El papel que ejerce la alimentación en el desarrollo del cáncer
Fecha
2024-05-07
Autores
Título de la revista
ISSN de la revista
Título del volumen
Editor
Resumen
Actualmente, el cáncer se considera una de las enfermedades más prevalentes a nivel mundial, produciendo cada año unos diez millones de fallecimientos. Se ha hablado mucho de los factores que pueden causarlo como la genética, el tabaco, la edad, o la luz solar, sin prestar especial atención a la alimentación. A lo largo del tiempo se han elaborado bastantes estudios que relacionan ambas variables, pero con muchas limitaciones en cuanto a poblaciones muy específicas o grupos de alimentos muy amplios. El objetivo de esta revisión ha sido conocer el papel que desempeña la alimentación sobre el desarrollo del cáncer. Para ello, se ha realizado una búsqueda bibliográfica narrativa en diferentes bases de datos nacionales e internacionales. La muestra final ha sido de 16 artículos tras aplicar los criterios de inclusión y exclusión y eliminar los artículos duplicados. Se revisó cada estudio teniendo en cuenta su diseño, el año de publicación y la guía de lectura crítica CASPe. Como resultados, obtenemos que la alimentación puede desempeñar tanto el rol de factor de riesgo del cáncer como el de protector frente al mismo. Por un lado, encontramos que el consumo de alimentos y bebidas calientes actúan como factores de riesgo frente al carcinoma de células escamosas de esófago y que el cáncer de colon parece estar influenciado por la ingesta de carne roja y de alcohol, al igual que el cáncer de mama. Por otro lado, el consumo de alimentos de soya y de leche descremada, la fibra, el folato o cereales de grano enteros parecen actuar protegiendo frente al último tipo de cáncer nombrado. La ingesta de folato y de vitamina B6, por su parte, actúan como factores protectores ante el cáncer de esófago en general. En cuanto a la dieta mediterránea, su consumo juega un papel importante en la prevención de cánceres del tracto respiratorio y digestivo y cáncer de ovario y de mama. Además, el magnesio parece ser un buen aliado en la prevención de muchos tipos de cáncer. En conclusión, aunque ya conocemos muchos alimentos y/o nutrientes que influyen en el desarrollo del cáncer, todavía deben realizarse muchos más estudios que avalen unos resultados más sólidos, eliminando así las lagunas existentes en el conocimiento actual sobre este tema.
Today, cancer is considered one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide, with around 10 million deaths each year. Much has been said about the factors that can cause it such as genetics, tobacco, age, or sunlight, without paying special attention to food. Over time, several studies have been prepared that relate both variables, but with many limitations in terms of very specific populations or very large food groups. The aim of this review was to understand the role of food in the development of cancer. To this end, a narrative bibliographic search has been carried out in different national and international databases. The final sample was 16 articles after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria and eliminating duplicate articles. Each study was reviewed based on its design, year of publication and CASPe critical reading guide. As a result, we obtain that food can play both the role of risk factor of cancer and that of protector against it. On the one hand, we found that the consumption of hot foods and beverages act as risk factors for squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus; that the intake of folate and vitamin B6, meanwhile, act as protective factors against esophageal cancer in general, and that colon cancer appears to be influenced by the intake of red meat and alcohol, as well as breast cancer. On the other hand, the consumption of soy foods and skim milk, fiber, folate or whole grain cereals seem to act protecting against the last type of cancer named. As for the Mediterranean diet, its consumption plays an important role in the prevention of cancers of the respiratory and digestive tract and ovarian and breast cancer. In addition, magnesium seems to be a good ally in the prevention of many types of cancer. In conclusion, although we already know many foods that influence the development of cancer, there are still many more studies that support stronger results, thus eliminating the existing gaps in current knowledge on this subject.
Today, cancer is considered one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide, with around 10 million deaths each year. Much has been said about the factors that can cause it such as genetics, tobacco, age, or sunlight, without paying special attention to food. Over time, several studies have been prepared that relate both variables, but with many limitations in terms of very specific populations or very large food groups. The aim of this review was to understand the role of food in the development of cancer. To this end, a narrative bibliographic search has been carried out in different national and international databases. The final sample was 16 articles after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria and eliminating duplicate articles. Each study was reviewed based on its design, year of publication and CASPe critical reading guide. As a result, we obtain that food can play both the role of risk factor of cancer and that of protector against it. On the one hand, we found that the consumption of hot foods and beverages act as risk factors for squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus; that the intake of folate and vitamin B6, meanwhile, act as protective factors against esophageal cancer in general, and that colon cancer appears to be influenced by the intake of red meat and alcohol, as well as breast cancer. On the other hand, the consumption of soy foods and skim milk, fiber, folate or whole grain cereals seem to act protecting against the last type of cancer named. As for the Mediterranean diet, its consumption plays an important role in the prevention of cancers of the respiratory and digestive tract and ovarian and breast cancer. In addition, magnesium seems to be a good ally in the prevention of many types of cancer. In conclusion, although we already know many foods that influence the development of cancer, there are still many more studies that support stronger results, thus eliminating the existing gaps in current knowledge on this subject.