¶ … diet and cancer. The Works Cited five sources in MLA format. Food, Diet and Cancer

Diet is fuel for our body. On the same account a balanced nutritious intake is what a human body needs more than anything. Hence food is one of the most cardinal factors that determine the quality of our healthy as well as the longevity of our lives. Knowing which food to eat in what quantity and how food helps us in building our defence mechanisms is essential.

This argumentative essay based on thorough analysis as well as extensive research revolves around and proves the following thesis statement:

There is a correlation between diet and cancer

Correlation between milk as well as other dairy products and Cancer

There are several forms of cancer killing thousands of people worldwide. One of the most common types of cancer is breast cancer affecting women under the age of 50 in most of the western parts of the world. It attacks approximately 182,000 women in the United States every year and has managed to kill a total of 46000 women in the U.S. One of the major reasons for the large number of casualties of women suffering from cancer is due to the usage of dairy products. Dairy products such as milk are one of the many causes of cancer because they are rich in fat, animal nutrient as well as hormones which themselves heighten the risk of developing cancer. Several studies since the years 1980 have proved a correlation between dairy products and cancer (Got breast cancer). For instance, the American Cancer Society states that "about one-third of the 500,000 cancer deaths that occur in the United States each year is due to dietary factors. Although the committee recognizes that no diet can guarantee full protection against any disease, we believe that our recommendations offer the best nutrition information currently available to help Americans reduce their risk of cancer" (Got breast cancer). This organization in particular has provided two suggestions to those suffering from cancer. These suggestions include that they should have a plant-based diet and must stop themselves from consuming "high-fat foods" (Got breast cancer). According to the studies made by the American Dietetic Association, breast cancer is most common in countries where consumption of high-fat, animal-based food is strong. On the contrary in countries like China as well as in parts of Asia, breast cancer does not exist due to notably less consumption of milk. The famous expert Dr. T Colin Campbell is of the viewpoint that China being a "non-milk-drinking" (Got breast cancer) country, has an average of less than 9 per 100,000 female deaths caused by cancer as compared to the United States which has reported 44 per 100,000 deaths of cancer patients (Got breast cancer). Another example is that of Dr. J.L. Outwater of Princeton University and the members of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Drs. A. Nicholson and N. Barnard as well as doctors in Milan who have revealed more than twelve "epidemiological" researches that prove that there is a positive correlation between dairy products and breast cancer. In addition to the above, an Italian study also showed that the certainty of developing breast cancer increases with the usage of dairy products. One of the Italian studies, revealed through the Journal of the National Cancer Institute that grown women who lessen the consumption of fat as well as animal nutrient lower the risk of developing breast cancer to a large extent (Got breast cancer).

Hence, the above passage shows that there is a strong correlation between diet based on dairy products and cancer.

Correlation between fruits as well as vegetables and cancer

The American Cancer Society is of the viewpoint...

Several epidemiological researches show that a diet based on fruits as well as vegetables lessens the risk of developing cancer. For instance David August, director of surgical oncology at the Cancer Center of New Jersey (Cancer fighters for food) says, "I believe foods are a good place to look for anticancer agents, they don't have side effects, are not toxic, and are safe for long-term use"(Cancer fighters for food). He further believes that, "There is a correlation between prostaglandin levels and the risk of colorectal cancer," "the higher the levels of prostaglandin, the greater the risk" (Cancer fighters for food). As a result, green tea has proven to be beneficial in guarding against colorectal cancers. Green Tea consists of polyphenols, a group of "antioxidants" (Cancer fighters for food) present in plants. These antioxidants result in the prevention of arachidonic acid metabolism (Cancer fighters for food) that helps in decreasing the amount of prostaglandin in the rectal mucosa. Another study is done by August regarding the benefits of Green tea in lessening the danger caused by colorectal cancer. Samples were taken from the "gastrointestinal tracts" (Cancer fighters for food) of some patients twelve hours after these patients consumed a cup of green tea. August said, "We found signs of increased levels of polyphenols in those specimens" (Cancer fighters for food). Thus this study reveals that green tea is a major factor in producing polyphenols which reduces the risk of cancer development.
Hence, it is evident that there is a positive correlation between cancer as well as diet based on fruits and vegetables.

Fried Foods and Cancer

Swedish as well as the researchers in the United States argue over the relation between fried foods and certain cancers. They have undergone several researches and have revealed that foods like French fries, bread as well as potato chips and other "carbohydrate- rich foods" (All food causes cancer) contain a high level of an element called acrylamide (Fried Food Link to Some Cancers Disputed). A recent meeting held by the Swedish scientists with the press revealed this piece of information for protecting their people.

Acrylamide is defined as a chemical that is present in the surroundings in low level (All food causes cancer). This chemical was discovered in tomatoes ten years back. However the recent report reveals that frying causes the formation of acrylamide in fried foods. The Swedish National Food Administration also revealed that it forms in fried chips and other carbohydrate foods fried or cooked at high temperatures.

As a result preliminary research has showed no direct relation between acrylamide and certain forms of cancer. During the following episode after the acrylamide alert, Swedish as well as the American researchers spoke in the British Journal of Cancer that they were unable to find any development of cancer in the bladder, kidney or bowels due to the high level of acrylamide in foods. Another study on the people's diet containing 188 different kinds of food, such as French fries, bread and biscuits with presence of high or medium levels of this substance showed no increase in cancer risk among those who ate foods high in acrylamide. Dr. Lorelei Mucci, head researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health said, "The discovery last year that many types of food contained high levels of acrylamide was disturbing, since acrylamide is classified as a probable carcinogen"(Fried Food Link to Some Cancers Disputed). He further said that, "This study provides preliminary evidence that there's less to worry about than was thought" (Study doubts acrylamide causes cancer).

However it has been revealed that the substance called acrylamide causes cancer in test animals like rats and cats but has not been proven to do the same in human beings (Study doubts acrylamide causes cancer). For instance, Sir Paul Nurse, chief executive of the charity Cancer Research UK said that acrylamide can be "carcinogenic" to animals but probably the levels in food are very little to influence the risk of cancer "or the body is able to deactivate the chemical in some way" (Study doubts acrylamide causes cancer, 2003).

Michael F. Jacobsen, executive director…