Food and Cancer

Cancer is a disease of the DNA in cells, and it initially arises as a result of damage to the DNA for genetic or non-genetic reasons in a group of cells in a tissue in the body, these damaged cells remain in a dormant state until suitable conditions are available for them, then they engage in division and reproduction that are not subject to the body’s control, which leads to the formation of a tissue mass (Tumor) that prevents the normal tissue from performing its tasks by depriving it of the necessary food and oxygen, which results in severe damage to the entire body.

Facts about Food and Cancer

– Cancer is the second cause of death after heart and coronary artery diseases (in adults) and after birth defects (in children).

As for the relationship between food and cancer, there are several reasons to believe that they play a significant role in the origin and development of cancers:

First: There is a confirmed relationship between the rates of colon, breast, and prostate tumors and the consumption of food components such as fats, for example.

Second: The food components’ clear role in tumor emergence, as the presence of unsaturated fats in abundance in food leads to the formation of free oxygen radicals, which pose a real danger to DNA, vitamins (A, E, C), and some rare nutrients work to convert these compounds into a soluble form that facilitates the body’s disposal of them through the process of excretion.

Third: folic acid intake deficiency, which is necessary for DNA synthesis, can negatively affect the quality of DNA synthesis.

Here are some examples of foods that have been proven to be related to cancer:

Foods that have a positive effect in preventing cancer:

Let’s be clear that no food or nutritional supplement works like a magic wand in preventing different types of cancer, as its impact is mostly preventive-only

– Tomatoes:

High consumption of tomatoes reduces the risk of kidney cancer due to lycopene (antioxidant). It has also been found that lycopene is associated with a reduced risk of breast and prostate cancer, it is also found in tomato products, watermelon, guava, pink grapefruit, and papaya.

– Tea:

Tea has a potential role in preventing ovarian cancer, as it contains many biologically active substances. The most important are flavonoids, especially flavanol, and flavanone, which are also found in some vegetables such as broccoli, and fruits such as apples, grapes, and citrus.

– Turmeric:

Turmeric contains curcumin, a polyphenolic compound that has been studied for a long time and has proven its ability to inhibit the early stages of tumor formation, its continuation, and spread to other parts of the body. Curcumin is effective against pancreatic and multiple myeloma cancer which affects B-type plasma cells and leads to their abnormal proliferation and accumulation in the bone marrow.

Foods that have a negative effect “carcinogenic food”

– Meat and processed meat:

In 2015, the World Health Organization included meat on the list of carcinogenic substances, as many studies have shown that the risk of colon cancer increases by three times in people who consume meat daily compared to those who rarely eat meat. It has also been found that eating processed meat increases the risk of rectal cancer, due to the lack of fiber in meat, which protects against cancer, and its content of saturated fats. In addition to carcinogenic compounds such as heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are formed during the processing and cooking of meat at high temperatures such as frying or grilling over a direct flame, experiments have proven that these two compounds can generate mutations in DNA.

Because meat consumption is a dietary habit for many people, the following guidelines should be followed to reduce the previous risks:

– Avoid exposing meat to direct flame and avoid long cooking times

– Use a microwave to cook meat initially before exposing it to high heat to complete cooking

– Turn meat continuously while cooking it using high heat

– Remove burnt parts of the meat and refrain from eating them

– Soft drinks:

Soft drinks have never been among the foods that are recommended to be consumed, as one recent study confirms that some unnecessary colorants added such as (caramel) may increase the risk of cancer even with moderate consumption, as when caramel color is manufactured, the chemical substance is formed Methylimidazole (4-MEI) is one of the by-products that has been classified by the International Organization for Research on Cancer as a compound that can cause cancer in humans, based on many scientific studies.

 – Fried foods: It has been proven that eating fried foods more than once a week, such as French fries, fried chicken, and donuts, increases the risk of prostate cancer in men by 30-37%. This is due to the formation of some carcinogenic substances during deep frying. In addition, heating the oil to temperatures suitable for frying leads to the formation of carcinogenic compounds such as acrylamide, heterocyclic amines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and acrolein. These compounds increase with the reuse of oil in frying more than once or frying for a long period. 

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