Although cancer rates have risen in Arab countries in recent years, they are still lower than those reported in Western countries. This difference in incidence can be attributed to various factors, including traditional practices such as fasting and consuming food with special spices, as well as lower rates of smoking and alcohol consumption. Additionally, genetics may also play a role in the lower incidence of cancer in Arab countries.
Cancer, responsible for 10 million deaths in 2020, is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. Breast, lung, colon and rectum, prostate, non-melanoma skin, and stomach cancers are the most common types, with over 2 million new cases reported for breast and lung cancers alone. While cancer rates are increasing at an alarming rate in Middle Eastern countries, they remain relatively low compared to the USA and Western countries, with projections showing only a 1.8-fold increase in incidence by 2030.
Australia and New Zealand have the highest cancer rates among the top 10 countries reporting the highest incidence rates, with 452.4 and 422.9 cases per 100,000 people, respectively, using age-standardized methods. In contrast, Middle Eastern countries have much lower incidence rates, with Egypt and Lebanon reporting the highest rates of 159.4 and 165.8 cases per 100,000 people, respectively, while Saudi Arabia and Sudan have the lowest rates of 96.4 and 95.7 cases per 100,000 people, respectively.
Several factors and theories may contribute to the lower incidence of cancer in Arab countries in the Middle East:
Fasting
Ramadan fasting, a religious practice that involves abstaining from food and drink during daylight hours for a month, is a form of intermittent fasting. Some researchers have proposed that intermittent fasting could play a role in preventing and treating cancer. The theory is based on the idea that healthy cells can adapt better to stress caused by a lack of nutrients, while cancer cells continue to grow and require more nutrients. In 2016, a study found that breast cancer patients who fasted for 13 hours or more at night had a 36% lower risk of cancer recurrence than those who did not fast [6]. Another study conducted at Southern California University suggested that fasting could increase the sensitivity of cancer cells to chemotherapy, while also protecting normal cells and promoting stem cell production .
Onodera et al. proposed that small molecular agents that selectively reduce the survival of neoplastic cells under nutrient-deprived conditions could serve as anticancer drugs. In their study, they developed a high-throughput screening system to identify such small molecules and screened chemical libraries and microbial culture extracts. They found that some small molecular compounds, such as penicillic acid, papyracillic acid, and auranofin, exhibited preferential cytotoxicity to human carcinoma cells under nutrient-deprived conditions compared to nutrient-sufficient conditions.
While human studies are needed to confirm the benefits of intermittent fasting, understanding the potential mechanisms by which cancer may be affected by fasting could support the role of timed or long-term fasting in cancer prevention or treatment.
One factor that could contribute to the lower incidence of cancer in Middle Eastern Arab countries is the potential for decreased inflammation. Inflammation is known to play a role in the development and progression of cancer, and chronic inflammation has been linked to poorer cancer prognosis and treatment outcomes. A study conducted in 2019 found that intermittent fasting may have anti-inflammatory effects, as evidenced by decreases in monocyte counts and inflammatory activity after a short fast.
Fasting has been linked to potential improvements in immunity. Fasting may promote cellular protection and increase protection from oxidative stress, which could potentially decrease cancer risk. Fasting has also been shown to lead to a significant drop in insulin levels and increased insulin sensitivity in a shorter amount of time, which may be clinically significant given the link between insulin levels and cancer risk [11]. A study conducted in 2014 found that fasting in mice resulted in the death of “old” immune cells and their replacement with stem cells upon re-feeding, potentially contributing to the regeneration of a stronger immune system after a 3-day fast
Autophagy is a cellular process of lysosomal catabolism that has been conserved through evolution. Its primary function is to degrade and recycle endogenous and exogenous intracellular components to maintain cellular homeostasis.
The role of autophagy in cancer is complex and can vary based on several factors such as tumor type, stage of progression, and genetic status. It may be associated with oncogene activation and tumor suppressor inactivation. Autophagy can either prevent tumor formation or enable adaptation, proliferation, survival, and metastasis of cancer cells. Currently, there is a growing interest in developing protocols that induce autophagy instead of blocking it in the field of oncology.
Fasting has been suggested to lower glucose levels in the bloodstream, potentially hindering the growth of cancer. Cancer cells rely heavily on glucose and consume it at a higher rate than normal cells. During fasting, cells conserve energy by making it easier for cell membranes to metabolize insulin. This enhances insulin’s ability to remove glucose from the blood, reducing the amount available to cancer cells and potentially limiting their growth.
Also on my personal opinion, Middle Eastern people are on of the best people on Earth. They are very helpful toward helpless and poor people. They do so much charity it will make Western Charity a living Joke. And they don’t advertise their charity. You have to know it personally as I do. I used to admire Western Culture, until I started counting Statistics and found out the true nightmare their societies are. And these statistics comes from their own nations. Western society, culture and practices are good for cancer breeding, liver disease, racism, hate, glorified pervert life style, broken family, rape & mass shooting, unfortunately. Also There won’t be any research in West about the reason why Middle Eastern have lower rate of Cancer because it’s counter productive to the influence of powerful people in the West to advertise Muslim practices against their own. And people won’t likely to believe these if they comes from Muslims. In some way it’s fitting as it will benifit only Muslims.
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Why cancer incidence in the Arab counties is much lower than other parts of the world?