Cancer and nutrition
...oups: Carcinomas, sarcomas, lymphomas, and leukemias. The classification tells you where the cancer is located. Carcinomas include the outer layer of the skin, the membranes lining the digestive tract, the bladder, the womb, and any duct going through organs in the body. They are essentially lining the body involving the epithelial cells. Sarcoma can occur in the bone and the tissue, such as: muscle, fat, nerves, tendons, blood, and lymph. It is know as the cancer of the soft body tissues and is uncommon. Lymphomas are the lymphoid tissue cancer that includes: lymph nodes, bone marrow, spleen, and the thymus gland. Leukemias affect the bone marrow and the spleen like the lymphoma but they develop from the white blood cells. The effects of cancer are devastating. They first thing is usually weight loss, the tumors cells use their own metabolism and development the nutrients the other cells have taken in. This cell may suffer from weakness and accounts for the weight loss fro anorexia. There is a usually low protein count in the blood and the muscle tissue may be lost and anemia may develop. The production of insulin may become abnormal causing hypoglycemia, which is an excessive amount of sugar in the blood. Some cancers can cause hypercalcemia and if chronic can lead to renal stones and an impaired kidneys. They senses also take a turn for the worse they lessen because of the nutrient deficiency. There are several ways to treat cancer, surgical removal, radiation, and chemotherapy or any combo of these. All of these have side affects that alter nutritional status. The side effects for radiation include xerostomia that is sore, dry mouth caused by a reduction of salivary glands or dysphagia that is difficulty swallowing. Chemotherapy can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. It also reduces the regenerate absorptive cells in the small intestine and causes hemorrhagic colitis. Both of these treatments depress the appetite. Diet is a very important factor in cancer, it can help by hindering or it can harm the cells. Acrylamide is a substance that is used it plastic manufacturing it was also discovered to be present in foods cooked high in temperature, this substance is now being found in laboratory animals, which have cancer. This chemical is found in junk food like: potato chips, French fries, bread, and processed breakfast cereals. Cyclamate, which is used in artificial sweetener, has been found in animals with bladder cancer. This particular one is not harmful to humans but has been banned from chewing gum. Heterocyclic Amines are found in foods after high heat cooking, these are carcinogenic to humans and the more we consume the grater risk we have of developing cancer. To help us stay away from heterocyclic amines it has been suggested that we slow cook our foods because it enhances the nutrient value of food. For example we could cook a roast in the oven for 6 hours or grill chicken instead of frying it. Foods that help prevent cancer in general are foods low in fat. So foods ...