Is it true that food protects against cancer?

Research shows that reasonable diet and healthy lifestyle is the foundation of scientific anti-cancer, and 40% of tumor incidence is related to unreasonable dietary habits and lifestyle. Therefore, in recent years, people are particularly concerned about what to eat in order to prevent and fight cancer, a variety of anti-cancer “star food” also came into being, and with the increase of various studies and findings continue to emerge. Studies have shown that poor dietary habits and related obesity is a risk factor for the development of malignant tumors; however, there is no evidence that certain foods can change the living environment of existing malignant tumors at the cellular level and cause their death or growth. According to the World Health Organization, cancer is the result of the accumulation of multiple risk factors during the life course, and the long-term consumption of so-called “anti-cancer foods” can also increase the accumulation of certain risks in the human body. Moderation is the key: As part of a balanced diet, sugar, salt, milk, coffee, tea, meat, chocolate – foods that are often questioned as safe choices. Regarding these foods, especially those high in sugar, can lead to obesity, which is a major risk factor for malignant tumors. Moreover, one of the major differences between cancer cells and normal cells is the extremely low energy utilization of cancer cells. Normal cells utilize glucose through aerobic respiration, and each consumed glucose molecule can produce 38 ATPs, while cancer cells utilize glucose through anaerobic respiration due to the lack of mitochondria, and each consumed molecule of glucose can only generate 2 ATPs “with great effort”; therefore, the growth of cancer cells needs to consume a large amount of glucose. Therefore, cancer cells need to consume a lot of glucose to grow, and this unique phenomenon is called the “Waber effect”. Therefore, a diet high in glucose is theoretically not only a high-risk factor for tumor development, but also a detrimental factor for tumor treatment. Their general recommendations for malignant tumor prevention and physical health are: 1. To stay as lean as possible, as long as you are not underweight; 2. To do at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day; 3. To avoid sugary beverages and limit high-energy-density foods (especially processed foods that are high in sugar, low in fiber, or high in fat); 4. To eat a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes, such as beans; 5. To limit the intake of red meat (such as beef, pork, and lamb) and avoid processed meats; 6. If you drink alcohol, limit alcoholic beverages to two servings a day for men and one serving a day for women; 7. Limit eating foods that are too salty and foods that are cured by salt (sodium); and 8. Don’t use supplements to prevent malignant tumors. Experts recommend that people meet their nutritional needs through food choices. While vitamin supplements can help people with nutritional deficiencies, there is evidence that there are no additional health benefits to supplementing beyond what the body needs.