Diet and cancer

Advertisement suggesting that a healthy diet helps prevent cancer.

Many dietary recommendations have been proposed to reduce the risk of cancer, few have significant supporting scientific evidence.[1][2][3] Obesity and drinking alcohol have been correlated with the incidence and progression of some cancers.[1] Lowering the consumption of sweetened beverages is recommended as a measure to address obesity.[4]

Some specific foods are linked to specific cancers. There is strong evidence that processed meat and red meat intake increases risk of colorectal cancer.[5][6][7][8] Aflatoxin B1, a frequent food contaminant, increases risk of liver cancer,[9] while drinking coffee is associated with a reduced risk.[10] Betel nut chewing causes oral cancer.[9] Stomach cancer is more common in Japan due to its high-salt diet.[9][11]

Dietary recommendations for cancer prevention typically include weight management and eating a healthy diet, consisting mainly of "vegetables, fruit, whole grains and fish, and a reduced intake of red meat, animal fat, and refined sugar."[1] A healthy dietary pattern may lower cancer risk by 10–20%.[12] There is no clinical evidence that diets or specific foods can cure cancer.[13][14]

  1. ^ a b c Wicki A, Hagmann J (9 September 2011). "Diet and cancer". Swiss Medical Weekly. 141: w13250. doi:10.4414/smw.2011.13250. PMID 21904992.
  2. ^ Papadimitriou N, Markozannes G, Kanellopoulou A, Critselis E, Alhardan S, Karafousia V, Kasimis JC, Katsaraki C, Papadopoulou A, Zografou M, Lopez DS, Chan DS, Kyrgiou M, Ntzani E, Cross AJ, Marrone MT, Platz EA, Gunter MJ, Tsilidis KK (2021). "An umbrella review of the evidence associating diet and cancer risk at 11 anatomical sites". Nature Communications. 12 (1): 4579. Bibcode:2021NatCo..12.4579P. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-24861-8. PMC 8319326. PMID 34321471.
  3. ^ Jabbari M, Pourmoradian S, Eini-Zinab H, Mosharkesh E, Hosseini Balam F, Yaghmaei Y, Yadegari A, Amini B, Arman Moghadam D, Barati M, Hekmatdoost A (2022). "Levels of evidence for the association between different food groups/items consumption and the risk of various cancer sites: an umbrella review". Int J Food Sci Nutr. 73 (7): 861–874. doi:10.1080/09637486.2022.2103523. PMID 35920747. S2CID 251280745.
  4. ^ Stewart BW, Wild CP, eds. (2014). "Ch. 2: Cancer Etiology § 6 Diet, obesity and physical activity". World Cancer Report 2014. World Health Organization. pp. 124–33. ISBN 978-92-832-0429-9.
  5. ^ Vieira AR, Abar L, Chan DSM, Vingeliene S, Polemiti E, Stevens C, Greenwood D, Norat T. (2017). "Foods and beverages and colorectal cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies, an update of the evidence of the WCRF-AICR Continuous Update Project". Annals of Oncology. 28 (8): 1788–1802. doi:10.1093/annonc/mdx171. hdl:10044/1/48313. PMID 28407090.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "Meat, fish, dairy and cancer risk". wcrf.org. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  7. ^ "Red Meat and Processed Meat Consumption". progressreport.cancer.gov. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  8. ^ "Red Meat (Beef, Pork, Lamb): Increases Risk of Colorectal Cancer". aicr.org. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  9. ^ a b c Park S, Bae J, Nam BH, Yoo KY (2008). "Aetiology of cancer in Asia" (PDF). Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention. 9 (3): 371–380. PMID 18990005.
  10. ^ Yu C, Cao Q, Chen P, Yang S, Deng M, Wang Y, Li L (December 2016). "An updated dose-response meta-analysis of coffee consumption and liver cancer risk". Scientific Reports. 6 (1): 37488. Bibcode:2016NatSR...637488Y. doi:10.1038/srep37488. PMC 5133591. PMID 27910873.
  11. ^ Brenner H, Rothenbacher D, Arndt V (2009). "Epidemiology of Stomach Cancer". In Mukesh V (ed.). Cancer Epidemiology. Methods in Molecular Biology. Vol. 472. pp. 467–477. doi:10.1007/978-1-60327-492-0_23. ISBN 978-1-60327-491-3. PMC 2166976. PMID 19107449.
  12. ^ "Preventing Cancer". hsph.harvard.edu. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  13. ^ "A healthy diet alone will not cure cancer". National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2024. Archived from the original on April 28, 2024.
  14. ^ Ilerhunmwuwa NP, Abdul Khader AHS, Smith C, Cliff ERS, Booth CM, Hottel E, Aziz M, Lee-Smith W, Goodman A, Chakraborty R, Mohyuddin GR. (2024). "Dietary interventions in cancer: a systematic review of all randomized controlled trials". Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 116 (7): 1026–1034. doi:10.1093/jnci/djae051. PMC 11223872. PMID 38429997.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)