A lab worker inspects a white rat which has tumors and is used for cancer gene therapy research. (Photo : Getty Images)
A research conducted at Lanzhou University shows that the Chinese have a greater risk of being diagnosed with cancer due to their dietary patterns linked with dioxin. The study was recently published online via Nature magazine under the Scientific Reports.
In a 30-year span, the researchers found out these changing dietary patterns like the increase in consumption of animal-based products increased the risk of cancer. Back in 1980, the risk of getting cancer in the Chinese population is only at 8 percent, but it has jumped to 17 percent in 2009.
What are Dioxins?
According to WHO, dioxins are a group of chemical compounds that are found in the environment. They are considered as pollutants and amass in the fat tissues of animals. Humans are exposed to dioxins mostly through food that includes meat, dairy, fish and seafood.
All people are exposed to dioxins with negligible effect to someone's health, but due to its high-toxic potential, it can cause complications to different organs and human systems. These chemical compounds can also be produced by forest fires or volcanic eruptions.
A research conducted in 1997 and 2012 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer was able to classify dioxins as a "known human carcinogen."
Higher Cancer Risk in Urban Areas
The research led by Dr. Huang Tao and Prof. Jianmin Ma also found out that Chinese residents from the urban areas have a higher cancer risk than those from the rural areas. This is due to more dioxins emitted in the urban areas because of industries like iron, steel and thermal power.
People in the city also have higher income, resulting in a more animal-based diet.
"Food ingestion is still the major route for human exposure and body burden to dioxin," Prof. Ma said.
