Eating plenty of raw and fresh fish could protect smokers from lung cancer, according to new research.
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The number of smokers in the Japanese population is the same, if not higher, than in countries such as the UK. The lung cancer rate in Japan is only two-thirds as high however, prompting scientists to investigate what could be protecting Japanese consumers from the disease.
Scientists at the Cancer Centre Hospital in Aichi, Japan, now believe the disparity in numbers of people who develop the disease can be attributed to the traditional Japanese diet, which is rich in fresh and raw fish, in the form of sushi. They studied the dietary habits of over 4,000 healthy people, and 1,000 who have been diagnosed with lung cancer, before reaching the conclusion that consuming “large” amounts of fresh fish will significantly reduce the chances that men and women contract the disease. The diet is particularly good at protecting smokers against the adenocarcinoma form of the disease, which accounts for about 5% of cases, apparently halving the risk of developing this form.
The scientists believe that salted or dried fish does not have the same protective qualities, however.
Approximately 30,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer every year in the UK. 90% of these can blame their disease directly on smoking, and at least 95% will die within five years.
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By GlobalDataThe director general of the Cancer Research Campaign, Professor Gordon McVie, commented that the research: “once again emphasises the important interaction of diet and tobacco in deciding whether we will develop cancer.”
