Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Physiology & Medicine => Topic started by: harryneild on 20/04/2006 13:58:20
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Recently i have been hearing from various sources that certain foods increase the chance of getting cancer. I am mainly interested in the effect salmon has on the body and the chances of cancer. Is it true that foods can substantially increase the chance so that we should avoid eating them? Or does it only really apply if you eat unnatural amounts of the foods?
Is a cancer always where the cells grow out of control, into tumors, or does it come in various forms? How can the food we eat affect the DNA inside our cells?
I would appreciate any information on this topic
"Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes." Peter F. Drucker
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Cannot comment about the particular risks associated with particular foods, but I can assure you that if you stop eating food then you will not die of cancer.
The fact is that we are all mortal beings, and thus we can reasonably assume that we will all die of something. It therefore follows that the only way of being certain that you will not die of cancer is to be certain that you will die of something other than cancer.
The issue about whether something increases death by cancer is, of itself, to me an irrelevance. The issue that matters is how the food effects overall life expectancy. If the food increases the likelihood that you will die of cancer by the age of 120, but reduces (by the same degree) the likelihood that you will die of some other disease by the age of 40, then it seems to be a good bet, even taking into account the increased risk of cancer.
George
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Hi Harry,
you may be referring to carcinogenic pollutants which accumulate in fish:-
" Fish contain toxins including mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and organochlorine pesticides. These toxins may pose a safety risk because their generally long half-lives allow them to accumulate, particularly in those individuals who frequently consume contaminated fish. The amount of toxins varies by fish source (ie, farm-raised, wild) and species, but no fish is toxin-free. The use of supplements may be a viable alternative to the frequent consumption of fish when toxins in fish are a safety concern. Fish-oil supplements appear to have much lower levels of toxins than fish."
http://qualitycounts.com/fptoxins_in_fish_oil.htm
" a WWF-UK study of human contamination found evidence of DDT and PCBs, two dangerous chemicals banned decades ago, in 99% of the 155 people they tested. Women who had breast-fed their babies had lower levels of certain pcbs han men, indicating that they had 'off-loaded' these chemicals on to their babies. (Note: experts agree that breast milk is still best for young babies). Find out more on the UK study.
Human Health effects that have been associated with exposure to man-made chemicals include;
Man
testicular cancer
undescended testicles
low sperm counts
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
multiple myeloma
work related asthma
workplace cancers
Woman
breast cancer increased 50% since 1971
non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
birth defects, spontaneous abortion
work related asthma
workplace cancers
Child dramatic rise in childhood cancers
learning disabilities (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)
weakening the immune system so more susceptible to common diseases
premature puberty
While some of these effects are caused by DDT and PCBs that are now banned, many new chemicals with similar properties are on the market whose long-term effects are not yet known."
http://detox.panda.org/the_problem/chemicals_affect_you.cfm