Diet and your health
Below is a MRR and PLR article in category Health Fitness -> subcategory Other.
Diet and Your Health
Summary:
In recent years, there's been growing concern about how our diet impacts our health, especially regarding cancer. Research indicates our diet is rich in natural mutagens and carcinogens, and we're consuming more than previously thought. These natural chemicals may pose a greater concern than industrial chemicals and pollutants.
Article:
Increasingly, awareness is growing about the significant impact of our diet on health, particularly concerning cancer risk. Scientific studies reveal that our diets are abundant in natural mutagens and carcinogens, with many of us ingesting these substances in larger quantities than ever suspected. This realization shifts our focus to these natural chemical compounds rather than just industrial chemicals, food additives, and environmental pollutants.
Take, for instance, the 1989 Alar scare in the United States. Alar, a plant growth regulator used to prevent apples from falling prematurely, was identified as a carcinogen. However, when compared to certain natural chemicals, its impact appears less significant. Consider that the hydrazines found in mushrooms are 60 times more carcinogenic than the Alar in a glass of apple juice or 20 times more than the aflatoxin B in a peanut butter sandwich. Our diets consist of countless natural chemicals, making it impractical to test each for carcinogenicity.
Tests, including animal studies and the Ames test, have evaluated cooked foods for cancer-inducing potential. Findings suggest that browned sugars or breads contain various mutagens. Additionally, caffeine and theobromine, present in coffee, tea, cocoa, and some soft drinks, may elevate tumor risk by inhibiting DNA repair enzymes. Plants naturally produce carcinogenic or teratogenic substances as defense mechanisms. For example, psoralen in plants, once used as a sunscreen in France; solanine and chaconine, teratogens in green potatoes. Other foods with natural carcinogens include bananas, basil, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, horseradish, mustard turnips, and black pepper. Even red wine has been linked to higher rates of stomach cancer in France but also has benefits, like reducing coronary heart disease risk. It seems almost everything we consume contains some degree of mutagenicity.
Another significant concern in the American diet is excessive fat consumption. On average, Americans derive 40% of their calories from fat. Comparing cancer death rates across populations provides insights into the dietary causes of cancer. The types of cancers prevalent in the United States differ markedly from those in Japan. In the U.S., colon, breast, and prostate cancers are more common, while Japan sees more stomach cancers. Data show a clear link between high dietary fat intake and increased breast cancer rates. Rancid fats, prone to oxidation, produce carcinogenic compounds, and many carcinogens dissolve in fats, accumulating in the animals we consume.
Enhancing our understanding of these dietary impacts can guide healthier lifestyle choices.
Source: [W.G.P. Kanchana](http://www.pulasthi.info) (All rights reserved)
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