How Diet Can Keep Cancer at Bay

Although cancer is usually considered to be an uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells, multiple studies have highlighted that regular cells surrounding a tumour play a part in its growth.
In the USA, 1 in 9 women gets breast cancer in her lifetime.
Our lifestyle choices, including diet, have a major impact on our diet; the role they play in the development of breast cancer is becoming more clear.
It is now clear that frequent consumption of soy-based products prior to and during puberty, and cruciferous vegetables (cabbage family), can keep cancer at bay.
On the other hand, too much saturated fat as well as a lack of omega 3 polyunsaturated fats (fatty fish, flaxseed) and monounsaturated fats (olive oil) increases the risk of developing cancer.
Consumption of too much saturated fat usually leads to obesity, a condition which recent studies demonstrate heightens the risk of developing breast cancer.
Dietary changes can help prevent breast cancer and could have a huge impact on the risk of developing the disease.
Multiple studies suggest that what we eat affects the tumour environment, that is, the normal cells which surround the cancerous ones.
Under normal conditions, this tissue, called stroma, has anticancer properties which impede the development of tumours.
However, an in-depth study done by researchers at McGill University recently illustrated that the job of these normal cells transforms considerably as breast cancer develops.
A huge study undertaken by the same team, in partnership with researchers at Ohio State University, confirmed the tumour environment’s crucial role.
By manipulating certain genes in the stromal fibroblasts, researchers saw that the inactivation of a protein called Pten accelerated the progress of breast cancer in animals.
This acceleration is related to great changes in the area directly surrounding tumour cells, including the appearance of inflammatory cells and new blood vessels, which both play a huge role in a cancer’s development.
This is very important to note, as they demonstrate without any doubt that regular cells surrounding a tumour play an active role in cancer’s growth.
Lifestyle factors that promote the integrity of normal cells of the body may inhibit tumour growth by preventing these cells from supporting tumour growth.
Herein, research shows that anti-inflammatory foods like omega 3s, fruits and vegetables, or anti-angiogenics like green tea and berries, can stabilise the tumour environment and thus play an active role in preventing breast cancer.
Eating a diet richer in vegetables and reducing excessive consumption of processed foods full of sugars and fats are amongst the main lifestyle choices that can reduce the incidence of cancer.