Ask A Scientist

                                                             

  Can Diet Prevent Cancer?

I asked a scientist on the website, Ask A Scientist, if diet can prevent cancer.  Unfortunately, I have not heard from my scientist at this time.  However, there was information on the site that I found helpful in answering my question.  The article I read was, Vitamin D May be Crucial in Preventing Colon Cancer (Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 2012).  The article states that vitamin D helps to detoxify cancer causing chemicals that are released while eating high fat foods.  Vitamin D attacks the carcinogen and thus prevents colon cancer.  However, high amounts of vitamin D can cause and overload of calcium in the body.  therefore, scientist are trying to create a drug that activates this detoxification process, without causing calcemia.  

 I also searched on the Internet the answer to my question.  Researchers at the University of Iowa state that 1/3 of cancer deaths are related to diet and obesity(University of Iowa, 2012).  Researchers at the University of Iowa also state that high fiber has been found to reduce the risk of colon cancer.  Li(2012)  states that it is still not proven that a nutritious diet can prevent cancer.  However, Li(2012) reminds us that antioxidants shield cells from free radicals that damage the cell.  Therefore, eating foods that are high in antioxidants seem the best preventative measure to prevent cancer.  However, scientists and nutritionist will not say definitively that diet will prevent cancer.  They will say diet can lower the chances of  getting cancer, but never admit that diet will prevent cancer.  The reason for this is the number of people who follow a nutritious diet plan and who still contract cancer.  Maybe, the environmental factors are to blame.  My father-in-law is a prefect example.  This man ate more fruits and vegetables than anyone I know.  He also stayed aware from processed foods and preservatives.  However, he was a chemist.  He has been exposed to many toxic chemicals in his life.  In his sixties he devolved skin cancer, colon cancer and mesothelioma.  Mesothelioma is a cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. The mesothelioma eventually took his life.  He was a man that ate healthy every day of his life.  He exercised and did everything he was supposed to do.  However, cancer still took his life.  Will I continue to eat healthy? Yes    However, I will also be aware of the environmental factors that can cause cancer.  The chemicals we spray in our house each day.  The pesticides we spray on our crops.  The materials we choose to build with and decorate our homes.

References
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (2012). Ask a scientist.  Retrieved fromhttp://www.askascientist.org

Li, R. (2012). Can a nutrtious diet help prevent cancer?  Retrieved from http://www.fitday.com

University of Iowa Health Care(2012). Can your diet prevent cancer?  Retrieved from    http://www.unihealthcare.com