Behavioral causes
- Nutrition
- High total fat intake is associated with increased incidence of breast, colon, rectal, prostate, and uterine cancers.
- Numerous studies show that people who eat a diet low in meat and sausage are less likely to develop malignant tumors. This is mainly attributed to the fact that a predominantly ovo-lacto-vegetarian diet provides more micronutrients and bioactive substances that have an anticarcinogenic (cancer-inhibiting) effect, as well as a lot of fiber.Red meat, ie. Muscle meat from pork, beef, lamb, veal, mutton, horse, sheep, goat, is classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “probably carcinogenic to humans”, i.e. carcinogenic.Meat and sausage products are classified as so-called “definite group 1 carcinogen” and are thus comparable (qualitatively, but not quantitatively) to the carcinogenic (cancer-causing) effect of tobacco smoking. Meat products include products whose meat component has been preserved or improved in flavor by processing methods such as salting, curing, smoking, or fermenting: Sausages, cold cuts, hams, corned beef, jerky, air-dried beef, canned meats.
- Meat and meat products consumption especially promote the development of colon cancer (colon cancer). Daily consumption of 50 g of processed meat (equivalent to two slices of sausage) increases the risk of colon cancer by 18%, and daily consumption of 100 g of red meat by 17%.
- Other studies suggest that iron ingested with meat may contribute to the increase in risk, as iron can promote the formation of harmful nitroso compounds in the body. “Red” meat or processed meats (pork, beef, veal, lamb) have a higher average iron content than poultry, so its consumption may not have affected colorectal cancer risk in this study.
- Studies in rats with chemically-induced colon carcinoma (chemically-induced colon cancer) uniformly showed that dietary hemoglobin (red blood pigment) and red meat promote lesions (tissue damage) in the intestine as a precursor to carcinoma (tumor). The mechanism is still unknown, but heme iron has a catalytic (accelerating) effect on the endogenous (endogenous) formation of carcinogenic (cancer-promoting) nitroso compounds and on the formation of cytotoxic (cell-damaging) and genotoxic (genetic-damaging) aldehydes by means of lipid peroxidation (conversion of fatty acids, producing free radicals).
- Other studies describe animal protein as an independent risk factor for colon cancer. With high-protein diets, increased proteins, peptides and urea pass into the colon. As an end product of bacterial metabolism, ammonium ions are formed, which have a cytotoxic effect.
- Smoked and cured and nitrate and nitrite-rich foods.
- Benzpyrene is produced during toasting and charcoal grilling. It is considered a risk factor for stomach and pancreatic cancer. It is found in all grilled, smoked, or burned foods. Cigarette smoke also contains benzpyrene, which in turn can lead to lung cancer.
- Nitrate is a potentially toxic compound: Nitrate is reduced to nitrite in the body by bacteria (saliva/stomach). Nitrite is a reactive oxidant that reacts preferentially with the blood pigment hemoglobin, converting it to methemoglobin. Furthermore, nitrites (also contained in cured sausage and meat products and ripened cheese) form nitrosamines with secondary amines (contained in meat and sausage products, cheese and fish), which have genotoxic and mutagenic effects. They promote the development of cancer of the esophagus, stomach, pancreas and liver.
- The daily intake of nitrate is usually about 70% from the consumption of vegetables (lettuce and lettuce, green, white and Chinese cabbage, kohlrabi, spinach, radish, radish, beet), 20% from drinking water (nitrogen fertilizer) and 10% from meat and meat products and fish.
- Avoid foods with:
- Acrylamide – is metabolically activated to glycidamide, a genotoxic metabolite; an association between exposure to acrylamide and risk of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer has been demonstrated. Acrylamide is formed when starch is overheated, i.e., during baking, frying, roasting, grilling, and deep-frying.When foods containing potatoes and cereals are heated dry above 180 °C, a particularly large amount of acrylamide is formed. Crispbread, French fries, potato chips, but also coffee, contain high amounts of acrylamide.
- Aflatoxins are formed by molds and promote the development of liver tumors, esophageal cancer (esophageal carcinoma) and stomach cancer (gastric carcinoma). Aflatoxins are found in all moldy foods, e.g., moldy cereals, bread, and fruit. Corn production in the USA or in tropical countries is particularly affected. The aflatoxin content is often particularly high in peanuts, but also in hazelnuts and Brazil nuts as well as pistachios and almonds. Also repeatedly contaminated with aflatoxins are dried fruits, especially figs and numerous spices such as chili, paprika, bell pepper, nutmeg, ginger or turmeric.
- Consumption of beef or dairy products?/BMMF (Bovine Meat and Milk Factors).
- A negative correlation exists between fruit/vegetable consumption and lung, breast, oral cavity, colon, prostate, cervical, and bladder cancers.
- Low intake of dietary fiber: Dietary fiber protects against colon and rectal cancer.
- High salt consumption
- Consumption of stimulants
- Alcohol (women more than 10 g per day; men more than 20 g per day) – promotes the development of lung, breast, oral cavity, esophageal, stomach and pancreatic cancer (excessive consumption in this case), as well as cancers of the mast and colon.
- Tobacco (smoking including passive smoking) – increases the risk of a lung cancer; tobacco use (excluding passive smoking) – increases the risk of lung, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidney and bladder cancer (due toaromatic amines in tobacco smoke) and colon and rectal cancer.
- Chewing tobacco (eg, Pakistan and Afghanistan “Naswar”) – 20-fold risk of oral cavity carcinoma.
- Physical activity
- Low physical activity
- Prolonged sitting – those who spend most of their time sitting have a 50% increased risk of dying from cancer.
- Psycho-social situation
- High work stress: + 24% bronchial carcinoma (lung cancer), + 36% colorectal carcinoma (carcinomas of the colon (large intestine) and rectum (rectum)), + 112% esophageal carcinoma (cancer of the esophagus).
- Night duty (cancer risk: + 19 percent).
- Weekly working time > 52 hours
- Overweight (BMI ≥ 25; obesity) – increased body weight and energy intake are risk factors for breast, colon, prostate, endometrial, cervical, kidney, and thyroid cancers.
- Android body fat distribution, that is, abdominal/visceral, truncal, central body fat (apple type) – high waist circumference or waist-to-hip ratio (THQ; waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)) is present – tumor-promoting effects include leptin and insulinWhen measuring waist circumference according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF, 2005) guideline, the following standard values apply:
- Men <94 cm
- Women < 80 cm
The German Obesity Society published somewhat more moderate figures for waist circumference in 2006: < 102 cm for men and < 88 cm for women.
