Reviewed by nutritionist Ani Nguyen, Massachusetts, Rd
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A new study suggests that acidogenic foods may increase the risk of gastrointestinal cancer.
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Acidogenic foods, such as red and processed meats, create acid in their body.
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Feeding more plants is associated with a lower risk of GI cancer.
Our bodies work hard 24/7 to maintain internal stability – called homeostasis – with the many processes that occur inside them. One of these processes is to maintain a healthy pH, which is the balance between acid and base. The pH scale works from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral – everything under 7 is acidic and everything above it is basic or alkaline.
For example, gastric (hydrochloric) acid should be very acid for proper digestion. It ranks about 1, just above the acid of the battery, but your blood pH should be neutral 7. And our bodies have incredible built -in mechanisms for regulating and maintaining the pH of the blood. For example, if your body feels excessive acid levels, the lungs and kidneys go to work to eliminate the situation by ejecting carbon dioxide by breathing and urination. Or the pancreas will release bicarbonate, a compound that helps the buffer acid.
While the body is designed to adapt to its environment to bring it back to the center, there are some questions whether too many foods can play a role in creating a more acidic environment, especially in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. This then questions whether the more acid GI tract increases the risk of GI cancer, including liver, colorectal, gastric (stomach), pancreatic cancer and esophagus.
Researchers in Korea note that there is some evidence that people who eat a Western-style diet with a high fat and sugar content-create a more acidic environment in their bodies, which is favorable for the malignant cell growth. They looked more closely at this theory and recently published their discoveries in A European magazine for clinical nutritionS Let’s break them.
Related: The best foods to eat for gut health
How was this study conducted?
The data were extracted from a long -term Korean study called the cancer screening cohort, which began in 2002. Nearly 11,000 participants were used for this current study, about 64% of them women, with an average age in the early 53. Participants were followed by an average of eight years.
Participants have completed questionnaires about the frequency of food, from which researchers calculated “Diet Acid loads” using three different methods. Researchers have identified the number of Cancer Cancer Cases using the National Cancer Medicine Database in 2020, which records most cases of cancer in the country. In addition, they checked electronic medical records to catch all cases that may not be recorded in the cancer incidence database.
The demographic information, which will be corrected during statistical analyzes, includes ITM (which is measured by trained staff), levels of physical activity, level of education, profession, family condition, family history of first -degree cancer, smoking status and alcohol intake.
What did this study find?
In general, researchers find that people who are diagnosed with Cancer on G. And with the increase in the result of the diet acid load, so the risk of cancer of GI increases. This association was much stronger in men than women. For this study, researchers note red and processed meats as the main acid foods.
Researchers are not sure why male participants have had a higher risk of cancer of GI from women’s participants, even when the results of a diet acid load are similar, but they offer several possible explanations. First, they say that women tend to have better renal function than men, thus giving women more capacity to maintain the balance of acid. They also say that there may be sex hormones, as estrogen tends to have a protective effect at the cellular level-which then raises the issue of women after menopause. Finally, in this analysis, men tend to have higher acid diets, including higher alcohol intake.
It is important to note several restrictions on this study. First, this study cannot determine the causal relationship. In other words, this cannot conclude that more acid foods, which include red and processed meat, cause GI cancer. He can only offer a strong connection between the two. There may also be other factors, such as genetics or smoking and high alcohol intake, although they were corrected in the analysis.
Researchers also note that they cannot take into account the supplement as confusion, as there is insufficient information about it (some supplements can increase or reduce acid load). Finally, they note that the surveyed population is relatively small, which can reduce the statistical power of the analysis.
Related: https://www.eatingwell.com/search?q=red+Meat
How is this applied to real life?
You may have seen alkaline water ads thanks to companies that jump on the idea that we can control the acid balance in our bodies. And although this study would certainly lean in this direction, there is still so much that we still don’t know.
While our bodies are intended to work constantly to maintain internal stability, can they be able to go into acid overload from certain foods that ultimately abduct the body’s biological systems? There is evidence that suggests “yes”, but you still do not go to invest in expensive bottled water.
These researchers suggest a more swap -red and processed meat for fruits and vegetables that tend to be more alkaline. Exceptions include citrus fruits and tomatoes, which are ranked 2 and 4 on the pH rocks. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have to eat them. Citrus fruits and tomatoes offer many benefits for nutrition and health, including immune support and antioxidants that soothe inflammation. Citrus fruits are even associated with a lower colon cancer rate -which raises the question of whether it is really acid load or something else for red and processed meats, which can increase the risk of cancer of GI, as citrus fruits are more acid.
The key is to eat a variety of foods, including different types of plants – philics, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains and legumes. This guarantees that you not only receive the nutrients your body needs, but also spreads the pH levels among the plants you eat.
Make a quick evaluation of your diet. Do you include many red and processed meats? How about foods and drinks with high levels of added sugar? Where can you start rotating in more plants?
Eating habits, like other habits, are paths to our brain. These paths were forged somewhere in your past and became automatic. To start new habits, you need to make a purposeful, deliberate choice, because otherwise your brain will automatically choose the path of the least resistance.
Related: Habit # 1 that you need to start living longer, according to health experts
Changing the habit has a tendency to be easier for people if they start small. Choose an area you will probably be successful with so that you can build this success in time. For example, could you exchange any of your daily carbonated drinks or energy drinks for flavored sparkling water (so you still get bubbles)? If you usually have this drink for energy impetus in the middle of the afternoon, could you have a energetic breakfast-as a handful of nuts and a piece of fruit-to achieve the same thing? Or sometimes we just have to change our physiology for an energy impetus, in this case, by resting quickly from your desk and walking a tour or two around your house or office space can do the job.
These researchers also mention the Mediterranean diet as a diet model characterized by high intake of fruits and vegetables and low or moderate meat intake. Therefore, the Mediterranean diet is associated with high levels of adiponectin, a compound known for its protective role against cancer.
If you are ready to dive and work on changing your overall diet, we have many diet plans and recipes for a Mediterranean diet to choose from. We suggest that we start with our 7-day eating plan for the Mediterranean diet for beginners or our 30-day Mediterranean dietary diet plan for beginners. We also have a Mediterranean plans for diet-based diet-based diet, whether you are looking for more energy, less inflammation or heartfelt or healthy plan, there is something for everyone.
Related: 8 Best Cardiac Health Dietary Foods, according to a nutritionist
Bottom line
This study suggests that regularly eating high acidic foods, including red and processed meat, can increase the risk of GI cancer. These foods are also associated with higher percentages of dementia, diabetes and heart disease, so by limiting or avoiding them, you do your body well at many levels. Start exchanging these foods with more plants, including plant -based proteins, such as legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, to help reduce inflammation and your overall risk of illness.
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