Diet and Cancer
Many films about cancer have been made in recent years, the most notable features a scientist who discovers the cure in a South American rain forest, only to lose it; medical research continues to advance in it’s war with this disease that plagues humanity. This disease causes suffering everywhere it is found; it has caused untold deaths throughout history and when the cure is finally discovered it will have a huge impact around the world. Research over the years has helped our understanding of cancer but not to the point where we are able to foretell exactly when it will happen.
Of course many researchers belief that we are in effect born with cancer which is just waiting for something to set if off, but just what is cancer? The word cancer is often used by some to explain something that spreads out of control; this is what happens with a population of cells that increase in size by replication, similar to the amoeba; although cancer is able to spread to neighboring cells and other parts of the body.
The malignant property of cancer differentiates it from benign tumors which limit their growth and do not invade or metastasize. Some benign tumors, however, are capable of becoming malignant. Fortunately, this is a disease which is not as prevalent in the young but as you age the risk of cancer increases; cancer is responsible for about 13 percent of all deaths worldwide. Cancer is an abnormality in the body’s cells and can be caused by a number of agents including carcinogens or poisons such as smoke, infectious agents or radiation.
The cause can also be the responsibility of faulty DNA replication or a genetic trait inherited from parents which means a person can be born with them. However this does not mean you will contract it as the relationship between carcinogens and an individual’s genetic makeup is a complex one.
Long term research has given a better picture of what cancer is and the study of cancer is one of the top ten diseases being researched throughout the world. Once scientists discover the reason behind why some individuals are more likely to contract a disease than others, we may be closer to creating a cure. We all want to know more about the causes of cancer what we can do to help prevent this illness from striking.
Over recent years, concern has been made public over the possibility that our dietary habits may be partly to blame for the incidence of the condition. Foods that could be a problem are Salt, sugar, saturated fat and cholesterol. Recent studies have shown that calcium received from dairy products can be harmful to men and could encourage the onset of prostate cancer.
Cancer does not have any prejudice when it comes to invading a person’s body as it can strike anywhere. The problem is that it can also be insidious and a person may have it for some time before it is diagnosed. Cures for many types have advanced in recent years and are more likely to be successful if the cancer is found in its early stages. Although not it is not something anyone wants to be diagnosed with, cancer does not have to mean death these days, with the advances in medical treatment.
Barbara Williamson
