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Alternative Cancer Treatment - Diet and Cancer

By: Meng Y No other sector of oncology is considered more controversial and complex than the relationship between cancer and one's diet. Everyone wants to believe that there is some miracle diet which can dramatically affect the likelihood of cancer, or better yet, a diet that can actually cure cancer once it has been contracted. But as of right now, there is no conclusive evidence of the effect diet can have on cancer.

Reputable sources all seem to agree that there is no diet that can cure cancer. There is also no evidence strong enough to support the belief that any diet can prevent an individual from contracting cancer. However, there are many studies that suggest that the occurrence, recurrence, and even survivability rates could potentially be affected by the foods an individual selects.

Though far from certain, many studies examined by researchers at Cornell University were able to correlate lower death rates - an increased five or ten year survivability, with certain dietary choices.

In one study examined (the Nurses Health Study), 1,982 women who had already developed breast cancer were followed for an average of 13 years. Over 1,200 had cancers that had not metastasized (spreading of a primary tumor to other areas producing secondary tumors of the same type). Survival rates of cancer patients whose disease has spread are known to be much lower (21% five-year survival, as contrasted to 86% for those whose cancer has not metastasized).

Some individuals in the first group ate greater amounts of poultry and seafood, which contains protein and omega-3 fatty acids. These individuals had a much lower risk of death than the women in the second group who did not consume as much. In addition, it was discovered that women who ate a greater amount of hydrogenated oils had a much higher death rate.

Additionally, another study which was conducted by the National Cancer Institute observed 2,400 individuals. Of those individuals 975 women who had contracted breast cancer were asked to consume a low fat diet (33.3g per day) for a period of five years. Another 1,462 women consumed 51.3 g of fat per day. The group consuming less fat experienced a 42% reduction in the recurrence rate.

The difficulty with all these studies is they are looking only at associations, not causation. It's unclear from the data what is relevant. Do these dietary choices reflect only the fact that women who focus on maintaining a healthy diet are making healthier lifestyle choices overall? Or, are the foods themselves actually helpful or harmful, and to what degree?

As with many studies involving fruits and vegetables, the answer is unclear. Apart from those which contain antioxidants, any beneficial effect is simply not known with confidence. In this case, however, the evidence is strong that foods high in antioxidants do help reduce the chances of contracting breast cancer.

Free radicals circulating throughout an individual's blood stream are ionized atoms that are widely able to harm cells. Antioxidants act to reduce the amount of free radicals by combining with them, thus rendering them harmless.

But fat studies are less clear. The leading theory says, since high estrogen levels are known to highly correlate with higher breast cancer risk, and fat efficiently stores estrogen, then lowering fat lowers the risk.

Conclusions are drawn from time to time that are rather flawed. For example there is the belief that eating fat causes an individual to be fat. It is not necessarily the consumption of fat that causes higher body fat. Consuming more calories than the body uses causes one's body to store the excess calories as fat, thus leading to a higher body fat percentage. In addition, fat contains more calories per unit weight than other foods. Therefore the route is indirect.

Aside from the difficult to interpret or incomplete evidence, there is one thing that all experts mutually agree on: maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet are always smart decisions. Whether these decisions lower the risk of contracting breast cancer or not, for the 1 in 12 women who will contract breast cancer at some point in their life, being in the most optimal health aids in combating the disease before, during and after.

Article Source: http://www.lifeweightloss.com

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