Diet and Health: Diseases and Food 301The annual WHO World Health Report has shown that cancers are increasing
worldwide,^92 and the 2003 World Cancer Report suggested that, like obesity, ris-
ing cancer rates are preventable. By virtue of steadily ageing populations, cancer
could further increase by 50 per cent to 15 million new cases a year by 2020. In
2000, 6.2 million people died of cancer worldwide (12.5 per cent of all deaths),
but 22.4 million were living with cancer. In the South, cancers of the oesophagus,
liver and cervix are more common, while in the North, there is a predominance of
cancers of the lung, colon, pancreas and breast.
The most significant cause of death among men is lung cancer and among
women breast cancer, but certain life-style changes, such as to diet or smoking
habits, would alter these patterns. Some cancers are closely associated with diets
centred on well-cooked red meats, animal proteins and saturated fats in large
quantities, with a daily routine that takes in little physical activity.^93 Indeed, many
cancers could be prevented by modifying dietary habits to include more fruits,
vegetables, high-fibre cereals, fats and oils derived from vegetables, nuts, seeds and
fish, and by limiting the intake of animal fats derived from meat, milk and dairy
products.94,95 A number of published studies show that an increase in antioxidant
nutrients such as beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, zinc and selenium could also
decrease the risk of certain cancers and there seems to be strong evidence that eat-
ing a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables will reduce the risk of stomach cancer.^96
Yet the nutrition transition is being driven in a different direction – towards a diet
actually higher in processed foods and animal fats, key food industries within the
Productionist paradigm.
Diabetes
The incidence of type II diabetes is, alarmingly, on the increase. This form of dia-
betes was formerly known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, occurring
when the body is unable to respond to the insulin produced by the pancreas; it
accounts for around 90 per cent of cases worldwide. In Type I diabetes (formerly
known as insulin-dependent), the pancreas fails to produce the insulin which is
essential for survival; this form develops most frequently in children and adoles-
cents, but is now being increasingly noted later in life.^97 It is anticipated that cases
of type II diabetes will rise coming years (see Table 13.13): the WHO anticipates
a doubling in the number of cases from 150 million in 1997 to 300 million in
2025, with the greatest number of new cases being in China and India.^98
Diabetes is the fourth main cause of death in most developed countries. Research
demonstrates the association between excessive weight gain, central adiposity (fat
around the waist) and the development of type II diabetes. Diabetics are two to four
times more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases than others, and a stroke is twice
as common in people with diabetes and high blood pressure as it is for those with
high blood pressure alone. In 2000, India recorded 32.7 million diabetics, China