Meantime, doctors have been examining the relationship between cancer and a person’s diet. In Sri Lanka, cancer of the esophagus reportedly is quite common, with almost twice as many women as men suffering from it. Investigation revealed two main causes. Chewing betel nut and smoking certainly contributed. But the outstanding factor seemed to be an iron deficiency in the diet of the women.

The studies tried to correlate these statistics with the diets of the different groups. Preliminary findings showed that the total fat intake of each group paralleled quite closely the occurrences of prostatic cancer in men and breast cancer in women.

On the positive side, researchers in Japan have noticed the good effect of vitamin A in the prevention of lung cancer. It was noticed that those who ate plenty of green and yellow vegetables were less susceptible to lung cancer. Similar findings were reported among the Singapore Chinese.

Also, since eating a balanced diet, with plenty of iron and green and yellow vegetables, avoiding moldy food and taking a daily bath—as well as leading a clean and moral life—may prevent the spread of the scourge, a person certainly is not a loser when he does such things.