by Rita Goldman

Some people eat to live while others live to eat. Both of these examples epitomizes 2 extreme ways of defining nutrition. The first, presupposes that we eat to satisfy our physiological needs and ward off hunger pangs, the second implies a more complex relationship with food that presupposes a level of planning, anticipation and satisfaction.

Unfortunately the act of eating is far more complex and multi-faceted than these two extremes suggestions. It does not only involves eating, it also involves our psychological makeup, our social environment, our genetic blueprint, our economic situation, class and also the availability of food to eat.

At the beginning of the twentieth Century, science had advanced to a point that it was beginning to understand what nutrients our bodies needs and in how much quantities. However today we have come to realize that although diets in the Western World in theory supply all our nutrients, they also directly contribute to some diseases. Today the emphasis is on what nutrients directly cause disease and we are learning that the best way to approach nutritional needs is optimum nutrition. However changing peoples eating habits is actually quite difficult and it highlights the difficulty of even defining nutrition.

It can define that the nutrients are needed for the body to grow, maintain and produce the cells, but the danger with this definition is the fact that people do not eat nutrients, they eat food. This is highlighted with the increase in the mortality and morbidity rates of many diseases.

In 1997, The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and the American Institute for Cancer Research (IARC) studied the possible role of food in causing cancer in a consistent and a scientific way. Most cancers are more prevalent in the Western World, the Chinese call breast cancer the rich womans disease and some cancers occur up to thirty times higher in the West. This would suggest that there is a strong link between the environment and cancer, because although we tend to have the idealized thoughts that everything is cleaner in the third world, it is not always the case.

There have been many different observational studies comparing communities and their way of living, including groups within groups and migrant studies as well. However there is still no solid proof about the real cause of cancer, and all the results are underpinned by tentative experimental findings.

Eventually we will be able to link biological markers and genetics, but before that time, more genetic research has to be done. Much of the studies have allowed the researchers to calculate risk, from the exposure to different factors.

About the Author:
As isolated as you may feel right now, you are not alone. Cancer diagnosis is just the beginning of your story. Cancer survivors prove every day that this can be the beginning of a whole new positive chapter in your life. Join our unique community of cancer survivors to be right now and receive a FREE report on Cancer Survivor’s tips.

Related posts:

  1. Psychological Adjustments To Cancer Made Easier By Hypnotism
    There is one universal psychological response to cancer, despite that...
  2. The Healthy Acai Berry And The Astounding Fat Loss Claims
    The reputation of the acai berry (pronounced ah-sigh-ee) has skyrocketed...
  3. HPV Vaccine May Also Save Mens Life
    Only 1 In Every Ten Men Have Heard Of HPV...
  4. Acai Berry Diet-The Correct Solution For The Overweight Person
    I think everybody has heard about the Acai berry weight...
  5. The Simple Truth About Detoxification
    A detoxification or detox diet is the oldest medical therapies...

Tagged with:

Filed under: Health

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!