The Topic Of This Post

• Eating habits and cancer: what relationship?
• What foods help prevent cancer?
• Obesity and cancer: what the studies say
• Why is obesity a risk factor?
• Cancer, obesity, and metabolic syndrome

It is not easy to accurately identify the number of tumors that are also determined by dietary factors, but more and more scholars, doctors, and researchers are dedicated to the topic and the first available data leave little room for doubt. In fact, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research, three out of ten cancers are caused by poor eating habits. It goes beyond the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report, presented in October 2017: US researchers, in fact, associate obesity and overweight with an increased risk of 13 types of cancer, among the most common in the USA, but also in Europe. So let\’s try to better understand what the connection between obesity and cancer is and how wrong eating habits can represent a risk factor.

EATING HABITS AND CANCER: WHAT RELATIONSHIP?

According to what is reported on the website of the Italian Association for Cancer Research, which underlines that the data we have available mainly concern the US context, the influence of eating habits on cancer risk depends on the presence of some specific substances in certain foods which can promote the disease.

In particular, some substances are responsible for greater sensitivity to liver or stomach cancer: think of the presence of nitrites and nitrates, used to preserve cured meats, or aflatoxins, freed from some molds of peanuts, corn, and other legumes if stored incorrectly. Finally, many epidemiological studies point the finger at a diet rich in animal fats and proteins.

Paying attention to these substances and, consequently, eating consciously is not only crucial from a preventive point of view: in fact, a study by the European Coalition of Cancer Patients found that seven out of ten sufferers have problems with nutrition, a factor that weakens the organism and decreases the chances of survival.

Precisely to avoid the risks associated with a bad diet, the recurring advice is to avoid do-it-yourself and rely on professionals who, in general, recommend favoring certain foods: let\’s see which ones and why.

WHAT FOODS HELP PREVENT CANCER?

Whole grains, legumes, and ginger, now the emblem of medicare and anti-cancer diet, do not represent, in fact, a panacea against all cancer diseases, on the contrary it is the balance and attention between nutrients and foods that make the difference. . It is certainly important to often consume foods rich in vitamins and fiber ; in particular, we should never give up five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, choosing from fresh and seasonal ones, carefully seasoned and prepared with cooking methods that allow us to keep their properties intact. To specifically protect the colorectal , the AIRC experts recommend consuming whole grains, bread, pasta and rice, to be combined regularly with legumes.

In addition to the contribution of vitamins and fibers, these foods also have antioxidant properties , precious allies against the aging of the organism as they are able to neutralize free radicals.

Other studies, however, argue that regular consumption of soy and foods derived from it since adolescence can contribute to a reduction in the risk of breast cancer for women and prostate cancer for men. This is because these foods are rich in isoflavones, substances assimilated to estrogen hormones, and which take their place on cell receptors, without however determining the same consequences from a biological point of view.

OBESITY AND CANCER: WHAT THE STUDIES SAY

It is not, however, just the type of foods we choose to include in our diet that determines the risk of cancer. In fact, some recent studies confirm that even the calorie intake has consequences on our health from this point of view.

As anticipated, the latest report on the relationship between cancer and obesity by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention argues that this food pathology derives a greater risk of getting sick from as many as 13 types of cancer which represent, for the United States, 40% of diagnoses. Furthermore, an analysis published in the European Journal of Cancer shows that, if the cases of obesity and overweight in all of Europe were to drop drastically until they disappeared, there would be 20% fewer diagnoses of colon cancer per year .

There is, therefore, an increasingly shared belief that obesity can be considered a real risk factor for cancer and, in particular, for cancers in these cases:

• esophagus
• otherwise
• utero
• liver
• prostate
• pancreas
• ovaries
• gallbladder.

WHY IS OBESITY A RISK FACTOR?

The correlation between obesity and cancer should not surprise us, if we take into consideration how this food pathology concretely impacts on the functions of the organism. In fact, it interferes with the secretion of hormones , such as growth and thyroid hormones, and causes an increase in insulin.

The oncologist Paolo Marchetti, director of the Department of Medical Oncology at Sant\’Andrea in Rome, interviewed by La Repubblica, clearly explains that obesity represents a state of chronic inflammation , for which our body continually produces substances that have a impact on regular cell replication activity. In fact, the presence of cytokines, one of these substances, means that a healthy cell can escape the controls and start the tumor process.

Another interesting explanation comes to us from an Italian research, published in September 2017 in the journal Cancer Research , which highlighted the molecular mechanisms by which obesity increases the risk of developing breast cancer . Two molecules called GM-CSF and MMP9, produced by the cells that will become fat cells, together favor the development and spread of this type of cancer: the study observed that in the obese, the levels of GM-CSF are higher than in healthy subjects with negative effects, consequently, on the organism.

Finally, it is possible that the relationship between cancer and obesity is also linked to a decrease in the reactive capacity of our immune system which is significantly lower in those suffering from this pathology.

CANCER, OBESITY AND METABOLIC SYNDROME

To conclude, we cite a study published in the journal Nature, which examined the possible genetic relationships between obesity, cancer and the metabolic syndrome . In fact, it emerged that there are 38 genes that can be perfectly superimposed between subjects with breast cancer, diabetics and obese. In other words, obesity sufferers are genetically more likely to develop this type of other disease as well.

For this reason, it is crucial to follow a balanced and healthy diet , perhaps drawing on the list of smart foods for the heart, in the awareness that this element is an essential part of a successful cancer prevention strategy.  

On the other hand, those who are at risk of cardiovascular diseases cannot, all the more reason, underestimate a correct diet that does not lead to overweight and obesity: a precious ally in this sense is offered to us by integrative healthcare. In fact, the  Family Protection policy also provides individual and personalized advice to improve one\’s lifestyle, from the point of view of the movement and, of course, of nutrition.

A crucial activity to avert the risks associated with obesity for cancer. Were you aware of these new scientific developments by the way?