Are Indians less susceptible to stomach cancer because their diet contains lots of natural herbs like turmeric?

Doctor's Answers 1

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Dr Yuk Man Kan

General Surgeon

We know that turmeric and certain things are anti-carcinogenic. And we know some of the remedies, some of the pills do have turmeric.

I don’t think it’s that in itself, but the Indians have a lower incidence of gastric cancer. The flip side of this is that the Indians have a higher incidence of colon cancer. There’s genetic relevance, and diet certainly has an impact on the risk.

Certain parts of China, where the food intake is of a certain type, the risk of gastric cancer is higher. In Japan, the H. pylori infection rate is higher, so that’s one thing that we know.

In Korea, we think it’s a combination of diet and H. pylori infection. So there are lots of specific reasons. To answer the question, diet does play a part but there are genetics and other reasons as well.

Similar Questions

In what cases is surgery recommended for stomach cancer patients?

As per all cancers, the earlier the stage of the cancer, the higher the chance of cure. In stomach cancer, it is no different. If stomach cancer is in the early stages where there is no spread of cancer to the surrounding tissues or to distant sites, surgery offers the best chance of cure. An exception is when the cancer is detected in the very early stages where the cancer involvement is very shallow. In such very early stages, a curative option will include an endoscopic resection of the cancer.

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Answered By

Dr Stephen Chang

General Surgeon

Are there conditions or diagnoses that can be confused with stomach cancer because of similar symptoms?

Yes. As I mentioned, some of the symptoms can be very subtle. You may not be having symptoms. Some people have ulcers, some have gallstones, and they experience bloating. Occasionally people have food poisoning. It’s really figuring out what is what. Unfortunately, at times like this, it’s very difficult to decide. We, as a professional, would say “okay, what are the chances of this being a stomach cancer, what’s the chance of it being something completely different? ” So it’s really taking the context into consideration.

Photo of Dr Yuk Man Kan

Answered By

Dr Yuk Man Kan

General Surgeon

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