Open Access Mini Review

Effect of Nutrition on Oral Cancer, Review

Nada AL-Hajajreh1 and Ahmed Alomar2*

1Dietitian specialist in private clinic, Saudi Arabia

2Associate consultant of oral and maxillofacial surgery, King Saud University

Corresponding Author

Received Date: April 08, 2020;  Published Date: May 06, 2020

Abstract

Oral and pharyngeal cancer, grouped together, represent the sixth most common cancer in the world1. The annual estimated incidence is around 275,000 for oral and 130,300 for pharyngeal cancers excluding nasopharynx, with two thirds of these cases occurring in developing countries [1]. Oral cancer is one of the most prevalent and the 10th familiar cause of death. The prevalence of oral cancer is less than 3% of all cancers in the United States but it is the eight most common cancer in males and the fifteenth most common in females [2]. The role of diet in the etiology of oral and pharyngeal cancer remains unresolved. A recent revision concluded that consumption of non-starchy vegetables, fruits, and foods containing carote-noids probably protect against these cancers but available evidence is still inconsistent for other dietary components [3].The analysis of dietary patterns may help to show the influence of diet on risk of oral cancer [4]. The “traditional” pattern characterized by rice, beans and meat consumption, was inversely associated with oral cancer. Similar finding were observed in a study conducted in São Paulo and it was hypothesized that it might be due to the practice of consuming regular meals of this traditional mixture [5]. The type of carbohydrate could influence the amount of short-chain fatty acids produced, and starch has been associated with an increased production of butyrate 19, which could induce an inhibitory effect of oral carcinoma cell proliferation [6]. Tobacco and alcohol are the major recognized risk factors for OCP cancer, with relative risks in the order of 5–10 for smokers as compared with nonsmokers (IARC, 2004) and for heavy drinkers as compared with abstainers or moderate drinkers [7].

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