Cancer is a highly intricate, multifactorial illness impacting numerous people globally. Although we cannot eliminate all the risk factors associated with cancer, research suggests that our diet and portion sizes could significantly influence cancer prevention. Let’s explore how lowering caloric consumption could lower the risk of developing cancer.
What does our body do when we consume fewer calories?
When food intake decreases, the body begins to experience a domino effect of several vital alterations. For one, the body starts to burn stored fat for energy instead of the food we consume. This consequently reduces inflammation. Could you think of the fire burning within us? If it’s too rampant, it harms our cells and making more prone to cancer.
The other significant shift when we eat less is that it sets off something called autophagy. This is like our body’s cleaning service. Cells begin cleaning out old, damaged parts when we eat less. That is how it helps eliminate things that could become cancer cells.
How does calorie reduction affect our hormones?
A reduced calorie intake changes the levels of different hormones in our body. One important hormone being affected is insulin. The body naturally produces less insulin with a lesser intake of calories. This is a matter of importance because high levels of insulin have been found to make cells grow and divide faster. In this manner, cancer might emerge more easily.
Another hormone that may vary is Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 known as IGF-1. When we consume less food, IGF-1 levels go down. It promotes cell growth and, can also encourage the proliferation of cancer cells. Eating less can better control the activity of these growth signals.
How is body weight related to the risk for cancer?
Being obese or overweight may enhance the risk of getting at least 13 various kinds of cancer. While decreasing calorie intake is most generally related to weight loss, depriving the body of its fat tissue is the basic fact.
Fat tissue stores energy and produces hormones and other substances that may increase cancerous opportunities.
Assume your fat tissue is a factory producing various chemicals, some permitting cells to grow and reproduce more rapidly. Reduced calorie intake and a regular weight help keep these chemical signals at a healthier level.
Does calorie restriction affect our immune system?
Our immune system is like the army fighting diseases such as cancer in our body. Eating fewer calories could make our immune system work better. Now, you’d ask, what do you mean by “better”? This may sound weird—eating less makes something stronger. However, research shows moderate calorie reduction makes our immune cells work more efficiently.
Those improved immune cells are more capable of identifying and killing the abnormal cells that could cause cancer. They’re like better troop soldiers, spotting the enemy and fighting better.
So, how do we reduce calories without compromising our health?
It’s not a question of starving; the quantity has to be reduced healthily. We have to eat less, yet gain all the nutrients that our body will require in any manner.
It means that we eat nutrient-rich food. At the same time the consumed food is not calorie-intensive.
Understand that an ideal diet consists of all foods like vegetables, fruits, certain types of proteins, and whole grains. Such types of foods provide the best nutrition at fewer calories as possible. Also, they contain some natural compounds that can protect us against cancer in many ways.
How much should our calorie intake be reduced?
Studies find that reducing daily calorie intake by approximately 20-30% may help reduce cancer risk. However, everyone should still cut their calories by these many values. Even if you calculate, the result would be uncertain. The correct calorie value is generally based on many factors, such as weight, body type, height, age, and activity level.
Suppose you consume 2000 calories daily; a 20% drop would be about 1600 calories. Discussing such an enormous change in your food consumption with your healthcare provider is essential. They can let you know what is safe and healthy for you.
Does eating make any difference in the prevention of cancer?
This new research suggests that the key is not the quantity we consume but when we eat. In essence, this factor is very much linked with our body’s circadian rhythm or internal clock.
Eating most of our calorie intake earlier in the day, coupled with a longer overnight fasting period, can reduce the risk of developing cancer.
Conclusion: The Next Step
It’s just like giving more time to your body’s cleaning crew. Suppose you stop eating earlier in the evening and do not start with breakfast until later. In that case, you are giving your body an opportunity to fix damaged cells that could eventually cause cancer and cleanse harmful chemicals.
Remember that low calorie intake is only one factor for cancer risk reduction, and others, such as regular exercise, good sleep, stress management, and regular check-ups with your healthcare provider, are very important parts of a healthy lifestyle. Every step taken toward a healthy lifestyle lowers the chance of getting cancer.
REFERENCE LINKS:
https://ej-med.org/index.php/ejmed/article/view/1910
https://www.jcpjournal.org/journal/view.html?uid=877&vmd=Full
https://cancerandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2049-3002-1-10