In 1976, the Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs, led by Senator George McGovern found that meat-based diets are responsible for more than half of total cases of cancer. In 1980, the U.S. National Cancer Institute directed the National Research Council to collect and study the literature on nutrition and cancer. It found that eating meat causes 40 percent of cancers in males and 60 percent of total cancers in women.
International research institutions confirmed that the more the meat intake, the higher the risk for the cancer, particularly in the digestive system. Harvard University public health experts found 70 percent of human cancers are associated with meat consumption. U.S. National Institutes of Health studied fifty thousand vegetarians and found they had much lower risk for cancer than meat eaters.
At the University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences Center, Tim Bayer, Professor of Preventive Medicine, said fruits and vegetables are preventative against all gastrointestinal cancers and cancers induced by smoking. He also said it has been fully scientifically confirmed that eating fruits and vegetables prevents oral cancer , throat, esophagus, lung, stomach, colon and bladder cancer.
Chairman of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences Research Group and University of California biologist Dr. Clifford Grobstein said: “By controlling the food we eat, the diet can prevent sensitive cancers, such as esophagus, breast, stomach, colorectal and prostate cancer.”
Why does a vegetarian diet prevents cancer?
1. Fruits and vegetables contain anti-cancer ingredients
In 1978, the University of Minnesota researchers found that cauliflower ingredients like Indole can help prevent breast cancer and stomach cancer.
In 1992, University of California at Berkeley scholars reviewed 200 published studies of cancer published since 1980 and found that eating a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of liver cancer, stomach cancer, pancreatic cancer, colon cancer, bladder cancer, cervical cancer, ovarian cancer and endometrial cancer risk. People eating lots of fruits and vegetables are at 50 percent reduced risk for cancer, compared to those who do not eat fruits and vegetables often.
In 1997, the American Health Foundation confirmed that lycopene (lycopene) found in tomatoes is a powerful anti-oxidant, which helps prevent breast, prostate and gastrointestinal cancer. Harvard Medical School studies showed that lycopene may reduce the risk of breast, prostate and other cancer risk. Italian research found that people eating at least seven servings of tomatoes per week were at 50 percent reduced risk of cancer, compared with those eating four servings or less per week.
In 2003, University of Minnesota researchers found that ginger root contains an ingredient called “gingerol 6”, which plays a role in the prevention and treatment of colon cancer.
In 2003, the Cancer Council Victoria in Melbourne, Australia published a study of forty thousand men and women with different dietary habits suggesting eating more tomatoes, onions can prevent prostate cancer, eating sausages and red meat significantly can increase risk of cancer.
In 2004, Texas A&M University found that cauliflower, broccoli, turnip and mustard greens contain a substance called Diindolymethane, which inhibits the growth of breast cancer, pancreas cancer, colon cancer, bladder cancer and ovarian cancer.
In 2004, the French Association for International Health and Medicine found that apple peel contains a substance with antioxidantive activity can prevent colon cancer.
In 2005, a University of California study showed that regularly eating fruit, vegetables and grain products can help slow the progression of prostate cancer. University of California in conjunction with a cancer treatment center in New York analyzed 93 prostate cancer patients and found that they who chose to eat a vegetarian diet significantly improved their conditions.
In 2005, Dr. Farah Scarborough of University of London Sackler Institute found that eating beans, nuts and grains, can help prevent cancer, this is so because lentils and peas contain a natural compound called phosphate inositol inhibiting tumor growth. Researchers suggest that people should eat more beans, nuts, and grain products to help them prevent cancer.
In 2005, the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine Hassan? Professor Mukhtar series of experiments confirmed that the pomegranate is very rich in anti-cancer substances, inhibit cancer cells, prostate cancer is particularly effective.
In 2006, Professor Leibei Carrie at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center conducted a study and found that ginger can kill cancer cells in two ways inducing apoptosis and cell autophagy.
In 2006, a University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study found that capsaicin in peppers can cause death of cancer cells, the tumor is much narrower, and the spicy ingredient in chili capsaicin can kill pancreatic cancer cells, but does not affect the healthy pancreas cells.
In addition, the Singapore National Cancer Center researchers found that fruit and vegetables including tomatoes, apples, onions, peppers and other red grapes contain kaempferol, certain flavinoids and other ingredients that can prevent angiogenesis of cancer cells and can prevent breast cancer and other cancers. It is suggested that daily consumption of two ladies to the three red fruits and vegetables.
Researchers around the world also found that soy contains isoflavones (Isoflavones) which can inhibit breast cancer, colorectal cancer, oral cancer, lung cancer and liver cancer; carrots containing vitamin A help fight liver cancer. In addition, the polysaccharide Hericium (Hericium Erinaceus polysauharides, HEP), isothiocyanate salts (Isothiocyanates) in cabbage, elagic acid in grapes, gum in watermelon, Glucarase in citrus fruits, lemon limonene (limonene ) and green tea polyphenols (Polyphenols) have anti-tumor properties. Meanwhile, garlic can not only block the formation of cancer-causing nitrosamines in the body, but also stimulate macrophage phagocytosis of human cancer cells.
2. Fruits and vegetables contain low-fat and high-fiber
Large amounts of vegetarian cellulose can stimulate the bowel movement, which will help purge feces and get rid of harmful substances quickly, reducing the risk of rectal cancer and colon cancer.
One American cancer expert said: “The vegetarian diet is low in protein and fat and high in fiber, so vegetarians have nearly a zero risk of colon cancer!”
David Jenkins. a fiber expert at University of Toronto in Canada also said: “The fiber is very effective in the prevention of colon cancer.”
3. sodium and potassium ratio
At M.D. Anderson Cancer Center of University of Texas, Dr. Jansson found that intakes of potassium and sodium may affect the development of cancer. An analysis of data from 20 countries shows that incidence of cancer is low in the area where people had high intake of potassium. Potassium is very rich in vegetables and legumes.
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center researchers pointed out that the intracellular potassium is about 10 times higher than sodium. In order to maintain normal cell function, cells must absorb sufficient potassium. If damaged cells lose potassium, it will immediately begin to reproduce division. If the ratio of potassium to sodium is lower than that of normal cells, the growth of cells will continue. The growth of cancer cells is directly related to the ratio of potassium to sodium.
Potassium rich foods include dried herbs, avocados, paprika/red chili powder, cocoa power and chocolate, dried apricots, prunes, zante currants and raisins, pistachios, seeds such as pumpkin seeds, squash, sunflower and flaxseed,fish such as pompano, salmon, halibut and tuna, beans and dates. Other potassium rich foods include bananas, orange juice, sun dried tomatoes, palm hearts, baked potatoes, molasses, rice bran, sweet potatoes, and Brussels Sprouts.
Meats contain lower ratios of potassium to sodium.
Studies suggest that the normal intake ratio of potassium to sodium should be 2 t 1. Data from U.S. Department of Agriculture show that ratios of potassium to the sodium in banana, pumpkin, soy, orange, and ordinary fruit and vegetables are 380, 360, 331, 221; and more than 200 respectively. Conversely, the ratios for chicken, duck, fish are no more than 3-5. There is no doubt that the high sodium low potassium meat greatly increased the chances of human cancer.
4. research findings from China
A panel of researchers at Beijing Union Medical College Hospital and other organizations conducted a survey and found meat and cancer are related. The survey found the incidence of cancer in Beijing in 1996 was 5.2 times as high as that in 1955. The high cancer risk was associated with a diet with increasing intake of meat and decreasing intake of fiber-rick vegetables.
Another medical report by the Panel said: “Our country had originally low incidence of colorectal cancer, less than ten hundred thousandths (10/100,000). But in the last two to three years with the changes in the structure of food, an increase in meat consumption, the cancer incidence has risen since 2000 to the twenty-four hundred thousandths (24.31/100,000), equivalent to moderate incidence in other countries.
Experts believe that the increased incidence of bowel cancers has something to do with environmental factors including diet, increasing consumption of meat, refined food products and lack of cellulose and fiber rich foods such as grains, cereals. High-fat, high protein diet is associated with increased risk of breast cancer, colorectal cancer.
People who really want to reduce their risk of cancer should reduce their intake of meats and increase dietary intake of fruit and vegetables.
1. This article is a work of translation and names of people and organizations may not be entirely accurate.