Do red and processed meat cause cancer? Can fruits and vegetables really fight cancer? How food causes cancer

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The relationship between diet and cancer is increasingly incomprehensible.

First, let me tell you a story. This story starts in the 1950s.

In the 20th century, population medical data had a significant impact on medical research, and one of those people who used population data was British physician Richard Doll.

After revealing the link between radiation and leukemia, Dr. Doll and his mentor, Austin Bradford Hill, confirmed the link between tobacco smoke and lung cancer.

In a subsequent study of more than 40,000 British doctors, Doll’s results were confirmed, smoking and lung cancer, premature death, and a host of other health problems There is a close connection between them.

In 1975, Doll, along with Australian epidemiologist Bruce Armstrong, analysed the personal eating and living habits of residents of 32 countries in an attempt to find a link between certain behaviours and cancer.

Several “associations” stand out in the data, the most well-known being:

Yes red meat and colon cancer, fish and stomach cancer, coffee and kidney cancer, and dietary fat and breast cancer.

Since then, more and more research has been done on the relationship between food and cancer, and scientists have begun to work to find the cause-and-effect relationship between food and cancer.

Can dietary fat cause breast cancer?

Walter Willett, PhD, Harvard University, seeks to demonstrate the link between dietary fat and breast cancer in the Doll study using a dietary questionnaire of 90,000 female nurses connect.

Researchers calculated total fat, saturated fat, linoleic acid (the polyunsaturated fat found in vegetable oils), and cholesterol in nurses’ diets and correlated them with cardiovascular disease and the incidence of cancer.

Willett’s team went on to publish 3 sets of findings on the link between dietary fat and breast cancer.

Results from 1987 showed that with increasing dietary fat intake, there was a trend toward lower breast cancer risk.

Another study, again, found no relationship.

Willett’s team then, combining data from seven studies, analyzed data on more than 337,000 women and 4,980 breast cancer cases.

However, the results again showed no association between dietary fat intake and breast cancer risk.

After nearly 15 years of follow-up, during which low-fat diets became popular, the women in the study did not consume more than 20% of fat in their diets, and data analysis showed that breast cancer risk Incidence rates did not change significantly.

That is, a low-fat diet will not help with breast cancer.

Since Willett’s original large-scale study, many other studies have tried and failed to link dietary fat to breast and other cancers.

With the release of results from various large prospective studies, scientists have found that the link between meat and cancer does not seem to exist, such as lower fat , to reduce breast cancer risk may be a fallacy.

Do red and processed meat cause cancer?

Among most people’s stereotypes, meat seems to be the most daunting when it comes to foods that can cause cancer.

Many observational studies, for example, have linked meat consumption to an increased risk of colon cancer.

However, like Doll and Armstrong’s Global Epidemiological Study, the link was inconsistent and low.

Many sources reporting on red meat health issues, and potential links to cancer, frequently cite World Health Organization (WHO), International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reports.

It is worth noting that the authors of the WHO report have repeatedly stated that the evidence linking red meat to colorectal cancer is weak and inconsistent, and the magnitude of the effect may not be Very large.

In addition, several randomized controlled studies have found that restricting red meat in the diet has little or no effect on colon cancer risk.

In randomized studies, a diet low in fat, high fiber, red meat, and processed meat has been evaluated for its ability to reduce precancerous adenomas, also known as colon polyps.

All of these studies showed no reduction in precancerous adenomas in the dietary intervention group; in addition, even in people with poor dietary habits This diet has still not shown any benefit.

Equally confusing this potential link is that red meat and processed meat are completely different foods and should not be confused; the World Health Organization also recognizes that red meat The health risks of processed meat are different.

As we study how red meat causes colorectal cancer, animal studies reveal some compelling mechanisms.

These mechanisms explain why charring or burning meat (a process that produces potentially carcinogenic chemicals such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic aromatic amines) can increase health risks.

However, this just goes to show that burnt meat is a carcinogen, not necessarily red meat itself.

Similarly, scorched bread, scorched rice cookers, scorched anything, can have carcinogens.

The potential for burnt foods to cause cancer in the colon is the main reason for the link between colon cancer and red meat.

Meat is a high-quality source of protein and a rich source of vitamins and minerals, but there is no clear and credible evidence to support its association with cancer.

Therefore, for those seeking the perfect diet, excluding meat to reduce cancer risk is not supported by convincing evidence and may even lead to nutritional deficiencies.

Based on the available research evidence, we can conclude that eating burnt red meat, or processed meat, increases the risk of cancer than eating regular red meat bigger.

How does food cause cancer?

Proving that a certain food causes cancer is extremely challenging with the vast amount of data that exists today, as most studies are epidemiological and suggest an association but not causation relationship.

Food is vital to life, so how do we compare it to other known carcinogens, such as tobacco smoke and car exhaust?

Theoretically, if a food causes tangible changes in the body, promoting an environment conducive to cell cancerous growth, then it increases our risk of cancer.

The following mechanisms describe how food may cause cancer:

The food itself, or the cooking process, may contain or produce carcinogens that damage our cells or parts of our body; this damage may ultimately make an area more susceptible to cancer.

Fume from cooking, just like smoking can damage your lungs.

Baking, some carcinogens.

The food itself, or the cooking process, may contain or generate DNA-damaging chemicals or free radicals, which can lead to the expression or mutation of genes that promote uncontrolled cells replicate, grow, and ultimately lead to cancer.

Diets lead to changes in the metabolic environment that are more conducive to the induction and growth of cancer cells, such as sugar and high-carb diets, leading to obesity or type 2 diabetes.

A high-carb diet promotes blood sugar and insulin rises, and normal cells may receive messages that activate cellular growth and reproduction pathways.

Over time, these pathways may require them to grow unchecked and may increase the risk of eventual transformation into cancer cells, a growth stimulus that is “a hallmark of cancer.”

When considering the mechanisms by which a food may be harmful, we must also consider the potential beneficial effects of that food.

For example, a low-carb, high-fat diet that reduces visceral fat, improves type 2 diabetes and insulin sensitivity, and Improves overall metabolic status and helps reduce cancer risk.

By reducing these cancer risk factors, we can hypothesize that a low-carb, high-fat diet could potentially prevent cancer.

This is in stark contrast to the so-called Standard American Diet, which consists of high carbohydrates, high omega-6 fats, and highly processed and refined foods.

Fat, for example, polyunsaturated fats in vegetable oils, which have been used for decades to promote cancer in animal models.

This type of fat, which usually contains free radicals, produces oxidative damage after consumption, and in some cases, this Can cause lethal damage to cells or DNA, possibly leading to cancer.

Several observational studies have shown an association between high omega-6 PUFA intake and cancer.

Do fruits and vegetables really fight cancer?

Although, red meat has been considered a dangerous food for decades.

However, fruits and vegetables are believed by many to be cancer-fighting

Actually, there are no definitive studies that confirm that fruits and vegetables reduce the risk of cancer.

As with red meat and cancer, the link between fruit and vegetables and cancer is difficult to determine and is often influenced by confounding factors.

healthy user bias

In general: Smokers, heavy drinkers and people who exercise little, eat less vegetables than non-smokers, moderate drinkers, and exercisers.

Of course, these people are in much poorer health, however, we cannot determine whether their poor health is due to a diet lacking in fruits and vegetables, or poor lifestyle habits of.

This is the health user bias, a technique used in many survey studies:

1. Vegetarians have more healthy habits. It turns out that vegetarians are healthier.

2. People who eat meat have more unhealthy habits, and it turns out that eating meat is even more unhealthy.

3. People who eat breakfast have more healthy habits, but it turns out that skipping breakfast is even less healthy.

So, most studies have found that people who eat vegetables have a lower risk of all-cause death.

In fact, when studying chronic diseases, the benefits are more specifically vegetables rather than fruits, especially leafy greens.

The rationale behind it: Leafy greens can feed and promote the growth of certain gut bacteria that help metabolize health-threatening substances, including carcinogens.

In addition, cruciferous vegetables can activate antioxidant defense systems, and similar pathways that help detoxify potentially cancerous chemicals, and hormones.

The link between fruits and vegetables and breast cancer

A meta-analysis of 26 studies of breast cancer risk in women from 1982-1997 found that fruit intake did not reduce breast cancer risk, while vegetables did 25%.

In addition, an analysis of premenopausal women showed that vegetables, but not fruits, reduced breast cancer.

In a multi-cohort study paper that included 350,000 women, no benefit was observed for fruits and vegetables on breast cancer risk, as did several other studies.

Fruits and vegetables and bowel cancer

Fruits and vegetables also lack evidence to reduce colon cancer risk, with a meta-analysis of 14 studies showing that high fruit and vegetable intake did not reduce colon cancer risk /strong>.

An epidemiological study showed that people who ate fewer than 1.5 servings of vegetables a day had an increased risk of colon cancer compared with those who ate more than 2.5 servings of vegetables a day.

Just like meat, different types of vegetables, and different ways of cooking them, can affect the results of these studies.

Theroast they use? Steam? Or cook it? This factor was not taken into account in the study, which would have prevented us from drawing firm conclusions.

In addition, the type of vegetable and growing conditions can greatly affect the potentially beneficial chemicals present in the vegetable.

For example, Organosulfurs are compounds that promote cellular detoxification and antioxidant production and are found in vegetables such as onions, garlic, broccoli, cabbage, etc., but the amount varies by variety different.

To sum up, vegetables have a protective effect against cancer, and no conclusion can be drawn at this time.

But leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables, which have some antioxidant content, do provide some health benefits.

However, the fructose in fruit may lead to insulin resistance and increase the risk of visceral fat and fatty liver.

The goitrogens in cruciferous vegetables are also related to some thyroid-related problems. .

Key Thin Dragon Says

Eat this can fight cancer, eat this can cause cancer.

Many modern nutrition studies want to tell you a definite answer every day.

However, the problem is really more complicated than imagined, and most studies are correlation studies and cannot prove cause and effect.

Epidemiological studies with lower levels of evidence, more and more professionals, are no longer believed.

However, as research progresses, people gradually learn that there are more important factors than food that affect our health.

How food is cooked, the amount of food, and the sugar content of the food is associated with metabolic disease.

Red meat and fat are not the main cause of cancer, and vegetables and fruits are not the antidote to cancer.

Want to control cancer:

1. Eat less refined sugar and carbohydrates to relieve insulin resistance.

2. Eat less omega-6 vegetable oil and supplement omega-3 to fight inflammation.

3. Mainly boiled and low-temperature cooking, try to avoid roasting and frying.

4. Try not to eat too much and cooperate with light fasting.

5. Take in enough nutrients to ensure healthy functioning of the body.