No one can eat fish like they do in Iceland. As an island culture, fish comes in an abundance of species including delicious cod, haddock, monkfish, herring, skate, and salmon. They prepare this bounty of fish in a large variety of ways, the most traditional being the saltfiskur (salt fish) while the most commonly seen are bags of dried fish-jerky. What may not have occured to anyone is that Icelandic people eat a lot more fish than people from landlocked and even coastal mainland regions. A recent study on this unique and beautiful island found that eating a large amount of fish in your youth can significantly decrease your chances of breast cancer, and a study before that suggested that prostate cancer is also much lower in frequent fish-eaters. This interesting revelation adds just one more reason why it’s great to live in Iceland, and why fish is good for you.
Breast Cancer and Fish
Fish consumption in the US is prevalent, but it’s not overwhelming. Unless they have a favorite fish-dish, most people eat fish more like once or twice a month than several times a week. Breast cancer hits about 1 in 8 women according to BreastCancer.org. This comes out to about 12% of all women at some point over the course of their lifetimes, and can range from benign to life-taking. Still just within the bounds of the US, about forty thousand women are expected to die of breast cancer during 2017. Men aren’t safe either, though their risk is much lower at about one in a thousand. With odds like these, it’s no wonder that scientists around the world are looking for ways to lower the risk of the most common kind of cancer in women. When taking histories of women with and without breast cancer, a recent study in Iceland revealed that women who ate more fatty fish as teenagers had an overall lower chance of contracting breast cancer in their later years. This study looked at a similar topic and concluded that fish oil has an inverse association with breast cancer rates.
Prostate Cancer and Fish
Prostate cancer is like the mirror-cancer to women’s breast cancer, as it is the most common cancer type among men and also tends to strike later in life. It has a similar strike-rate, as according to Cancer.net about 12% of all men are diagnosed with it at some point in their lifetimes. Prostate cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in men, and it’s been estimated that 26,000 men will die in 2017. Cancer as a whole is a terrifying prospect and for men who want to increase their chance to stay out of that 12%, there are constant studies about how to decrease your exposure to carcinogens. This mostly creates a huge list of things not to eat or do, but what about fun things to eat that help you avoid cancer instead? While eating fatty fish as teenagers may help women dodge breast cancer, this study suggests that men who consume fish oil in their later years can seriously decrease their chances for prostate cancer.
Foods and Cancer in General
With cancer being such a big issue, there have been thousands of studies on what does and does not increase your chances of growing rebellious tumors. Unfortunately for everyone, most of the really good stuff is on the ‘bad’ list and we all choose when and where to take our chances. Carcinogenic (cancer-causing) foods and drinks include:
- Alcoholic Anything – The first bummer.
- Processed Meats – This includes bacon, sausage, hot dogs, pepperoni, beef jerky, and prosciutto. Really anything that’s been preserved, cured, or salted.
- Grilled Foods – That delicious char is made of cancer, sorry.
- Red Meats – All red meats, including lamb, horse, and goat.
- Hot Beverages – Anything even approaching body temperature.
- Coffee – Even if you drink it cold.
With all these amazing and delicious foods “off the table” for a cancer-free life, we begin to see a picture in which cancer is probably inevitable. After all, even Shaolin monks don’t drink their tea cold if they can help it. When it comes to reducing your cancer risks, you may be better off seeking foods that help you, rather than trying to avoid every food that’s been associated with cancer. Other than delicious fatty fish, these helpful foods include:
- Garlic – Can actually reduce tumor growth, better fresh than powdered.
- Broccoli – Better raw, but definitely don’t microwave.
- Brazil Nuts – High in selenium, and can also help after you have cancer
- Citrus – Good for anything it touches, from your skin to your stomach lining.
- Saurkraut – The fermentation process is the key.
- Mushrooms – Healthy in a lot of ways and especially for breast and prostate cancer.
Fortunately, these are only a few of your anti-cancer options. Some are strange, many are delicious, and almost all of them are healthy. The unwritten rule that a healthy lifestyle helps you fight cancer is true, but you should still do your homework because the way you prepare these foods also has a fairly large effect on their cancer-fighting effects and grilling them with char, for instance, makes the point moot by adding carcinogens to your anti-cancer meal.
Like most diets, the Icelandic selection of fishy dishes runs the gambit from healthy to carcinogenic. While their favorite saltfiskur falls under the ‘anything cured’ rule, there are dozens of other recipes which do not. Fresh fish boiled, grilled (but not charred), and even fried can be chock full of the fatty fish oils that help fight breast and prostate cancer, so remember whether you’re vacationing in Iceland or shopping at home, eat more fish. No doubt the clever Icelandic scientists who did the research are doing so.