Is a diet of only vegetables and fruits healthy? Not really. (Shutterstock/suriyachan)
Modern nutrition recognizes that fruits and vegetables are healthy foods that can reduce the risk of cancer. For example, many people agree with the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. But can you fight cancer more effectively by eating fruits and vegetables? Is eating only fruits and vegetables really healthy? The answer is, not really.
Vegetables and fruits can fight cancer, but the effectiveness has an upper limit
Why fruits and vegetables canlower cancer risk, because they are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals. These substances help to enhance the body’s ability to resist cancer in many ways. Conversely, low fruit and vegetable intake was associated with an increased risk of cancer death.
A study of 95 studiesmeta-analysisStudies have shown that adding 200 grams of vegetables and fruits to the diet can reduce the overall cancer all-cause mortality rate by 10%. A daily intake of 550–600 g of fruits and vegetables, or fruit, or vegetables, was associated with a 14%, 8%, and 12% relative reduction in overall cancer risk, respectively.
But the study also found that increasing the daily intake of 550 to 600 grams of fruit and vegetables did not reduce the risk further.
another item aftermeta-studiesalso showed similar results: after the fruit and vegetable intake exceeded 300 g/day, its protective effect on humans did not increase further.
In a randomized clinical trial, participants with a low intake of fruit, juice, and vegetables were randomized into two groups. One group maintained their daily diet, and the other group received an additional 480 grams of fruits and vegetables and 300 ml of fruit juice per day for 12 weeks. The results showed that people who supplemented with fruits and vegetables had a 35% increase in plasma vitamin C levels, a 15% increase in folic acid, and a significant increase in certain carotenoids by 50% to 70%. But there were no significant changes in the body’s antioxidant capacity, DNA damage in lymphocytes, or markers of vascular health: all indicators of disease.
besidesreview studyfound that in some large cohort studies, the effect of vegetable and fruit intake on cancer was only detectable when there was a large difference in the intake of vegetables and fruits among the subjects, and when there were high-intensity exposures to carcinogens (such as smoking smoke) only occurs.
In other words, by increasing the intake of fruits and vegetables to fight cancer, the effect may have a certain range.
In order to minimize the risk of cancer and disease, some people choose to switch all their meals to fruits and vegetables, which is not necessarily very wise, and even has certain risks.
Only paying attention to the intake of fruits and vegetables is risky
1. Eating too much fruit can cause high blood sugar and increase the risk of cancer
In 2013, actor Ashton Kutcher (Ashton Kutcher) experienced and simulated his diet in order to play Jobs. After a few months of strict implementation of a diet of only fruits, nuts and some grain seeds, he suffered from pancreatic damage. The injury was serious and he was admitted to the hospital.
Eating a lot of fruit can lead to high blood sugar, which can damage the pancreas and increase cancer risk.
Published in the journal Cell Metabolism in 2019ResearchIt has been shown that high blood sugar can cause a series of metabolic changes, and pancreatic cells will lack raw materials for repairing DNA, resulting in doubled mutations. Moreover, 90% of pancreatic cancers have been proved to have this gene mutation, which can easily lead to cancer of pancreatic islet cells. The study also mentioned that in the pancreas tissue of diabetic patients, DNA damage was significantly higher than that of non-diabetics. So, the researchers proposed, it was high blood sugar that was responsible for the DNA damage in the pancreatic cells.
Another cause of cancer is hyperglycemiaclueis that it can lead to the reduction of 5-hmC, an important epigenetic marker on DNA, which will greatly increase the risk of cancer-if 5-hmC in DNA is reduced, it means that the cancer is getting worse.
2. A pure vegetable and fruit diet can lead to nutritional imbalance
Fruits and vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals, and good things like fiber, but may be low in protein and fat. The lack of these two essential macronutrients will affect people’s health. Without the sources of nutrients that fuel the body, a person loses muscle and strength. And it has the potential to push your body into starvation mode, slowing your metabolism to conserve energy.
In addition, fruits and vegetables are also deficient in some important other nutrients, such as vitamin B12, vitamin D, calcium and zinc. These can lead to anemia, tiredness, lethargy, and immune system dysfunction.
Therefore, for most people, this type of diet should not be followed in the long term.
3. Certain fruits and vegetables can interfere with drug absorption
For example,ResearchIt was found that the compounds in grapefruit juice can interact with a variety of drugs and affect their metabolism in the human body, leading to abnormal drug concentrations in the blood, which can aggravate side effects and reduce the efficacy of drugs.It is said that more than85 drugsThere is a potential for interactions with grapefruit; 43 of these drug interactions resulted in serious adverse reactions.
4. Other risks
In addition, some fruits and vegetables are high in oxalate, which can lead to kidney stones if eaten in large amounts over a long period of time. Also, fruits and vegetables are rich in fiber, which can easily lead to gas or bloating if consumed in excess. Finally, some channels of fruit and vegetables are prone to contamination with pesticides, chemicals, and other substances, and even washing and peeling cannot completely remove all dangers.
Balanced intake of fruits and vegetables in a healthy diet
A certain amount of fruits and vegetables is part of a healthy and balanced life. Most nutritionists will agree that no matter what your goals are, balanced meals are important.
Moreover, if healthy ordinary people want to detoxify and cleanse the intestines, they can try to eat a diet full of fruits and vegetables in the short term, but the duration should not exceed a few days.
In general, fruit intake should be limited to no more than dietary25%～30%to avoid nutritional imbalances.
The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults consume an equivalent of1.5-2 cups of fruit and 2-3 cups of vegetables。
and one itemreview studyAmong various vegetables, cruciferous vegetables and green and yellow vegetables can significantly reduce the overall cancer risk.
Moreover, Otis Brawley, professor of oncology and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health School of Medicine, emphasized in an interview with The Epoch Times that “carcinogenesis and cancer risk Reduction is a long-term process.” Just as smoking for many years increases the risk of many different cancers, it takes years of persistence to reduce the risk of cancer by maintaining good eating habits.
Brawley also said that he does not advocate eating only fruits and vegetables without protein, but recommends choosing a balanced diet rich in fruits and vegetables and protein (from plants or animals). And he cautions, “When we say a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, we don’t mean sweetened fruit.”
For Cancer Patients, Eating Meat May Be Important
For patients who have been diagnosed with cancer or are receiving cancer treatment, such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy, they need to pay more attention to the calories and nutrients in their diet in order to have the physical strength to fight cancer.
Cynthia Wong, a clinical dietitian at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, said in an interview with The Epoch Times that the process of chemotherapy and radiation would kill many normal cells, and it is necessary to supplement protein and Sufficient nutrition to help the body recover.
Common protein foods include red meat, fish, poultry, eggs, beans, dairy and nuts.
In addition, she also said that sometimes patients lose their appetite due to the side effects of treatment, eat very little, and lose a lot of weight. “At this time, whatever they eat is good for them.”
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