No sector of oncology is more confusing and controversial than the relationship between cancer and an individual’s diet. Most people would like that think that there exists a diet which can make a significant impact on either the likelihood of cancer, or better yet aid in curing it once it is contracted.
Reputable sources all seem to agree that there is no diet that can cure cancer. There is also no evidence strong enough to support the belief that any diet can prevent an individual from contracting cancer. However, there are many studies that suggest that the occurrence, recurrence, and even survivability rates could potentially be affected by the foods an individual selects.
Though these studies are far from positive, they have been examined by many researchers at Cornell University. The researches have been able to correlate lower death rates and an increase in survivability rates when individuals take certain dietary measures.
The Nurses Health study examined 1,982 women who had already developed breast cancer. These women were followed and studied over a period of 13 years. Of those women, over 1,200 had cancers that had yet to metastasize (the spreading of a primary tumor to other areas thus producing secondary tumors of the same type). The survival rates of individuals with cancer whose disease has metastasized are much lower than those whose disease has not.
Some individuals in the first group ate greater amounts of poultry and seafood, which contains protein and omega-3 fatty acids. These individuals had a much lower risk of death than the women in the second group who did not consume as much. In addition, it was discovered that women who ate a greater amount of hydrogenated oils had a much higher death rate.
Additionally, another study which was conducted by the National Cancer Institute observed 2,400 individuals. Of those individuals 975 women who had contracted breast cancer were asked to consume a low fat diet (33.3g per day) for a period of five years. Another 1,462 women consumed 51.3 g of fat per day. The group consuming less fat experienced a 42% reduction in the recurrence rate.
The difficulty with all these studies is they are looking only at associations, not causation. It’s unclear from the data what is relevant. Do these dietary choices reflect only the fact that women who focus on maintaining a healthy diet are making healthier lifestyle choices overall? Or, are the foods themselves actually helpful or harmful, and to what degree?
As with most studies that involve fruits and vegetables, the answer is uncertain. Aside from those which contain antioxidants any effect that is beneficial just isn’t known with complete confidence. In this instance, however, the evidence does support that foods which are high in antioxidants do aid in the reduction of the chance of contracting breast cancer.
Free radicals within one’s blood stream are ionized atoms that are capable of harming cells. Antioxidants assist in ridding the body of these atoms. They combine with the free radicals causing them to be rendered harmless.
But fat studies are less clear. The leading theory says, since high estrogen levels are known to highly correlate with higher breast cancer risk, and fat efficiently stores estrogen, then lowering fat lowers the risk.
Conclusions are drawn from time to time that are rather flawed. For example there is the belief that eating fat causes an individual to be fat. It is not necessarily the consumption of fat that causes higher body fat. Consuming more calories than the body uses causes one’s body to store the excess calories as fat, thus leading to a higher body fat percentage. In addition, fat contains more calories per unit weight than other foods. Therefore the route is indirect.
Despite difficult to interpret or incomplete evidence, there is one thing all experts can readily agree on: maintaining a healthy diet and lifestyle are wise choices. Whether they lower the risk of contracting breast cancer or not, for the 1 in 12 women who will get it sometime in their life, being in optimal health helps combat it before, during and after.