The North American diet is catching up to us. Increases in death rates related to heart disease, obesity and cancer have reached alarming levels. It is time to take a serious look at the North American diet. At one time, eating in a restaurant was something to look forward to on a special occasion and having a chocolate bar was a special treat. Now they are everyday occurrences. Grabbing a quick meal at the local fast food stop or snacking on a candy bar on the way home is commonplace. With the changes in lifestyle come the changes in eating habits. Processed foods, white sugars and flours, high sodium, and low fibre foods have become a way of life. Healthy eating has been forgotten.
This way of life has its costs. It is well know that there is a problem with obesity in North America. As far back as the 1980s, the US Surgeon General indicated that North Americans were dying from diseases directly related to their eating habits. One of the diseases related to bad eating habits is cancer. Breast cancer and prostate cancer are the two most common forms of cancers that our men and women are dying from.
Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer Statistics
Other than cancers of the skin, breast cancer is the most highly diagnosed form of cancer in women and prostate cancer is the most highly diagnosed form of cancer in men in the US. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, comprising 16% of all female cancers.
It is expected that in 2010, in the US alone, there will be 1,529,560 new cancer cases diagnosed. Included in this number is breast cancer with over 207,000 diagnoses for women and almost 2000 diagnoses for men. As well, an estimated 217,730 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Of those individuals diagnosed, it is estimated that 39,840 women will die from breast cancer in the US in 2010 and 32,050 men will die from prostate cancer in the US in 2010.
Food Can Make a Difference
The Western lifestyle is characterized by a highly caloric diet, rich in fat, refined carbohydrates and animal protein, combined with low physical activity, resulting in an overall energy imbalance. It is associated with a multitude of disease conditions, including obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arterial hypertension and cancer. This simple means that North Americans are eating too much and not getting enough exercise and as a result disease in setting in. Consumption of these types of food increases the risk of cancer and other diseases.
Recent data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), suggests that a daily consumption of 500 grams (1.1. lbs.) of fruits and vegetables can decrease the incidence of cancers of the digestive tract by up to 25 per cent.
Both the Canadian and US Food Guides recommend that adults consume between seven to ten servings of fruits and vegetables daily. With an average serving size of half a cup, that means eating three and a half to five cups of fruit and vegetables daily. Selecting a piece of fruit to satisfy a sweet tooth not only provides protection against cancer but can fight against obesity. Eating fruits and vegetables provides a natural way to reach and maintain an optimal weight and optimal health.
The antioxidants in fruits and vegetables are known to naturally protect against disease. Free radicals are associated with aging, cell and tissue damage, cancer and other diseases. The antioxidants in foods prevent free radicals from damaging cells. There is more and more evidence that specific food choices can help to protect against specific types of cancer.
Selected Foods and Breast Cancer
The Texas AgriLife research scientists have recently found that peach and plum extracts not only stopped cancerous breast cancer cells but that they did not harm normal cells at the same time. They feel that this is a substantial finding because the differential effect will not make treatment from breast cancer as hard on the body as the current chemotherapy treatment which kill all cells. Dr. David Byrne, who studies stone fruits, said, "Here, there is a five-fold difference in the toxic intensity. You can put it at a level where it will kill the cancer cells – the very aggressive ones – and not the normal ones."
In women with breast cancer, diets high in vegetables and fruits that contain the full range of carotenoids can be beneficial.
Foods that are high in carotenids are any yellow, red or orange vegetables such as tomatoes, squash, sweet potato, pumpkins, sugar beets and carrots; green leafy vegetables such as broccoli and kale; fruits such as peaches, apricots, watermelon, guava and oranges.
Foods containing polyphenols are believed to reduce the risk of breast cancer and to slow the growth of breast cancer tumors. Polyphenols can be found in walnuts, green tea, wine, chocolate, and sugar beets. Walnut consumption may provide the body with essential omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and phytosterols that reduce the risk of breast cancer, according to a study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 100th Annual Meeting 2009.
Cruciferous vegetables such as kale, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and bok choy also help protect against breast cancer.
Selected Foods and Prostate Cancer
Two specific antioxidants that are known to beneficial in protection against prostate cancer are lycopene and selenium.
Lycopene is found in tomatoes and tomato products, watermelon, guava and pink grapefruits. Researchers looked at blood levels of lycopene and found that the risk of developing prostate cancer, especially aggressive cancer, decreased with increasing blood lycopene levels.
Selenium is most common in corn, whole wheat, walnuts, Brazil nuts, legumes, seafood and fish, meats, eggs and cheese. Selenium can be toxic when taken in high quantities and it should be noted that selenium content of foods can vary depending on where they are grown. Brazil nuts may contain as much as 544 micrograms of selenium per ounce, a much higher quantity than is needed on a daily basis. The Journal of National Cancer Institute revealed that men with high blood levels of selenium were about half as likely to develop advanced prostate cancer as the men with lower blood selenium. The tolerable level of selenium for adults is 400 μg/day.
Research suggests that selenium also prevents or slows tumor growth by enhancing immune cell activity and suppressing development of blood vessels to the tumor (1).
The polyphenols in red wine and tea are powerful antioxidant that protect against free radical damage. Scientists now know exactly why polyphenols in red wine and green tea inhibit cancer growth by disrupting an important sell signalling pathway necessary for prostate cancer growth. "The profound impact that the antioxidants in red wine and green tea have on our bodies is more than anyone would have dreamt just 25 years ago," Weissmann added. "As long as they are taken in moderation, all signs show that red wine and green tea may be ranked among the most potent 'health foods' we know."
Reference:
(1) Combs GF, Clark LC, Turnbull BW. An analysis of cancer prevention by selenium. BioFactors 14 2001; 153-9.
