Chronic inflammation has a certain promoting effect in the development of cancer.
Our usual daily diet can be divided into "pro-inflammatory foods" and "anti-inflammatory foods" according to certain standards, which affect the occurrence and development of certain cancers by promoting or inhibiting the inflammatory microenvironment in the body.
From inflammation to cancer
Probably only two or three steps!
In an article in the Journal of the Second Military Medical University, "The Relationship between Dietary Nutrition and Inflammation-Cancer Risk", it is said that the inflammatory environment in the body is an important risk factor for various cancers, and many cancers occur on the basis of chronic inflammation, such as:
Smoking tracheitis silicosis lung and lung cancer
Helicobacter pylori gastric inflammation stomach cancer
Chronic ulcerative colitis colon cancer
Chronic hepatitis - liver cancer
In addition, the continuous inflammatory response can lead to necrosis and proliferation of somatic cells, giving cancer an opportunity. Some dietary types in daily life may induce persistent inflammation in the body and even accelerate the development of cancer.
▲Image source: Figureworm Creative
Wang Bojun, chief physician of the Department of Gastroenterology at the Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University School of Medicine, pointed out that chronic inflammation is a long-term disease that can gradually develop over a few months or years. Some diseases can adversely affect the immune system, leading to repeated or persistent low levels of inflammation in the body, and this "chronic low-grade inflammation" is closely related to your health. According to research, chronic low-grade inflammation can cause DNA damage, which can lead to cancer, such as colon cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer, esophageal cancer, breast cancer, etc.
Not only is the occurrence of cancer related to diet, a retrospective of 15 meta-analyses of 4 million people in April 2021 found that pro-inflammatory diets increased the risk of 27 chronic diseases and early death. The researchers found strong evidence that pro-inflammatory diets are associated with cancers such as heart attacks, premature death, bowel, pancreatic, respiratory and oral cancers, and depression.
So, what is a "pro-inflammatory diet"?
"Pro-inflammatory diet": that is, long-term eating of foods that may increase the level of inflammation in the human body;
"Anti-inflammatory diet": It is the food that helps reduce the level of inflammation.
Researchers at the University of South Carolina investigated a similar study in 1943 and published a Dietary Inflammation Index (DII) in 2014 that quantitatively scored the anti-inflammatory effects versus pro-inflammatory effects of diet.
▲Picture from Langsheng Care Club. Content source "Research Progress and Application of Dietary Inflammation Index"
In general, the general "pro-inflammatory diet" is mostly sweets, high-fat foods, delicate carb foods, processed meats, etc., while the "anti-inflammatory diet" is mostly vegetables and fruits, coarse grains, deep-sea fish, olive oil and the like.
Avoid these "pro-inflammatory" diets!
1. High sugar food, delicate carb food
This is not only limited to sugar, but also includes white rice, steamed buns, white bread, cakes, biscuits and other refined carb foods containing a large amount of starch, blood sugar rises quickly after eating, high blood sugar levels are easy to promote the growth of bacterial viruses, while promoting the release of insulin and adrenaline, resulting in an increase in inflammatory factors in the body and aggravating the inflammatory response.
2. High-fat foods, fried foods
A june 2017 study published in the Journal of Lipid Research found that when mice ate a high-fat diet, the stress response of cells in the small intestine was the same as that of viral infections, causing the production of certain immune molecules and leading to systemic inflammation.
According to the "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2016)", we consume 25-30g of cooking oil per person per day. However, in fact, the 2012 "Chinese Residents Nutrition and Health Status Survey Results" shows that the average daily fat intake of Chinese residents is 80 grams (accounting for 33.1% of the total energy intake), and the per capita edible oil intake of urban and rural residents is 43 grams, far exceeding the recommended amount.
3. Red meat, processed meat
In the study "The Relationship between Dietary Nutrition and Inflammation-Cancer Risk", it is mentioned that in the process of digesting red meat, a large number of ferrous ions and N-nitroso compounds are produced, and N-nitroso compounds initiate cell carcinogenesis process in the case of repeated inflammation by inducing crosslinking between DNA complementary base pairs.
Therefore, it is recommended to eat more white meat and eat less red meat and processed meat. Shi Hanping, director of the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery at Beijing Shijitan Hospital, said that the intake of red meat and processed meat can be reduced within 5 times a week; the proportion of non-processed meat such as fresh meat and white meat such as chicken, duck, goose, fish, etc. can be increased in the total meat intake.
Eat as many "anti-inflammatory" foods as possible!
1. Fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are rich in dietary fiber and vitamin C, β carotene, polyphenols, etc., most of which are good helpers for antioxidants and also help reduce the body's inflammatory response.
A 2021 article published in Chongqing Medicine entitled "Research Progress on the Relationship between Dietary Inflammation Index and Cancer" mentioned that a case-control study involving 460 patients with laryngeal cancer showed that increasing the intake of anti-inflammatory diets, such as vegetables and fruits rich in dietary fiber and bioactive substances, and reducing the intake of pro-inflammatory diets such as fried foods or processed foods rich in saturated fats, could reduce the risk of laryngeal cancer.
Eat more fruits and vegetables in autumn and winter. Wang Kai, chief physician of the Nutrition Department of Hebei Provincial People's Hospital, said that vegetables are best based on dark vegetables and leafy vegetables, and fruits can choose seasonal apples, oranges, bananas, pears and so on.
2. Whole grains
Whole grains are a good source of dietary fiber. The article "The Relationship between Dietary Nutrition and Inflammation-Cancer Risk" points out that dietary fiber can bind to carcinogens, absorb heterocyclic amines, improve intestinal epithelial tissue proliferation, and maintain the integrity of intestinal epithelial cells. Helps lower levels of certain inflammatory cytokines.
At present, the more recognized whole grains are wheat, barley, rice, oats, rye, corn, and millet.
3. Fish
You can often eat some fish, such as salmon, sardines and mackerel, which are rich in anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids.
4. Tea
Tea is rich in polyphenols and is also a class of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory substances.
5. Some condiments
Curry, ginger, garlic, cinnamon, rosemary and thyme, among others. These foods contain a large number of natural anti-inflammatory substances, such as curcumin, among which curry and ginger have a good anti-inflammatory effect.
This article is reproduced from the WeChat public account "Science China", source: Health Times
This article was reviewed by Ning Tao, Ph.D., associate professor of the National Research Institute