Comprehensive Cancer Centers raise awareness about gastric cancer, with information about how diets can either increase or reduce stomach cancer risks.
For the team at Comprehensive Cancer Centers, and fellow healthcare providers, gastric cancer, or stomach cancer, stands as one of the world’s most significant oncological challenges. While its global incidence has been declining, it remains a leading cause of cancer-related death, largely because it is often diagnosed at an advanced stage. Comprehensive Cancer Centers is raising awareness about how diet impacts gastric cancer risk.
November is a month known for celebrating family gatherings around the dinner table, and is the ideal month to raise awareness about gastric cancer, which resulted in the creation of Stomach Cancer Awareness Month. In 2010, NSFC successfully championed and celebrated the first official Stomach Cancer Awareness Month in the U.S. The Surgeon General has committed to making Thanksgiving Day National Family History Day, emphasizing the importance of knowing one’s hereditary risks for disease and clearly one of the risk factors for stomach cancer.
While incidents of gastric cancers have declined, it’s still a cancer that often goes undiagnosed when symptoms present. There are ways to potentially reduce its risks that include pathways to better overall health. It’s been found that certain dietary habits can be linked to an elevated risk of gastric cancer. These foods often act as aggressors, launching assaults on the gastric mucosa.
A good place to start when looking at digestive health issues is in the consumption of salt. High-salt diets offer the strongest and most consistent links to gastric cancer. High concentrations of the compounds that make salt, sodium chloride, are a chronic irritant that erodes the stomach’s protective mucosal layer. Damage to the mucosal layer leads to chronic inflammation. The issue is found in atrophic gastritis, which is the loss of stomach glands and considered a highly-probable cause of cancer. Damaged mucosa is more vulnerable to additional carcinogens.
High-salt intake is seen to act in synergy with Helicobacter pylori, bacterium responsible for the majority of gastric cancers. Studies also suggest that high-salt environments promote H. pylori colonization and empower virulent genes, making the infection more potent and oncogenic.
Processed meats like sausages, bacon, ham, and hot dogs is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Group 1 carcinogens. This designation is due to the chemicals used in their preservation (nitrates and nitrites). These compounds are not carcinogenic on their own, but can be converted into highly carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds while in the stomach and its acidic environment.
High-temperature cooking, such as grilling or barbecuing, may also create other carcinogens, like heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), further increasing risks.
A dietary pattern high in traditional salt-preserved foods, such as pickled vegetables and salted fish, has long been associated with gastric cancer. This risk comes from combining the two HCAs and PAHs. These foods are high in salt, contributing to both mucosal damage and inflammation. In addition, pickling and smoking processes can either generate N-nitroso compounds directly or introduce their precursors which convert to NOCs in the stomach. High-salt diets and processed meats increase risks, while fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains support gastric cancer prevention.
Good News on Good Foods
Just as foods can promote cancer, others can offer powerful protection. Diets rich in protective compounds may bolster the stomach’s defenses, neutralize carcinogens, and inhibit the progression of cancer. This includes a high intake of fruits and vegetables, citrus fruits such as berries, and peppers. Carrots, sweet potatoes, and leafy greens feature beta carotenes that protect cell membranes from oxidative damage. Making conscious dietary changes can help reduce stomach cancer risk and improve overall digestive health.
Apples and green tea also have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and can inhibit the growth of H. pylori. Garlic and onions have been shown to have specific anti-cancer properties. Their organosulfur compounds are believed to slow or stop the growth of cancer cells and slowdown the growth of H. pylori bacterium.
High-fiber diets, particularly from whole grains, also help with risk management. Fiber may help by diluting potential carcinogens in the stomach. It also accelerates gastric emptying, reducing how long the stomach lining is exposed to harmful substances.
The path to stomach cancer prevention is not one of dietary restrictions, but of conscious changes. Reducing processed foods and added salt from the diet, while increasing intake of fresh, whole foods benefit the gastric environment. In the fight against gastric cancer, what ends up on our plates is critically important in reducing cancer risks and living a healthier life.
Comprehensive Cancer Centers Can Help
Physicians at Comprehensive Cancer Centers provide a variety of treatment options for patients who’ve been referred to the practice for gastric cancer. To schedule an appointment, please call 702-952-3350.
The content is this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
