Linkage Between Cancer & Diet

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The onset of cancer has been linked to diet in various ways, and certain foods are seen as contributing to the development of cancer cells in the human being. At the same time, the specific relationship between diet and cancer remains largely unproved at this time, though because of news reports of new cancer-causing agents week after week, the public may believe that our diets are loaded with cancer-causing contaminants. One substance ingested by many that has been found to contribute to increased cancer risk is alcohol when consumed at a high rate, and alcohol consumption is associated with about three percent of the cancers in this country. Heavy drinkers show an increased incidence of cancers of the liver, pancreas, esophagus, larynx, mouth, and throat. As little as one or two drinks a day several times a week contributes to a higher incidence of breast cancer (Van Itallie 332).

Among the factors known to affect cancer rates are heredity, viruses, ionizing radiation, chemicals, and alterations in the immune system. Studies now suggest that these elements may interact in a multifactorial, sequential process leading to malignancy. Cancer is essentially a genetic process, and inherited gene abnormalities or those induced by a virus or damage from an outside source are then subject to a series of sequential mutations in time leading to a single cell that is malignant and that proliferates as a clone. One of the external factors may be diet, which could account for 40

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. These elements are to be found in pigmented vegetables, vegetable oils, eggs, whole grains and cereals, fruits and vegetables, seafood, liver, and meat. This means that a high-vegetable, high-whole grain diet with some fish and meat is the recommended anti-cancer diet. Each cancer patient may need a unique diet based on the type of cancer they have. For instance, sarcoma patients generally need a high protein diet. Vegetables are usually the most important part of the diet for a cancer patient because of the anti-cancer properties of fiber, plant sterol, and dithiolthiones. Whole grains are the next most important food group (Braverman 57). Andrew Weil notes that current therapies for cancer are far from satisfactory, whether they be conventional or alternative treatments. He suggests that at a minimum, patients change their diet and maintain a program of regular exercise. What he calls a healing diet would include fewer calories by the elimination of high-fat foods. The patient should cut down on saturated fats, avoid sources of trans-fatty acids, eat less protein, replace animal protein foods with fish and soyfoods, eat more fruits and vegetables, and eat more whole grains and products made from whole grains (Weil 1-
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Van Itallie, Cancer Society, , Lee Gilpin, Andrew Weil, Medical Association, Guide Edition, Funk Wagnalls, Naturally Fall, Arthur Holler, risk factors, onset cancer, diet cancer, diet cancer patient, cause cancer, risk factor, incidence smoking, food additives, van itallie, lee gilpin, pierce lee gilpin, american cancer society, colon cancer,
Approximate Word count = 1343
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

Linkage Between Cancer & Diet

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