Cervical
Cancer Research
Diet & Lifestyle
Vitamin E
& Cervical Cancer
A further study reported in in The British Journal of Cancer
in 1987 suggested that vitamin E may play a role in reducing the incidents of cancer. This
was later confirmed by a 10 year study involving 20,000 men in Finland published in the
American Journal of Epidemiology in 1988 which concluded that "men with higher serum
alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) levels had a lower risk of cancer". The richest sources
of Vitamin E are extra virgin olive oil, coldpress sunflower and saflower oils, nuts
(especially almonds), whole grain cereals, wholemeal bread, wheatgerm and dark green
vegetables.
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Raw Foods
& Cervical Cancer
Raw food - uncooked fruits, vegetables, seeds, etc. - are
superior to cooked foods in nutritional value. All forms of cooking reduce some of the
nutritional qualities of any food. Many vitamins such as vitamin C, vitamin B, vitamin E
are destroyed when food is cooked, vital enzymes are destroyed and essential fatty acids
become unstable in high temperatures. A report by the United States Academy of Sciences on
the relationship between diet and cancer which was based upon the survey of over 10,000
research papers recommended greater emphasis on fresh fruit and vegetables in the diet.
Vitamins A, C and E, which are found in all fresh green leafy vegetables and fruit have
been shown to prevent cancer.
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Fruit &
Vitamin C
& Cervical Cancer
Professor Gladys Block at the National Cancer Institute (USA)
in a paper entitled "Vitamin C and Cancer Prevention: The Epidemiologic
Evidence" sited 46 different studies looking at the role of vitamin C in preventing
cancer. 33 of these researches found a link between high levels of vitamin C and low
levels of cancer. She also sited 21 studies on the amount of fruit eaten in the diet, all
showed a positive effect of fruit against the cancer. Fruit, of course, is our richest
source of vitamin C and other vitamins.
Vitamin C has been shown by Dr. Helmut Bartsch at the
International Agency for Research of Cancer in Lyon, France, to dramatically reduce
nitrosamine production. Nitrosamines are known to be powerful cancer causing chemicals (
particularly related to cancers of the stomach and isophagus). They are formed in the body
during digestion of nitrates and nitrites - food colourings and preservatives (E249-E252).
Foods which are high in nitrates and nitrites include tinned, smoked and cured meats and
fish, sausages, luncheon meats, bacon, pickled foods and smoked cheeses. Tap water
sometimes contains nitrates and nitrites, especially in areas where fertilisers containing
nitrates are used on the land. A further study found that women with abnormal
cervical smear results often have low amounts of vitamin C in their body. (1)
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Folic Acid
& Cervical Cancer
Women with cervical dysplasia (especially those who have been
on the pill) have lower levels of folic acid than those who do not. In a clinical trial
(2) involving oral contraceptive users, cervical dysplasia gradually decreased in the
group supplemented with folic acid (taken orally) but remained unchanged in the group
given the placebo. Folic acid is known to be essential for the division of body cells,
growth, the working of the nervous system and the production of substances carrying
hereditary patterns. It may therefore be advisable to ensure that the diet is rich in
folic acid. Foods high in folic acid include dark green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits,
nuts, wholegrains, bran, turnips, potatoes and fresh orange juice.
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Vegetables & Cervical Cancer
A case-control study of women with cervical dysplasia and
invasive cervical cancer was conducted during 1982-83 in five US states reporting to the
Comprehensive Cancer Patient Data System: Birmingham, AL; Chicago, IL;
Denver,CO; Miami,
FL; and Philadelphia, PA. (3) Diet was assessed by asking about the usual adult frequency
of consumption of 75 food items and the use of vitamin supplements. Included were the
major sources of the four micronutrients postulated to reduce the risk of cervical cancer:
carotenoids, vitamin A, vitamin C, and folic acid.
The study concluded that dark green and yellow-orange
vegetable consumption and consumption of multivitamin supplements were each strongly
related to reduced risk. In another study,(4) nutritional parameters of patients with
cervical cancer and endometrial cancer were prospectively evaluated. The study revealed
that abnormal vitamin levels were more commonly present in patients with cervical cancer.
When compared to control values, levels of folic acid, beta carotene, and vitamin C were
significantly lower in patients with cervical cancer. Patients with endometrial cancer had
significantly lower levels of beta carotene and vitamin C. Furthermore analysis of
surgical complications suggested a correlation with specific nutritional deficits as well.
Researchers conducted a five year study involving 30,000
people in Linxian County, North Central China, on the effects of dietary supplements
relating to stomach and throat cancer. People in Linxian County were chosen because they
had one of the highest rates of cancers in the world together with a low intake of several
important nutrients including vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and the trace element
selenium.
The study found that people taking selenium, beta carotene
(vitamin A), and vitamin E, had improved health with 13% fewer cancers.(5) Vitamin A and
beta carotene are found in carrots, broccolli, spinach and eggs. Vitamin B2
(roboflavin)
is found in cereals, green leafy vegetables and milk; and vitamin B3 (Miocin) is found in
wholegrains and milk, vitamin C is found in citrus fruits, apples and green leafy
vegetables; vitamin E is found in nutseeds, cold pressed vegetable oils, soya and lettuce;
and the mineral selenium is found in grains and seaweed.
Dr. Allan H Conney, director of the Laboratory for Cancer
Research has found that rosemary, green tea and curcumin (the spice which is used to turn
a curry yellow) all suppress cancer growth. (6)
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Selenium
& Cervical Cancer
A research at the University of California has stated that
250-300 microgrammes of selenium can protect against most cancers and that most people
consume only about 100 microgrammes a day. Higher doses of selenium can be toxic and it
has been found that doses of 900 microgrammes per day can make your hair fall out and
affect males as well as adversely affect the nervous system (Red Book 1989). Selenium
works best in conjunction with vitamin E, since both are anit-oxidants and can increase
the production of anti-bodies in your body by up to 30 times, thereby greatly enhancing
your immune system. An interesting study done across the United States found that those
States with low levels of selenium in the soil had the highest incidents of cancer,
whereas those States with high levels of selenium in the soil had the lowest rates of
cancer.
A further report in the British Medical Journal 1985
suggested that "dietary selenium deficiency is assocated with an increased risk of
fatal cancer and that low vitamin E intake may enhance this risk". Selenium is found
in garlic, brewers yeast, mushrooms, sesame seeds, brazil and cashew nuts and asparagus.
In West Germany a study of 101 patients with skin cancer
was conducted at the University of Bonn. Blood selenium levels were compared with a
control group of healthy people and the skin cancer patients had significantly lower
levels of selenium. The researchers concluded that low levels of selenium preceded the
onset of skin cancer and may even have contributed to its cause. This may be relevant to
cancer of the cervix as the cervix is made of membraneous tissue as well.
Seaweed: - Breast cancer is much lower in Japan than in the
US or in the UK. Researchers believe that one major factor is that the Japanese regularly
consume seaweed in their diet. Seaweed is thought to bind pollutants, inhibit the
formation of carcinogens, reduce cholesterol and perform as an anti-oxidant.
Cabbage and cruciferous vegetables: - Cabbage,
broccolli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and kale all contain "secondary plant
constituents", which are compounds which seem to inhibit the onset and growth of
cancers (7)
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Macrobiotic Diet & Cervical Cancer
Macrobiotic diet is part of the Oriental philosophy of
balancing foods. It is essentially low in fat and high in complex carbohydrates and fibre.
Foods are carefully balanced and the US House of Representatives Sub-Committee on Health
and Long Term Care, has stated that "the current macrobiotic diet ... appears to be
nutritionally adequate if the mix of foods proposed in the dietary recommendations is
carefully followed". (8) Furthermore the Director of Clinical Nutrition at The
University Hospital Boston, stated that: "There is no denying that some people have
experienced a positive change in lifestyle due to macrobiotics and some even report
remission of a disease such as cancer. Until more research is completed, macrobiotics
cannot simply be ignored".
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Meat
& Cervical Cancer
There are countless studies revealing that meat
(ie. red meats
and poultry) are related to all forms of cancers. (9) For instance a 25 year study
conducted in Israel found that as the consumption of animal fat increased, so too did the
rate of cancer deaths(10). Another study in Hawaii specifically mentions cancer of the
uterus and found that there was a positive correlation with consumption of animal fat and
animal protein (11).Interestingly, many studies are indicating that a vegetarian diet
helps protect against all forms of cancer beause vegetarian populations have lower rates
of common cancer and meat consumption is positively linked to the incidence and mortality
of cancer (see also protective value of vegetables above). Some of the explanations being
offered include the conditions the animals are reared in intensive farms and the
proliferate use of hormones and antibiotics used in the meat industry. However, many
physiologists agree that humans are not, by nature omnivores but rather herbivores like
other primates and the levels of fat and protein in meat is not conducive to good health.
The World Cancer Research Fund recommends the following
dietary guidelines to lower cancer risks:-
1. Cut down on the amount of fat in your diet, both
saturated and unsaturated from the current average of approximately 42% to a level of 30%
of total calories.
2. Eat more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
3. Cosume salt cured, salt pickled, and smoked foods only in moderation.
4. Drink alcohol only in moderation, if at all.
Footnotes
(1) The Independent 3rd October 1989 "Good Diet Curbs Cancer Risk"
(2) Epidemiologic studies of vitamins and cancer of the lung, esophagus, and cervix.
Ziegler RG Adv Exp Med Biol 1986, 206 p11-26, ISSN 0065-2598 Journal Code: 2LU
(3) Diet and the risk of in situ cervical cancer among white women in the
UnitedStates.
Ziegler RG; Jones CJ; Brinton LA; Norman SA; Mallin K; Levine RS; Lehman HF; Hamman
RF;
Trumble AC; Rosenthal JF; et al Environmental Epidemiology Branch, National Cancer
Institute, Bethesda, MD. Cancer Causes Control Jan 1991, 2 (1) p17-29, ISSN 0957-5243
(4) Corpus and cervix cancer: a nutritional comparison. Orr JW Jr; Wilson K; Bodiford C;
Cornwell A; Soong SJ; Honea KL; Hatch KD; Shingleton HM Am J Obstet Gynecol Dec 1 1985,
153 (7) p775-9,
(5) Nutritional Intervention Trials in Linxian, China : Supplementation with specific
vitamin/mineral combinations, Cancer incidence, and disease specific mortality in the
general population William J Blot, Jun-Yao Li, Philip R Taylor et al MJZ 16/8/93 p.16
(6) The New York Times 4/13/93)
(7) Consumer Reports May 1983 "Can Vitamins Help Cancer?"
(8) Total Health October 1989
(9) The New Why You Don't Need Meat (Bloomsbury 1993 ) Peter Cox
(10) Association between dietary changes and mortality rates: Israel 1949 -1977; a trend
free regression model. A Palgi Am J Clinical Nutrition, 34, August 1981 pp1569-1583
(11) Nutrient intakes in relation to cancer incidence in hawaii. L.N.Kolonel,
J.H. Hankin
et al Br J Cancer 1981 , 44, 332
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