I was able to find an article published by the National Academy of Sciences Feb 15, 1996 that “Cancer-causing chemicals that occur naturally in foods are far more numerous in the human diet than synthetic carcinogens.” "While some chemicals in the diet do have the ability to cause cancer, they appear to be a threat only when they are present in foods that form an unusually large part of the diet," said committees chair Ronald Estabrook, chair, department of biochemistry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. "The varied and balanced diet needed for good nutrition -- including fruits and vegetables -- seems to provide significant protection from the natural toxicants in our foods." (1) After working with patients for 30 plus years, I find not many eat a varied or balanced diet for good nutrition. So, it seems the average patient is not getting the protection from the carcinogens they could.
In the same news release, as an addition to the article, there is a comment that excess calories cause more of a cancer threat that natural or synthetic carcinogens in our food.
There are some 500,000 cancer deaths each year in the United States. I would suspect many of them are not eating their nutritionally balanced diet or they are eating too many calories, or both.
There are studies that show that rats which consume chronically 20% less than their “recommended” ideal calorie consumption when supplemented with vitamins and minerals live 20 % longer than rates eating their ideal calorie intake. By eating less, there is an anti-aging phenomenon. Could it be because they consume fewer carcinogens? The current theory is that by eating less you have less oxidative stress on your body when you burn the fuel. Eating less stimulates the mitochondria to rev up. These are theories on how calorie restriction increases life expectancy. 2. (Dr. McAlister, 2007)
I try to avoid eating charred meat, foods cooked in plastic, microwave foods cooked in plastic or microwave cooked foods at all. Smoked foods scare me. Synthetic sweeteners such as aspartame have been implicated as a carcinogen. Chemicals leached from plastic into bottled water bothers me. I don’t eat peanuts often due to the fungal carcinogens that are possibly there. I chronically eat on small plates and share meals with my wife or whomever I’m with.
Of course, I try not to be too obsessive.
I still fear industrial produced pollutants more than natural, although the fear could be irrational.
By Randy Rogers, D.O., MPH