Before the year 2018 ends, there is an estimated number of 1,735,350 cases of cancer diagnosed in the United States. Among this astounding number of cancer cases, around 600,000 people will die from the fatal chronic disease. Given the overwhelming number of people suffering from this chronic disease, without a doubt, cancer is the leading cause of death, not only in the U.S. but in the entire world.
According to data gathered from the year 2013 to 2015, about 38.4% of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their life. Due to the high mortality rate of cancer, researchers all over the world have been dedicating their wit and time to find out a prevention and a cure for it.
Among these various studies, recent researches show that eating organic food can actually reduce your risk of developing cancer, especially lymphoma and breast cancer.
In a study conducted in the Center of Research in Epidemiology and Statistics Sorbonne Paris Cite of the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, it has been discovered that people who consume organic food have a 25% lesser chance of developing cancer. The study lead by Julia Baudry included 70,000 adults who frequently ate organic food such as fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and meat for five years.
“We did expect to find a reduction, but the extent of the reduction is quite important,” Julia Baudry shared her findings in an interview. However, the researcher would like to clarify that it is the organic-based diet that helps in reducing ones cancer risk instead of an organic diet.
All of the 70,000 adults who participated in the said study provided vital information regarding their general health status, occupation, educational attainment, income, and vices such as smoking. The researchers made the necessary adjustments to account for the differences in these characteristics in order to find out if their organic-based diet is the reason why they have a reduced risk of acquiring cancer.
Afterward, research shows that people who often eat organic-based diet indeed have a reduced chance of developing cancers such as lymphomas, and breast cancer.
Researchers say that one reason why organic-based diet reduces the risk of breast cancer is that of the absence of the three carcinogenic pesticides commonly used in farming. Thus, nutritionists from Harvard wrote that it is very important for the researchers to take note of the pesticide residue levels in the 70,000 adults who participated in their research.
And since the researchers failed to record their participants’ pesticide residue levels, Harvard nutritionists are calling for more long-term and government-funded studies.
“From a practical point of view, the results are still preliminary, and not sufficient to change dietary recommendations about cancer prevention,” Dr. Frank B. Hu, chairman of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, advised.
Rather than focusing on whether a food is organic or not, Dr. Hu said that it is better if we would simply eat more fruits and vegetables if we really want to prevent getting cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, our body will thank us if we consume a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and a limited amount of red meat, processed meat, and sugar.
Dr. Hu, on the other hand, also acknowledged the promising potential of the research lead by Julia Baudry. Thus, the chairman of Harvard’s department of nutrition called the attention of the National Institutes of Health and Department of Agriculture to fund Julia Baudry’s research so studies about the role of organic-based diet in cancer can be further explored.
Since its discovery in the year 1775, cancer continuously claims the lives of millions of people all over the world. Hopefully, a day will come in which cancer is no longer a feared disease because we have already discovered a cure for it- or better yet, a way to prevent its development. With hardworking and diligent researchers like Julia Baudry, a cancer-free future wouldn’t be nothing but a dream.