On the contrary, another study showed that diet high in Vitamin C appeared to protect against the risk of stomach cancer by inhibiting formation of nitrates in stomach.
Diet and Prostate Cancer:
Diet rich in cooked and raw tomatoes appears to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. The role of Vitamin E as a prostate cancer reducing factor was also recently established. Participants in a recent study who were receiving Vitamin E supplements showed a 32% decrease in prostate cancers and a 41% decrease in prostate cancer mortality when compared to those who did not.
Fresh Tomatoes - a Tasty Way of Prostate Cancer Prevention, Photo: yomi955, Flickr
Diet and Breast Cancer:
There is less breast cancer in Japanese women than in American women. Japanese woman have a 75% lower breast cancer mortality rate than Western women. Studies focused on diet rich in tofu – a product made from fermented soy beans, seem to show a direct correlation between tofu rich diet and lower breast cancer rates in Japanese women. The tofu and other soy foods contain isoflavones that are known to moderate, in a positive fashion, the estrogen receptors in breast tissue.
Furthermore – a diet low in saturated fat, with fish rather than red meat being the staple as well as drinking green tea seem to add to the decreased breast cancer risk.
Yet another study showed that regular diet with soy foods was associated with an obvious decrease in the breast cancer risk of premenopausal women.
Diet and Lung Cancer:
Red and orange vegetables contain elements called carotenoids. Lung cancer risk has been shown to be decreased by carotenoids. Carotenoids act as antioxidants and antioxidants can minimize or reverse cell damage.
One study in Boston focused on the effect of different types of carotenoids in prevention of lung cancer. The results showed that lung cancer risk was significantly lowered in subjects who had a diet high in a variety of carotenoids.
Another study conducted in Hawaii showed further evidence of the protective effect of carotenoids against lung cancer. It also showed that greater protection came from using a variety of vegetables compared to only foods rich in a particular carotenoid.
Fresh Vegetables - What Better Way to Fight Cancer and Other Disease, Photo: WordRidden, Flickr
Many studies have been conducted and the evidence is pretty convincing that a healthy diet of fresh fruits & vegetables as well as lean meats low in saturated fats can make a difference in your longevity and your health. Fresh fruits and vegetables have long been known for their beneficial effect on one’s health and as far as cancer is concerned, the nutrients contained within are cancer reducing and appear to be a healthy alternative to saturated fats in red meat. Adjust your diet, improve the quality of your life and help prevent cancer. It’s a simple, yet effective way of not only cancer prevention, but also of prevention of many other diseases.