Research shows that bad eating habits learnt when young, stay with you and are difficult to break.
Many child and adult cancers are caused by bad eating habits.
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Lifestyle
and diet as causal
factors of cancer
According to Dr Carl Albrecht, cancer specialist attached to the Cancer Association of South Africa, 80 percent of cancers can be prevented if people were to adhere to three simple rules:
Traditional diet According to Ayesha Sassman, Information officer of the SA Cancer Association, black people living in rural areas have a high incidence of oesophageal cancer as a result of their traditional diet, which contains very little fibre. Other factors contributing to this are cooking methods, grain storage methods and a high consumption of home-brewed beer. The incidence of these cancers becomes much lower if people move to the cities where fresh fruit and vegetables are more readily available. Diet the determining factor? Epidemiologists who have studied the prevalence of cancer amongst the different populations of the world have found that diet determines 40 percent of all cancers. The incidence of different types of cancer in different regions points to diet being instrumental in the causing of cancer. Studies appear to disprove genetic determinants, as cancer incidence amongst immigrants to a new country quickly takes on the characteristic incidence of those already living there. Eating the wrong type of food can increase one’s chances of getting cancer by 40 percent. Eating the right kind of food containing cancer-fighting molecules, such as fruit and vegetables, can make a huge difference. The modern diet and fatty acids Another major problem of the modern diet is that we consume far too many Omega 6 fatty acids. These are found in fatty foods, margarine, and most importantly, sunflower cooking oil. Omega 3 fatty acids, which are good for us and help in the fight against cancer, are contained in cold-pressed olive oil and the much cheaper Canola Oil. Many products also contain a combination of the two – a fact which is not always made clear on the packaging. “Something has gone seriously wrong with our modern diet”, says Dr Albrecht. The incidence of cancer, especially breast and prostate cancer, has increased dramatically. The former seems to increase dramatically in a population where the per capita fat intake is high. Dr Carl Albrecht - Cancer Association of South AfricClean living 'kills' cancer - study By Reuters
London
Healthier living could prevent about a third of the most common cancers in rich countries and about a quarter in poorer ones, international researchers said on Thursday. Better diets, more exercise and controlling weight could also prevent more than 40 percent of colon and breast cancer cases in some countries, according to the study which urged governments and individuals to do more to cut the number of global cancer deaths each year. "At the time of publication, roughly 11 million people worldwide are diagnosed with cancer and nearly eight million people die from cancer each year," said Michael Marmot, who led the study from the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research. "However, cancer is mostly preventable." The study involved 23 experts who analysed both the incidence of 12 common cancers across the world and data on diet, exercise and weight to see how these factors contributed to kidney, mouth, lung, gallbladder and the other cancers. The researchers found that healthier living would prevent 43 percent of colon cancer cases and 42 percent of breast cancer cases in Britain, and 45 percent of bowel cancer and 38 percent of breast cancer cases in the United States. The findings follow the same groups' study in 2007 that showed how quickly people grow and what they eat are both significant causes of cancer. They recommended - in line with what health experts, including governments and the UN World Health Organisation, have long been advising - that people follow diets based on fruits, vegetables and whole grains and go easy on red meats, dairy products and fats. The team also looked at China and Brazil as representatives of low- and middle-income countries, respectively. Overall improving diet, exercise and weight would in the United States prevent more than a third of the 12 most common cancers -- which also included stomach, womb (uterus), prostate, pancreas and oesophagus tumours . This amounted to 39 percent of the cancers in Britain, 30 percent in Brazil and 27 percent in China. "This report shows that by making relatively straightforward changes, we could significantly reduce the number of cancer cases around the world," Marmot said in a statement. "On a global level every year, there are millions of cancer cases that could have been prevented and this is why we need to act now before the situation gets even worse." - Reuters Published on
the Web by IOL on 2009-02-26 14:04:21
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