CANCER AND FOOD-
Most of us are concerned , curious and sometimes confused over reports associating nutrition with cancer such as the lung cancer diet cure. The relationship is a complex issue and easy to misunderstand. What should you eat? What should you avoid?
The link between diet and cancer is complex and difficult to unravel. This is because our diet is made up of lots of different foods and nutrients. Most of these affect our risk of cancer, often in combination with one another. The genes you inherit also affect the way diet influences your cancer risk.
Scientists need to conduct very large studies to see which specific foods protect us from cancer, and which cause it. Many of these studies are underway and their results are already providing us with firmer answers.
For now, we know about the general types of food that can help to keep us healthy. And we know that a balanced diet will help to maintain a healthy body weight, which can itself reduce the risk of many cancers.
Fruit and vegetables
Fruit and vegetables could reduce the risk of many cancers including mouth, foodpipe and stomach cancers. They are a good source of many important nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and folate, and are an excellent source of fibre.
Advice: Eat at least five different portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Eating fruit and vegetables with a wide variety of colours will help you get a broad range of vitamins and minerals, as the chemicals that give these foods their colour are often the same ones that are good for you. Check out our 5-a-day page for more on portion sizes and tips for getting your daily portions.
Meat
Eating lots of red and processed meat can increase your risk of bowel cancer, and possibly stomach cancer. Red meat includes all fresh, minced and frozen beef, pork and lamb. Processed meat includes ham, bacon, salami and sausages. White meat, such as chicken, is unlikely to increase your risk of cancer.
Advice: Eat smaller and fewer portions of red and processed meat. Try using beans or pulses instead of meat in your recipes. When you do cook meat, use low-temperature methods such as braising. Cooking meat at high temperatures until it chars can produce cancer-causing chemicals.
Salty foods
Foods that are high in salt or preserved using salt can increase your risk of cancers of the stomach and nasopharynx, the bit where the back of your nose meets your throat. It is unlikely that the small amounts of table salt used in cooking or flavouring will strongly influence your risk of cancer. But too much salt can increase your blood pressure and your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Advice: Try not to eat too many salt-preserved or high-salt foods. And check the salt content of processed foods and ready meals. There is often salt hidden where you wouldn't expect it and you may not be able to taste it if the foods are also high in sugar.
Fibre
Fibre-rich foods can reduce the risk of bowel cancer by at least a quarter. These include fruit and vegetables, wholegrain cereals, wholemeal and wholegrain bread, brown rice and pulses.
Advice: Boost the fibre in your diet by choosing wholegrain varieties of starchy foods wherever possible, such as wholemeal bread and wholegrain cereals. Many fruits and vegetables also contain lots of fibre, especially peas, spinach, apples, avocados, pears, berries. Other fruit and vegetables that contain moderate amounts of fibre include Brussels sprouts, green beans, broccoli, corn, spinach, carrots and oranges.
Fats
Fats are a necessary part of our diet but high-fat diets can increase our risk of cancer, heart disease and other conditions. Vegetable foods are richer in monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats, while meat is higher in saturated fats. There is evidence that eating too much saturated fat can increase your risk of breast cancer.
Advice: Try not to eat too many fatty foods. In particular, try to cut down on saturated fats as contained in fatty meat, biscuits, crisps, cheese and butter. Choose lean cuts of meat and semi-skimmed or skimmed milk. Try to avoid frying food in lots of oil - try steaming, braising or lightly grilling instead.
Vitamins and minerals
Vitamins and minerals, such as folate, selenium, calcium, and vitamins A, C and E, could reduce your risk of many cancers. It is still unclear which specific vitamins or minerals may do so. But it is likely that you need a combination of all of them.
Advice: Eat lots of different fruit and vegetables to get a balanced complement of vitamin and minerals. Don't rely on supplements - they do not substitute for a balanced diet and could even cause you harm.
Fish
Fish could reduce your risk of bowel cancer, although this still needs to be conclusively shown.
Advice: Try eating more fish instead of red or processed meat. When poached, baked or steamed, it is especially good for you.
The best recipe for heath is a simple one: EVERYTHING in MODERATION!!!! If you eat a well balanced diet, there is usually no need to use vitamins or mineral supplements!
Extensive research is underway to evaluate and clarify the role diet plays in the development of cancer. However, it is known that some foods may increase or decrease the risk of certain types of cancer. The following tips may reduce or minimise chances for getting cancer
Most of us are concerned , curious and sometimes confused over reports associating nutrition with cancer. The relationship is a complex issue and easy to misunderstand. What should you eat? What should you avoid? The best recipe for heath is a simple one: EVERYTHING in MODERATION!!!! If you eat a well balanced diet, there is usually no need to use vitamins or mineral supplements!
As per cancerresearchuk.org, Extensive research is underway to evaluate and clarify the role diet plays in the development of cancer. However, it is known that some foods may increase or decrease the risk of certain types of cancer. The following tips may reduce or minimise chances for getting cancer:
1. Avoid being overweight and obesity
2. Cut down on total fat intake
3. Eat more high fibre foods
4. Eat plenty of foods rich in Vitamin A and Vitamin C
5. Include cluciferous vegetables in the diet
6. Eat moderately- salt-cured, smoked and nitrite cured foods
7. Keep alcohol consumption moderate- if you drink
