|
|
| Carcinogenic Foods (Cancer-causing Foods) |
 |
 |
| |
You are what you eat. It is generally accepted that diet is one of the major causes of human cancer. The main diet-related cancers can be categorized into 3 broad classes: |
|
| |
| 1. |
Fat-related cancers : in the breast, ovary, prostate, large bowel, endometrium etc |
 |
| 2. |
Alcohol-related cancers : in the liver, upper digestive tract (oropharynx and oesophagus) etc. |
|
| 3. |
Poor or improper nutrition : in the stomach and oesophagus etc. |
|
|
|
| |
| Linkage between cancer locations and possible dietary causes |
|
| Cancer Location |
Type of diet implicated |
| 1. Oropharynx |
 |
Alcohol |
|
| 2. Oesophagus |
|
Alcohol and tobacco consumption |
|
Poor Nutrition |
|
| 3. Stomach |
|
Low intake of fresh vegetables |
|
High intake of starchy roots |
|
High intake of burnt, barbequed, smoked, salted, fermented or pickled foods |
|
| 4. Colon / Rectum |
|
Meat and animal fat |
|
Low intake of cereals and vegetables (fibres) |
|
Smoking |
|
| 5. Breast (post-menopausal) |
|
High intake of animal fat |
|
| 6. Endometrium (internal lining of the uterus) |
|
High intake of fat and calorie |
|
| 7. Prostate |
|
High intake of fat and calorie |
|
| 8. Liver |
|
Alcohol and tobacco consumption |
|
Mycotoxins |
|
|
| |
| Comparative diet-related cancer rates in Asia and other parts of the world |
|
|
Stomach cancer (also called gastric cancer) is much more common in Asia than in North America, Western Europe and Australasia. |
|
|
Oesophageal cancer is common across a broad area in Asia, stretching from east of the Caspian Sea through China, Japan, and southern part of the Former Soviet union. |
|
|
Liver cancer is common in Eastern Asia and in parts of Africa. |
|
| |
| Implications to the Chinese Diet |
|
| Chinese foods are renowned worldwide for their enticing colour, savoury aroma and delicious taste. However, China accounts for about half of the global annual death toll from stomach cancer. This is probably related to the frequent intake of pickled, salted, smoked, fermented and barbecued food among the Chinese population. |
|
| The prevalence of smoking in China also contributes to the development of stomach cancer. Stomach cancer kills about 300,000 people in China per year and there are 400,000 new cases reported annually. (Related News: Dec 5, 2006) |
|
| With widespread cancers involving the digestive system and the liver (the major detoxification organ) among the Chinese people, it may be time for us to re-visit what are the essential components of a healthy diet, and what are the problems of our existing ones. (Related web page: Chinese Diet and Cancer Prevention ) |
|
| The sub-sections of this website will cover some of the common foods that are known to be carcinogenic (cancer-causing). |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
