Diet, nutrition, and avoidable cancer.
Publication: Environmental Health Perspectives
Volume 103, Issue suppl 8
Pages 165 - 170
Abstract
In a 1981 review, Doll and Peto estimated that approximately 35% of cancer deaths in the United States were potentially avoidable by the modification of diet but that this percentage might be as low as 10% or as high as 70%. Since that time, the epidemiologic literature on diet and cancer has grown greatly, as has understanding of the mechanisms of carcinogenesis. In general, this expanded literature has not provided reason to alter the Doll and Peto estimate substantially. For colon cancer, evidence has accumulated that some of the international differences that were attributed to diet are probably due to physical activity. For breast cancer, the concept that fat intake per se is the primary reason for differences in rates among countries has not been supported by prospective studies. Although several lines of evidence suggest that caloric restriction and slow growth rates may contribute importantly to the low rates of breast cancer found outside Western countries, this may not translate directly to practical means of prevention. In contrast to breast cancer, more recent data have supported a causative role for red meat in the development of colon and prostate cancers, although perhaps not entirely due to its fat content. Whereas earlier thinking about nutrition and cancer emphasized the adverse effects of fat and other components in the diet, the most compelling evidence of the last decade has indicated the importance of protective factors, largely unidentified, in fruits and vegetables. Considering the more recent evidence, it is roughly estimated that about 32% of cancer may be avoidable by changes in diet; however, it now seems unlikely that less than 20% or more than 42% of cancer deaths would be avoidable by dietary change.
Formats available
You can view the full content in the following formats:
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Environmental Health Perspectives
Volume 103 • Issue suppl 8 • November 1995
Pages: 165 - 170
PubMed: 8741778
License Information
EHP is an open-access journal published with support from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health. All content is public domain unless otherwise noted.
History
Published online: 1 November 1995
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click DOWNLOAD.
Cited by
- Beton-Mysur K, Surmacki J, Brożek-Płuska B, Raman-AFM-fluorescence-guided impact of linoleic and eicosapentaenoic acids on subcellular structure and chemical composition of normal and cancer human colon cells, Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, 10.1016/j.saa.2024.124242, 315, (124242), (2024).
- Yadav R, Swetanshu undefined, Singh P, The molecular mechanism of obesity: The science behind natural exercise yoga and healthy diets in the treatment of obesity, Current Problems in Cardiology, 10.1016/j.cpcardiol.2023.102345, 49, 2, (102345), (2024).
- Tsuji A, Yoshikawa S, Morikawa S, Ikeda Y, Taniguchi K, Sawamura H, Asai T, Matsuda S, Potential tactics with vitamin D and certain phytochemicals for enhancing the effectiveness of immune-checkpoint blockade therapies, Exploration of Targeted Anti-tumor Therapy, 10.37349/etat.2023.00145, (460-473), (2023).
- Wódkowska A, Gruszecka-Kosowska A, Dietary exposure to potentially harmful elements in edible plants in Poland and the health risk dynamics related to their geochemical differentiation, Scientific Reports, 10.1038/s41598-023-35647-x, 13, 1, (2023).
- Referenzen und Literatur, Ernährung zur Tumorprophylaxe und Therapiebegleitung, 10.1016/B978-3-437-55097-3.09999-3, (199-221), (2023).
- Schramm H, Ernährung als natürlicher Schutz vor einer Krebserkrankung, Ernährung zur Tumorprophylaxe und Therapiebegleitung, 10.1016/B978-3-437-55097-3.00001-6, (1-21), (2023).
- Tulchinsky T, Varavikova E, Cohen M, Nutrition and food safety, The New Public Health, 10.1016/B978-0-12-822957-6.00012-0, (603-679), (2023).
- Augustyniak M, Galas A, Calcium intake may explain the reduction of colorectal cancer odds by dietary selenium - a case-control study in Poland, BMC Nutrition, 10.1186/s40795-022-00515-w, 8, 1, (2022).
- Chen M, Zhou Y, Lang J, Li L, Zhang Y, Triboelectric nanogenerator and artificial intelligence to promote precision medicine for cancer, Nano Energy, 10.1016/j.nanoen.2021.106783, 92, (106783), (2022).
- Raina R, Pramodh S, Rais N, Haque S, Shafarin J, Bajbouj K, Hamad M, Hussain A, Luteolin inhibits proliferation, triggers apoptosis and modulates Akt/mTOR and MAP kinase pathways in HeLa cells, Oncology Letters, 10.3892/ol.2021.12452, 21, 3, (2021).