Food-Cancer Connections
What causes cancer? The answer seems larger than life—like pondering the age old question, “Why are we here?” For a long time I assumed you only got cancer from toxic chemicals or unlucky genes. I never imagined eating habits could have something to do with it. Good thing I read Eat to Live:
2. Horinger, P., and R. Imoberdorf. 2000. Junk food revolution or the cola colonization. Ther. Umsch. 57 (3): 134-37.
3. Tucker, K.L., M. T. Hannan, H. Chen, et al. 1999. Potassium, magnesium, and fruit and vegetable intakes are associated with greater mineral density in elderly men and women. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 69 (4): 727-36; New, S.A., S.P. Robins, M.K. Campbell et al. 2000. Dietary influences on bone mass and bone metabolism: further evidence of a positive link between fruit and vegetable consumption and bone heatlh? Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 71 (1): 142-51.
4. Skrycki, C., and J. Warrick. 2000. EPA report ratchets up dioxin peril. Washington Post, May 17, 2000.
5. Jacobs, D.R., L. Marquart , J. Slavin, and L.H. Kushi. 1998. Whole-grain intake and cancer: and expanded review and cancer: an expanded review and meta-analysis. Nutrition and Cancer 30 (2): 85-96; Chatenoud, L., A. Tavani, C. La Vecchia, et al. 1998. Whole-grain food intake and cancer risk. Int. J. Cancer 77 (1): 24-28.
6. Harnack, L.J., R. W. Jeffrey, and K. N. Boutelle. 2000. Temporal trends in energy intake in the United States: an ecological perspective. Am J. Clin. Nutr. 71 (6): 1478-84.
7. Miller, E. R., T. P. Erlinger, D.R. Young, G.P. Prokopowicz, and L.J. Appel. 1999. Lifestyle changes that reduce blood pressure: Implemenation in clinical practice. J. Clin. Hypertens. 1: 191-98; Stassen, J., R. Fagard, P. Lijnen, et al. 1989. Body weight, sodium intake and blood pressure. J. Hypertens. 7: S19-S23; Appel, L.J., T.J. Moore, e. Obarneck, et al., for the DASH Collaborative Research Group. 1997. A clinical trial of the effects of dietary patterns on blood pressure. N. Eng. J. Med. 336: 1117-24.
Most Americans are not aware that the diet they feed their children guarantees a high cancer probability down the road.1 They don’t even contemplate that eating fast-food meals may be just as risky (or more so) than letting children smoke cigarettes2…More reason to put fast-food in the junk category, but what about meat (or animal products) in general? Back to Eat to Live:
In China, animal-food consumption correlated well with early menarche and increasing levels of sex hormones. Serum testosterone levels had the best correlation with breast cancer, even better than estrogen. Of note is that increasing levels of testosterone significantly increases the risk of both breast cancer and prostate cancer. Testosterone rises as well with increasing levels of obesity, and being overweight is another consistent risk factor.3Let’s also check out what Dr. Fuhrman has to say about dairy, refined foods, and fats? More from Eat to Live:
Dioxin is a highly toxic chemical compound that even the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency admits is a prominent cause of many types of cancer in those consuming dairy fat, such as butter and cheese4…Now this next question should be obvious, “What kind of diet reduces the risk of cancer?” Well Eat to Live has gotten us this far, let’s go full-circle with it:
…Medical investigations clearly show the dangers of consuming the quantity of processed foods that we do. And because these refined grains lack fiber and nutrient density to turn down our appetite, they also cause obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and significantly increased cancer risk5…
…Numerous epidemiological and clinical trials have shown that diets low in fat and high in complex carbohydrates correlate with lower body weights worldwide. High-fat diets always show a direct response relationship not only to obesity but also to heart attacks and cancer.6
Phytochemicals, or plant-derived chemicals, occur naturally in plants. These nutrients, which scientists are just starting to discover and name, have tremendously beneficial effects on human physiology. The effects of our not consuming sufficient amounts of them are even more astounding—premature death from cancer and atherosclerosis…1. Stoll, B.A. 1998. Western diet, early puberty and breast cancer risk. Breast Cancer Res. Treat. 49 (3): 187-93.
…Plant fibers—the indigestible and unabsorbed part of the plant foods—are now looked at in a completely different way than in the past. We now understand that it is not merely the amount but the variety of fiber in the diet that protects against cancer. Our digestive tract is teeming with many species of bacteria that convert these fibers into numerous essential fatty acids and other nutritive substances with strong immune-enhancing and anti-cancer properties.7 These bacterial degradation products are essential for optimal health and protection against various cancers, especially colon cancer...
…Eating a wide variety of raw and conservatively cooked plant foods (such as steamed vegetables) is the only way we can ensure that we get a sufficient amount of essential health-supporting phytochemicals. Taking vitamin and mineral supplements or adding some vitamins to processed foods will not prevent the diseases associated with eating a diet containing a low percentage of calories from whole natural foods.
2. Horinger, P., and R. Imoberdorf. 2000. Junk food revolution or the cola colonization. Ther. Umsch. 57 (3): 134-37.
3. Tucker, K.L., M. T. Hannan, H. Chen, et al. 1999. Potassium, magnesium, and fruit and vegetable intakes are associated with greater mineral density in elderly men and women. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 69 (4): 727-36; New, S.A., S.P. Robins, M.K. Campbell et al. 2000. Dietary influences on bone mass and bone metabolism: further evidence of a positive link between fruit and vegetable consumption and bone heatlh? Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 71 (1): 142-51.
4. Skrycki, C., and J. Warrick. 2000. EPA report ratchets up dioxin peril. Washington Post, May 17, 2000.
5. Jacobs, D.R., L. Marquart , J. Slavin, and L.H. Kushi. 1998. Whole-grain intake and cancer: and expanded review and cancer: an expanded review and meta-analysis. Nutrition and Cancer 30 (2): 85-96; Chatenoud, L., A. Tavani, C. La Vecchia, et al. 1998. Whole-grain food intake and cancer risk. Int. J. Cancer 77 (1): 24-28.
6. Harnack, L.J., R. W. Jeffrey, and K. N. Boutelle. 2000. Temporal trends in energy intake in the United States: an ecological perspective. Am J. Clin. Nutr. 71 (6): 1478-84.
7. Miller, E. R., T. P. Erlinger, D.R. Young, G.P. Prokopowicz, and L.J. Appel. 1999. Lifestyle changes that reduce blood pressure: Implemenation in clinical practice. J. Clin. Hypertens. 1: 191-98; Stassen, J., R. Fagard, P. Lijnen, et al. 1989. Body weight, sodium intake and blood pressure. J. Hypertens. 7: S19-S23; Appel, L.J., T.J. Moore, e. Obarneck, et al., for the DASH Collaborative Research Group. 1997. A clinical trial of the effects of dietary patterns on blood pressure. N. Eng. J. Med. 336: 1117-24.
