Alternative Cancer Treatment - Can Diet affect Cancer ?
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No area of oncology is more complex and controversial than the relationship of cancer and diet. Everyone would like to believe that there is some diet which can substantially affect the likelihood of cancer, or better still to cure it once contracted. But to date, the evidence of the effect of diet is unclear and often inconsistent.
All reputable sources agree that no diet outright cures cancer. Nor is there strong evidence to support the view that any particular diet prevents contracting it. But there are many studies that suggest that occurrence, recurrence and survivability may be affected by the foods we choose.
Though far from positive, man studies have been examined by researchers at Cornell University. These studies have been linked to lower death rates, an increased survivability rate by five or ten years based on certain dietary decisions.
The Nurses Health Study which examined 1,982 women who had already developed breast cancer. These women were followed for an average of 13 years. Of those women 1200 had breast cancers that had not yet metastasized (spreading of a primary tumor to other areas of the body thus producing a secondary tumor of the same type). If an individual's cancer has spread then typically their survival rates are known to be much lower.
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 draw back to all of these studies is that they merely observe observations, not causation. It is unclear from the data what is actually relevant and what isn't. Do these dietary choices only show that women who focus on keeping a healthy diet also make healthier lifestyle choices overall? Or do the foods that these women consume actually help or harm them and to what degree?
As with most studies that involve fruits and vegetables, the answer is uncertain. Aside from those which contain antioxidants any effect that is beneficial just isn't known with complete confidence. In this instance, however, the evidence does support that foods which are high in antioxidants do aid in the reduction of the chance of contracting breast cancer.
Free radicals in the blood stream are ionized atoms that are known to be able to harm cells. Antioxidants 'gobble them up' - reduce the amount by combining with the free radicals, rendering them harmless.
The studies on fat, however, are less clear. The leading theory says that since high estrogen levels are widely known to correlate with a greater risk of breast cancer and fat acts as an efficient storage of estrogen, then lowering fat therefore lowers the risk.
Some individuals believe that eating fat will make you fat, this conclusion is flawed. Consuming fat doesn't necessarily cause a higher body fat content. Rather, eating more calories than one expends can cause the body to store excess fat. This causes the body to have a higher body fat percentage. Fat also contains more calories per unit weight than other foods. The route is not direct.
The evidence is not conclusive, but experts do agree on one thing: maintaining a healthy lifestyle and diet is an excellent decision. Whether these items lower the risk of contracting breast cancer or not for the 1 in 12 women who will contract it at some stage in their life, being in optimal health will aid in combating the disease before, during and after.
Article Source: Articlelogy.com
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