cancer and diet modifications

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The link between poor diet and physical inactivity is one that is closely attributed to many diseases and none more so than cancer. Over the past few decades, cancer has been proven to be the highest killing disease, causing the mortality rate of humans associated with illnesses to rise within the United Kingdom (cancerresearch.org.uk). This essay aims to discuss the relevant physical activity and diet modifications which can be undertaken in an attempt to prevent cancer.

Stuart Galloway (2008) defines cancer as an uncontrollable growth of abnormal cells which are not destroyed by the bodies defence mechanism. There are various types, originating in many ways, affecting different parts of the body, containing different development courses and requiring a range of treatments. Cancer accounted for 154,162 deaths in the UK in the year 2006. Deaths from cancer of the lung, bowel, breast and prostate together accounted for 47% of all cancer deaths in the UK (cancerresearch.org.uk). The current leading type of cancer is of the lung for both males and females. The leading type in men is prostate cancer; in women is breast cancer, followed by colorectal cancer in both sexes.

Scientific research and development into cancer has allowed for trends to be distinguished. There is a strong link with cancer and the ageing population as Ames (1994) establishes that a major risk is endogenous damage, as cancer will appear at a later age, and the proportion of cancer that is caused by endogenous damage will increase. Furthermore, lung cancer can be tracked to smoking, which causes 90% of lung cancer and also contributes to other cancers such as mouth, larynx, oesophagus, stomach, kidney, pancreas, bladder, leukaemia and possibly colon. Cancerresearchuk also determines that stomach cancer has also been tracked to improved housing conditions along with skin cancer tracks to sun exposure or sunburn as notable in Australia.

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There are various studies examining cancers effects and preventions through diet and nutrition consisting of correlation studies, case-control studies, prospective cohort studies and meta-analysis studies. However, these various studies provide varied conclusions.

Albeit, the causing factors of cancer are surrounded by bad diet and malnutrition which cause over one third of U.S. cancer deaths. There is a strong link between cancer and to a high BMI due to a high level of energy intake. Mcardle et al (2006) associate a healthy balanced diet with reduced risk of cancer, one which consists of high in fibre, fruit and vegetable intake, ...

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