Dieti Tinggi Garam, Sugar Dan Fat Meningkatkan Risiko Cancer Paru

JAKARTA - So far, lung cancer is more often associated with smoking or exposure to air pollution.

However, a recent study from the University of Florida Health revealed a surprising fact. A poor diet can increase the risk of lung cancer.

This poor diet includes consumption of high-fat saturated foods, sugar, salt and low fiber.

This study was studied by the National Institutes of Health and is the result of a collaboration between the Markey Cancer Center at the University of Kentucky and the UF Health Cancer Center.

"So far, lung cancer is not considered a disease influenced by diet," said Ramon Sun, Ph.D., a professor and director of the UF Center for Advanced Spatial Biomole Research, quoted from the UF Health page.

"Creenary cancer and liver cancer are often associated with diet, but for lung cancer, this relationship is rarely discussed," he added.

Matthew Gentry, Ph.D., professor and chair of the course of biochemicals and molecular biology at the UF College of Medicine said this was the first study linking lung cancer to a poor diet at a cancer research center recognized by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

The researchers used advanced technologies developed by Ramon Sun in 2020 to analyze molecular patterns in the body.

"This technology helps us see disease in a new way, so we can find patterns and relationships that were previously invisible," Ramon Sun said.

The study focuses on lung adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer and accounts for 40% of all lung cancer cases in the world.

The study is based on a 20-year study of Matthew and Ramon on a rare disease called the Lafora disease.

Through laboratory experiments and computer simulations, researchers found that in lung cancer, glycogen can accelerate tumor growth.

The more glycogens in cancer cells, the faster and bigger the tumor grows. When mice are fed high in fat food (on poor diets) and high in fructose, the more glycogen levels in their bodies increase, and lung tumors grow bigger.

On the other hand, when glycogen levels are lowered, tumor growth slows down.

The conclusion is that a typical Western diet increases glycogen levels in the body, and this glycogen becomes fuel for lung cancer cells to develop. Matthew stressed that glycogen levels can be an excellent indicator of estimating tumor growth and the risk of death in lung cancer patients.

While this is one of the first studies to link lung cancer to a diet, the importance of nutrition in cancer prevention and treatment has actually been recognized for a long time.

In the long term, the cancer prevention approach should follow the success of the anti-smoking campaign. We need to increase public awareness and make policies that encourage healthy diets as an important part of disease prevention," said Mathew.

Another advantage of this study is the presence of several treatment options that are already available. Matthew said that currently there are three types of drugs that can reduce glycogen levels, and all of them were originally developed to treat Lafora disease.

"The main message from this study is something we often hear. Eating nutritious food, staying active, and reducing alcohol consumption is an important step to maintain health in the long term," said Matthew.

"Implementing healthier eating habits can be an effective way to prevent lung cancer." he added.