Can it reduce the risk of cancer?

Does choosing organic foods instead of conventional foods protect against cancer? What are the effects of pesticides on cancer risk?

In review to update Evidence regarding human exposure to pesticides and their toxicity The body of evidence linking pesticide exposure and cancer is said to be so vast that the role of pesticides in the development of cancer “cannot be doubted.” However, most of the evidence for this He appears DNA damage from pesticides is the result of occupational exposure among farmers and field workers, the pesticide industry itself, or those who live in high spray areas, as you can see at minute 0:35 in my video Pesticides and cancer risks.

There is evidence link Non-occupational exposure to pesticides causes DNA damage – in this case, fragmentation of single- and double-stranded DNA in the sperm of men who have higher levels of pesticides flowing through their bodies – but that was in China, where average pesticide concentrations are four times higher than in some other parts of the world.

There is another method that can be used by pesticides Easy Tumor growth is mediated by adverse effects on anti-cancer immunity. Natural killer (NK) cells are the body’s first line of defense for white blood cells against cancer cells and cells infected with viruses. Pesticides have been shown to have harmful effects on these defense cells, reducing their ability to kill cancer cells. For example, if you puts Collection of natural killer cells in a petri dish with human leukemia cells Without any pesticide, the natural killer cells can clean house and eliminate more than half of the cancer. But if you drop a small amount of pesticide on them, the NK cells become so inactivated that the cancer wins the day, as you can see below and at 1:37 in my channel. video.

But how much pesticide are we talking about? Researchers user Maximum level found in people actively spraying pesticides. But what about I’m looking Its just pesticides remaining on conventional products? Is choosing organic products for cancer prevention worth the investment?

Pesticides can be detected in the blood and urine of more than 90% of the US population, regardless of where they work or live. We know it’s from the food we eat because cross-sectional experiments where people switch between consuming conventionally grown foods and organic foods show that you can turn urinary concentrations of pesticide metabolites on and off like a light switch. But this does not necessarily mean that pesticides are harming us.

The health consequences of consuming pesticide residues from conventionally grown foods are still unknown, but a recent study found that people who reported the highest frequency of organic food consumption had a 25% lower risk of cancer. The study is the first of its kind resides The relationship between frequency of organic food consumption and cancer risk, controlling for a wide range of other factors. Doesn’t it matter that consumers who eat organic products are younger? The researchers controlled for this, and still found a much lower risk of cancer. But organic consumers may get less cancer because they are wealthier, more educated, or thinner, or they may exercise more, eat less meat, or smoke less. No, the researchers controlled for all of that, and yet they found a significant reduction in cancer risk in organic consumers. Perhaps their diets were different in other ways, with more fruits and vegetables overall, or less junk food? No, they still found a significant reduction in cancer risk. “Our results suggest that higher organic food consumption is associated with lower overall cancer risk,” the researchers concluded.

This was the most advanced study of its kind to date, but there had been a previous, larger study for which there was little evidence Found To reduce the incidence of all types of cancer except one type of blood cancer – non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. You can see the data below and at 3:59 in my account video.

Data displays There is no difference in overall cancer incidence between those who never choose organic products and those who usually or always choose them; The only significant results were a reduced risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and an increased risk of breast cancer. Is it possible that women who choose organic foods are more aware of breast cancer screening, which explains the higher diagnosis rate? We really don’t know.

Of course, what we care most about is not just cancer, but all-cause mortality – the risk of premature death. As it turns out, so are high blood levels of the insecticide known as beta-hexachlorocyclohexane linked While living a much shorter life. How do we lower our levels? Decades ago, there was a study that said Found The vegetarian mother’s breast milk contained less beta-HCH than the milk of her non-vegetarian sister, who was also breastfeeding at the time. It appears that its vegetarian sister had levels of this pesticide about a third lower, compared to its carnivorous brother, as you can see below and at 4:48 in my account video.

This is not surprising, since this class of chlorinated insecticides are lipid-soluble, as they are Found Most often in foods of animal origin.

A recent study failed to look at beta-HCH, but did examine polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Found It is associated with an increased risk of death. Again, the toxins are found in the same types of foods: eggs, dairy products and animal fats. Therefore, it is not surprising that the blood of those who eat vegetarian Found and be “significantly less polluted than carnivores” in terms of the full spectrum of PCBs, including those found in the study to be associated with increased mortality; But vegetarians did not have lower levels of beta-HCH.

Bottom line: If you’re concerned about the harmful health effects of pesticides and insecticide-type compounds, you may want to reduce your intake of animal products. But when it comes to fruits and vegetables, their benefits eater Conventionally grown produce likely outweighs any potential risks from pesticide exposure. So, concerns about the dangers of pesticides shouldn’t dissuade us from stuffing our faces with as many fruits and vegetables as possible. This would give us a huge health benefit, while the potential lifelong harm of any pesticides on those same fruits and vegetables would be reduced. estimated To cut just a few minutes off a person’s life, on average, which is nothing compared to the nutritional benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables.

Doctor’s note

To learn more about organic foods, see the related posts below.