CANCER is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly ten million each year. The most common causes are lung, breast, colon, rectum and prostate cancers.
Nearly a quarter of deaths from cancer are due to tobacco use, alcohol consumption, high body mass index (BMI), low fruit and veg intake, lack of physical activity and air pollution. Many cancers can be cured if detected early and treated effectively.
Anyone can get cancer and it’s not always clear what causes it. In this article I will delve into the nutrition side of things and the habits that could potentially provide a cancer-causing environment in our bodies. Too much red meat can increase the risk of bowel cancer with guides being no more than 70g per day. This is to do with the iron and sodium nitrite within red meat products. The browning of foods in cooking can produce a chemical called acrymalide which is capable of causing cancer. Try and reduce the amount of browned French fries, chips, potatoes, crisps, bread, dark roast coffees and biscuits. The barbecuing of foods, particularly meat (beef, pork, lamb, chicken, fish) being cooked on an open flame can increase the amount of a chemical called benzopyrene’ which is a well-known carcinogen. Avoid charred food altogether and keep barbecued food to a minimum.
The heating of some cooking oils that are high in Omega 3, like flaxseed and walnut, can produce chemicals called aldehydes which can contribute to cancer. These oils are probably better used in cold dishes. And finally, too much alcohol can increase the risk of cancer as when the liver breaks it down a chemical called acetaldehyde is produced which is capable of causing cancer. The guidelines for alcohol are no more than 14 units per week.
• Lee McCusker (BA; MSc; MSc; MSc; ANutr; SENr) is a registered nutritionist from Belfast and can be found on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Email: attentivenutrition@
gmail.com
