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Our place in the world can make children sick. Geography seems like an unexpected cause of pediatric leukemia, but it is not.
A central breakthrough of modern medicine is the progressive discovery that we can influence our health through lifestyle choices.
Location affects people’s access to basic necessities such as transportation, healthcare services, jobs, and food.
Real-Life Experiments
Immigration offers scientists a real-life scenario to elucidate how location impacts health risks. Hispanic immigration to the US is a perfect case study for this purpose.
Hispanics represent almost a fifth (18.7%) of the American population, and cancer is the leading cause of death for Hispanics living in the US — for the rest of the country, it is heart disease.
Studies have shown that, for example, Puerto Ricans living on the island are less prone to cancer than those living in the US.
What’s going on?
The reasons for these differences are multifaceted and impossible to isolate into a specific cause, but putting the pieces together, one by one, is a worthy endeavor.
A Worthwhile Cause
Dr. Neimar De Paula Silva and Dr. Eva Steliarova-Foucher are scientists on a mission.
Dr. Neimar De Paula Silva
Dr. Eva Steliarova-Foucher
Their work with the International Agency for Research on Cancer—a World Health Organization agency—is focused on understanding the causes of childhood cancer and finding ways to prevent it.
In a conversation with Breaking Cancer News about their recent paper “Incidence of childhood cancer in Latin America and the Caribbean,” they shared their findings.
“The causes of childhood cancer are not yet well understood. Evidence shows that cancer occurring during childhood may be linked to certain genetic conditions and few environmental exposures,” said Drs. De Paula Silva and Steliarova-Foucher.
The Food Connection
Cancer research shows that certain nutrient-dense foods (like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables) contain protective compounds that reduce cancer risk. However, knowing that specific foods are healthier than others is insufficient to explain why Hispanics are more impacted by cancer than other Americans.
People eat within a context. Their food choices depend on where they live, what they can afford, and their specific habits.
Acclimating to the American lifestyle means for Hispanics adopting unhealthy behaviors, such as eating processed foods and calorie-dense meals.
Why?
There are multiple reasons, but for an immigrant, long hours at work are typical, access to affordable healthy options is scarce, and fast food alternatives are abundant.
When Unhealthy Eating Makes Sense
Adopting unhealthy diets is not a moral deficiency or an ignorant practice.
If you can only afford a cheeseburger, guess what’s for lunch? Fast food is a logical option if your work schedule is tight and you only have enough time to grab a quick bite. If you cannot find healthy food choices in your neighborhood, traveling to find organic broccoli is out of the question.
When Hispanics come to the US, they encounter an economy that moves fast and prioritizes convenience.
Studies show the more Hispanics assimilate into the American culture, the more sugar they eat and the less they consume fruits and vegetables. These dietary habits (the Western Diet) are correlated with metabolic imbalances—a leading risk factor for cancer.
Leukemia and Nutrition
In pediatric cancer studies, researchers have found that almost half of newly diagnosed Hispanic children are undernourished. These kids tend to abandon therapy more frequently, making them more vulnerable.
Dietary factors play a significant role in childhood leukemia.
What mothers eat during pregnancy matters. For instance, protein malnutrition and mineral deficiencies (like zinc and magnesium) in pregnancy augment the risk of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in children.
Overnutrition also increases pediatric ALL risk, as mothers who are obese or have diabetes during pregnancy elevate leukemia incidence. At the same time, pregnant women who eat healthy protein sources and more fruits and vegetables reduce ALL risks in their children.
Obesity in children fighting leukemia is a risk that increases mortality rates, a concerning threat, considering studies show that 27% of pediatric ALL children are overweight, and 79% of them eat more calories than the recommended amounts.
These eating patterns demand attention.
Nutritional habits compound with genetic predispositions that researchers like Drs. De Paula Silva and Steliarova-Foucher are unveiling as explanatory factors for the elevated levels of cancer in Hispanic populations.
“Leukemia incidence is elevated in Latin America. In children, most leukemia cases are of acute lymphoid type. Although the highest rates are reported in the Hispanic population of North America, Latin American rates are still higher than the world average.”
“The reasons for this may be the specific genetic predisposition to acute lymphoid leukemia in the native American population, which may contribute to the highest rate of this leukemia in the US Hispanics,” explained Drs. De Paula Silva and Steliarova-Foucher.
Why Closing Nutritional Gaps Matters
What Hispanic children battling leukemia eat affects their health outcomes.
Leukemia cells have specific nutrient dependencies to support their growth. Understanding these needs is critical as it opens the door to personalized therapies that target cancer cells’ abnormal nutrient usage without harming normal cells.
As researchers unravel the factors that influence therapeutic interventions’ success, it becomes evident that proper nutritional status is required to obtain the best treatment results.
Poor nutritional status increases adverse outcomes in childhood hematological malignancies, elevates the likelihood of infections, and augments the risk of relapse and death by up to 50% in overweight children with leukemia.
Culturally Appropriate Nutrition
The American Cancer Society considers diet a central prevention tool against cancer. The recommendations are straightforward:
- Eat a balanced diet.
- Prioritize fruits and vegetables.
- Limit sugar.
- Favor whole grains.
These suggestions are familiar to all of us. However, familiarity doesn’t mean they are easy to apply.
How do we make them a reality for Hispanic families?
Nutritional interventions must adapt to people’s lifestyles. It’s not enough to tell individuals what to do; it is imperative to help them implement optimal nutrition guidelines.
Addressing a person’s heritage, socioeconomic challenges, and cultural traditions is fundamental for enacting change in what Hispanics eat today to safeguard their health tomorrow.
