DIET AND CARCINOGENESIS

Authors: Davis, Cindy

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2000
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: It has been estimated that up to 70% of all cancer is attributed to diet. It is often believed that food and nutrition affect cancer risk only because diets may contain specific carcinogenic substances. Although various carcinogens have been identified in foods and beverages, these appear to contribute only slightly to the overall impact of diet on cancer risk. The most important effect of diet may be mediated by substances present in food that inhibit the cancer process. Nearly 200 studies in the epidemiologic literature have been reviewed and relate, with great consistency, the lack of adequate consumption of fruits and vegetables to the incidence of cancer. The quarter of the population with the lowest dietary intake of fruits and vegetables compared to the quarter with the highest intake has roughly twice the cancer rate for most types of cancer (lung, larynx, oral cavity, esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum, bladder, pancreas, cervix and ovary). Many components of fruits and vegetables may be responsible for their protective effect: bioactive compounds, micronutrients, fiber and low caloric intake.

Technical Abstract: It has been estimated that up to 70% of all cancer is attributed to diet. It is often believed that food and nutrition affect cancer risk only because diets may contain specific carcinogenic substances. Although various carcinogens have been identified in foods and beverages, these appear to contribute only slightly to the overall impact of diet on cancer risk. The most important effect of diet may be mediated by substances present in food that inhibit the cancer process. Nearly 200 studies in the epidemiologic literature have been reviewed and relate, with great consistency, the lack of adequate consumption of fruits and vegetables to the incidence of cancer. The quarter of the population with the lowest dietary intake of fruits and vegetables compared to the quarter with the highest intake has roughly twice the cancer rate for most types of cancer (lung, larynx, oral cavity, esophagus, stomach, colon and rectum, bladder, pancreas, cervix and ovary). Many components of fruits and vegetables may be responsible for their protective effect: bioactive compounds, micronutrients, fiber and low caloric intake.