Cancer occurs when there is uncontrolled growths of damaged cells invade in areas where they are not needed. They are harmful to the body when they form lumps or masses of tissue that release hormones that alter normal cellular functions. Cells are supposed to follow a pattern of growth, division, death.
Cancer cells, however, do not die; instead they continue to multiply which to a massive growth of abnormal cells in the body. The oncogenes or cancer-promoting cells help normal cell turn into a tumor cell. These give the cells new properties which defy the programmed death of the cell and proliferate instead. The tumor suppressor genes protect the cell from turning into cancer. However, when these genes are mutated, the cell can progress to cancer.
Certain lifestyle and environment factors promote the development of cancer cells in the body. If our body is exposed to carcinogens, or the substances that are responsible to the damage of the DNA, we are most likely to develop the disease. These carcinogens are linked to specific types of cancer. Tobacco smoke is associated to lung cancer, exposure to asbestos leads to mesothelioma; ultraviolet rays from the sun can cause skin cancer, and many others.
Thus, it is important that we should develop a healthy lifestyle to combat against the carcinogens that are present in our environment. This lifestyle includes the proper diet that will strengthen our immunity. Nutrigenomics is a study that will change how we see food and nutrients in relation to cancer treatment and prevention. It aims to educate people that proper diet and nutrition can affect how our genes response to the medication prescribed by the medical experts.
Just like in all other chronic diseases, medical professionals advise people to take preventive measures against cancer. Though taking them does not guarantee cancer prevention, this can help reduce the risk of developing the dreaded disease. Exercising and proper weight management, not using tobacco products, eating a well-balanced diet, and protecting yourself from the harmful rays of the sun are usual ways to lower the risk of developing certain cancers. However, in some cases, vaccination is also recommended to avoid some viruses that can trigger certain cancers.
There are several ways that cancer can be treated. Early detection of the disease is primarily the key to the successful treatment of the disease. These treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, hormone therapy, and gene therapy. Some doctors employ a combination of those therapies depending on the stage, location, severity of the disease, and other factors that could affect the efficacy of the treatment. But all these can be futile if our body does not respond to the treatments well.
As we all know, our body need nutrients that will enhance the effect of the treatments administered to our body. Because of this, nutrigenomics can be applied in finding out what those nutrients are. In this way, nutritionists will be able to formulate a customized diet which is deemed appropriate and effective to the patient.
Diet has always been a factor either in the development or prevention of diseases. Researchers have found that possible prevention for cancer can be found on the food nutrients that we consume. Some foods like green tea, cruciferous vegetables, olive oil, walnuts, peanuts, pomegranates, and grapes contain polyphenol. Polyphenol acts as antioxidant that protects the body from chemical damage caused by free radicals, which cause degenerative diseases and cancers.
Nutrigenomics has shown that food nutrients have effects on the gene expressions of human beings. It aims to identify the specific nutritional needs of individuals according to his genetic makeup. Through this, people who are highly at risk to cancer will be given a specified and tailor-made diet prescription that can decrease their susceptibility to the disease. This field of study gives us a new insight on the causes of cancers, their preventions, and their treatments.
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