Cancer prevention part 1

Cancer - the one word that none wants to hear from their doctor, but sadly the number

of people suffering from this disease is rising. Many cancers are genetic in origin,

however approximately 40’percent are thought to be due to preventable lifestyle

factors. So, are there tweaks we can make to our diet to reduce our risk?

The most important dietary change we can make is to reduce ultra processed  and

sugar. A study published by Harvard university showed that for every 10 percent

increase in consumption of ultraprocessed food there was a 12 percent higher risk for

cancer overall and an 11 percent increased risk for breast cancer.  High sugar

consumption (more than 5 teaspoons per day) has also been associated with cancer

risk and sugary drinks (such as coke and fruit juices) have been demonstrated to

increase the rate of bowel cancer.

Many people wonder if meat causes cancer, and certainly processed red meat (such as

bacon and sausages) are considered to be carcinogenic by WHO. The research on

unprocessed red meat is less clear cut with quality, volume and cooking methods all

being factors that can impact risk. For example grilling and frying can produce

harmful compounds, whereas stewing, slow cooking and boiling are safer ways of

cooking. For those who do decide to include red meat as part of their diet it is

important to limit volume (fist size only per serve) and consume a maximum of three

times per week.

There are also certain foods that may reduce cancer risk. However, overall nutrition is

important, with a diet that includes a wide variety and large volume  of plants (10

serves or 800g daily) being associated with a 31 percent reduction in the risk of

cancer. Sulfurophane (found in broccoli sprouts) has been shown to reduce benzene

levels (known carcinogen) in the body. Additionally, the compound curcumin (found

in turmeric) has also been found to have anti cancer effects in laboratory studies,

however studies in humans are less clear cut.

To summarize, improving nutritional quality may have a role to play in cancer

prevention with the optimal diet being one low in ultraprocessed foods, sugar and

processed red meat but high in whole plant foods. This of course does not guarantee

that you will never get cancer but may help to reduce risk.  Can you do 1 percent more

for your health  by trying some broccoli sprouts this week?