Some foods actually contribute to the development of cancer; other foods lessen the risk. Follow these dietary changes to lower cancer risk. More specifically, these dietary guidelines target lowering the risk of colorectal cancer as well as preventing cardiovascular disease. For people with a genetic tendency toward colorectal cancer, it is not just an option, it’s a lifesaving necessity. There are at least two ways in which dietary fat contributes to cancer risk. First, tumor cells need low density lipoproteins (LDL’s) to grow. Therefore, a diet that helps to lower LDL levels could keep potentially cancerous cells from growing. Eating fat also stimulates the production of bile, which is needed to digest fat. If a lot of bile is allowed to stagnate in the large intestine for a long period of time, it’s converted into apcholic acid, a proven carcinogen. Here are tips for eating not only less fat, but eating the right fats:
Eat less total fat
Limit your daily fat intake to no more than 20 percent of your total food calories. This means that if you average 2,500 calories a day, fat should provide no more than 500 of these calories. This means you should eat around 55 grams of fat per day, maximum. (On a 2,000 calories per day diet, you would eat about 45 grams of fat.)
Eat the right fat
Eating the wrong kinds of fat may be even more cancer-causing than eating too much fat. Cancer researchers became aware of this fat fact when they noticed that the incidence of most cancers is less in some cultures who actually have a high-fat diet, such as Eskimos (who eat a lot of seafood rich in omega 3 fatty acids) and the Mediterranean diet (which is plant-based, but high in monounsaturated oils). Some fats don’t contribute to cancer and may in fact have some anticancer properties:
Unsaturated fats, found in plant foods, such as legumes
Vegetable oils that are high in monounsaturated fats, such as olive (Greek women who tend to eat a diet rich in olive oil have a very low incidence of breast cancer) and canola oil. A 1998 study showed that men who eat less animal fat and more vegetable fat in their diets had less prostate cancer.
Seafood, such as salmon and tuna, that is high in omega 3 fatty acids
Oils that contain more omega 3 than omega 6 fatty acids, such as flaxseed, pumpkin seed, canola, soybean (not hydrogenated), walnut, safflower, sunflower, sesame, and virgin olive oils. (Heating vegetable oils at high temperatures can change fatty acids and make them carcinogenic. Peanut oil and extra virgin olive oil stand up best to cooking, but try not to boil them. It helps to keep stirring stirfrys so the oil doesn’t get burnt.) Studies in experimental animals have shown that fish-oil-supplemented (high in omega 3 fatty acids) animals had significantly fewer colorectal tumors. Omega 3 fatty acids (such as those found in fish oils and flax seed oil) are not only the heart-healthiest fats, but they may have anticancer properties. Eskimo women who have a high concentration of omega 3 fatty acids in their diet have a lower incidence of breast cancer. (It is thought that omega 3 fatty acids may block the effect of estrogen on breast cells, thus lowering the risk of them becoming cancerous.) Omega-3 dha supplements from Dr. Sears can be added to the morning oatmeal for added health benefits.
