Eating well and maintaining a healthy body weight plays an important role in lowering the risk of kidney, stomach, breast and colon cancer that have all been linked to obesity.
How should I eat to lower my risk of cancer?
So far science has shown that taking some easy steps to improve your diet can really make a difference:
Stomach cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the world. Scientists are increasingly seeing a link between salt intake and this cancer diagnosis. Research is showing people who eat more foods preserved using salt, the more likely they are to be diagnosed with this cancer that has few symptoms and no effective screening test.
These are general ways to improve your diet so you are giving yourself the best opportunity of avoiding a cancer diagnosis. But what about the specifics?
Have you heard of superfoods? Specific foods that are sometimes lauded as a way to prevent cancer. Often broccoli, blueberries and fish are often included in these lists. While it is true a healthy, balanced diet including these foods, and many others can reduce cancer risk, it is unlikely any specific food will have any impact on its own.
A number of other specific foods are sometimes said to reduce cancer risk. These include:
Studies of these and many other specific foods have not shown a particular link to or increased cancer diagnosis.
Similarly specific types of food like:
Are sometimes said to ‘cause cancer’. There is no scientific research to back this up, all research indicates they are not linked.
The only type of food that has been shown to increase cancer risk are processed meats like ham, bacon, salami and sausages have been linked to increases in bowel cancer. Fresh white meat like chicken and fish are not linked to cancer.
Humans are complex and most of us consume such a variety of food and liquid that create interactions making the impact of any specific food difficult to study. It is safe to say there are no specific foods that may prevent cancer, eating a balanced diet and maintaining a healthy body weight decreases risk. So, it turns out we are what we eat, in more ways than one.
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