7 Best Cancer-Fighting Foods to Reduce Cancer Risk
Guest article provided by: bestratedhealth.com
Cancer refers to a group of diseases related to uncontrolled cell growth and division. In 2022, there were an estimated 1.9 million new cancer cases diagnosed and 609,360 cancer deaths in the United States. Recently, diet and nutrition have emerged as important contributors to cancer risk and progression.
Studies show that diet can prevent 30-35% of cancer deaths. Eating a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes provides fiber, antioxidants and other beneficial substances.
These “anti-cancer foods” are able to protect cells from DNA damage, inhibit tumor growth, and support the immune system to halt cancer progression. Finding and consuming cancer-preventive foods is an important lifestyle approach to reducing cancer risk and burden.
1. Cruciferous Vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables are green vegetables of the Brassicaceae family. Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, arugula and cabbage are major cruciferous vegetables. These plants contain fiber, antioxidants and many anti-cancer compounds.
Cruciferous vegetables contain a lot of organosulfur sulforaphane, which is a major compound. Sulforaphane has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects on the body. Sulforaphane, especially in cancer, increases detoxification enzymes, which enables the body to remove toxins and carcinogens faster.
Sulforaphane also inhibits cancer progression by inhibiting tumor growth, stopping cancer cell replication, and sometimes reducing resistance to chemotherapy. Population studies estimate that consuming cruciferous vegetables may reduce overall cancer risk by 20–40%.
Eating broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale or arugula once or twice daily can provide the body with needed sulforaphane and also provide chemopreventive effects against various cancers.
2. Berries
Berries like raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and blackberries are rich in antioxidants and phytochemicals. Jamun has rich polyphenol content like anthocyanins and ellagic acid, which enable it to reduce oxidative damage within cells.
This is important because cancer development is linked to oxidative stress. Blueberries and black raspberries in particular have been shown to have potential anti-cancer effects. In cell studies, the extract inhibited the growth and spread of oral, prostate, breast and colon cancer cells.
Antioxidants prevent tumor spread by inhibiting apoptosis and angiogenesis. Berries also reduce inflammation and prevent cancer. Human and animal studies show that eating berries every day reduces the growth of cancer cells and tumor progression.
Eating just one cup of berries two or three times a week can make a good plant-based meal to reduce cancer and include in your diet. Their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant abilities provide chemoprotective effects.
3. Leafy green
Leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, kale, Swiss chard, arugula, romaine and watercress, are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber and cancer-fighting phytochemicals. These greens contain high levels of folate, carotenoids, flavonoids, glucosinolates, and other beneficial plant compounds with antioxidant and detoxification abilities.
Leafy greens act chemopreventive, by reducing oxidative stress and reducing carcinogens. Beta-carotene, especially the lutein in spinach and watercress, inhibits the growth of cancer cells. Kaempferol interferes with angiogenesis by nourishing the tumor.
In human population studies, high intake of green leafy vegetables reduced the risk of breast, lung, stomach, kidney and other cancers by 20%. The abundance of immune-supporting nutrients in green leafy vegetables may prevent inflammatory pathways and cancer cell spread.
Eating a cup of leafy greens daily supports several anti-cancer mechanisms and reduces mortality. Consuming green vegetables turns into a simple lifestyle, as their versatile culinary nature makes it multifunctional.
4. Tomatoes
Due to the high lycopene content present in tomatoes, it is an excellent food to ward off cancer. Tomatoes turn red from lycopene. It is a powerful antioxidant, which studies have shown reduces oxidative damage and inflammation, both of which increase the development of cancer.
Lycopene protects cell DNA and the cell division system from free radicals. It also promotes detoxification enzymes to clear carcinogens. There are several human studies linking high consumption of tomatoes and lycopene to a reduced risk of breast, lung, prostate, and gastrointestinal cancers.
Men have up to a 30% lower risk of prostate cancer if they eat more than two tomato sauce servings per week. The progression of prostate cancer can also be prevented and slowed down with the help of tomato products.
Cooking releases more bioavailable lycopene from tomato tissues. Mixing tomatoes with olive oil or another fatty source also improves lycopene absorption. Use lycopene and the antioxidant power of tomatoes in your diet to reduce the growth and spread of cancer.
5. Turmeric
Turmeric is a spice that contains the compound curcumin, which is known to have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Chronic inflammation and high oxidative stress increase cancer metastasis, risk, and spread. Therefore, the abilities of curcumin make turmeric important as an anti-cancer agent.
Curcumin enhances the body’s natural detoxification enzymes and prevents the growth of new blood vessels that nourish tumors. Human studies show that regular consumption of turmeric can reduce the incidence of colon cancer by forty percent. Various population studies have linked curcumin consumption to a 50% lower risk of gastrointestinal cancer.
Additionally, test tube and animal studies show that curcumin prevents cancer from spreading to other organs and prevents chemotherapy resistance in breast, brain, blood, lung, ovarian, bladder, liver, and skin cancers. Turmeric harnesses a wide range of protective mechanisms to provide antioxidant support and target cancer cells without harming healthy cells.
This occurs through daily intake of curcumin in the diet or supplements. The therapeutic effects of turmeric are enhanced as a food ingredient and drink booster.
6. Garlic
Garlic contains bioactive sulfur compounds with anti-cancer effects, including azoin, diallyl sulfide, and allicin. These compounds prevent the spread of tumors by blocking the nutrients needed for the growth of cancer cells. Garlic also supports the body’s natural detoxification enzymes, which help rapidly destroy toxins before they can damage cell DNA.
Garlic also increases cancer cell death, as it disrupts cell division pathways. Its antioxidant properties reduce inflammation and tissue damage, reducing the supply of molecules that trigger chronic inflammation while reducing oxidative stress. Increased consumption of garlic has been linked to a significantly reduced risk of breast, colon, stomach, lung, prostate, and other cancers in population studies.
The immune-boosting effects are greatest when garlic is crushed and allowed to oxidize before cooking. Incorporating 2 to 5 crushed garlic cloves per week provides the best nutrient release and bioavailability of protective organosulfur compounds to prevent the growth and spread of many cancers.
7. Green Tea
Green tea Camellia sinensis is a plant that contains fish polyphenols, specifically epigallocatechin gallate (EGCGC). This is to achieve powerful cross-linking of DNA signals that can trigger cancer growth. Specifically, EGCI has been shown to contain dangerous ROS chemicals in a feast of detox enzymes to clear out these carcinogens.
Polyols are also anti-inflammatory, promoting cancer growth by reducing anti-carcinogenic substances. Population-based studies have been associated with a reduced risk of breast, colorectal, skin, hospital, plaster and other common cancers.
Green tea polyphenols at high doses have been shown to have significant effects in preventing cancer symptoms and reducing metastasis accumulation in late-stage cancer. 2-6 cups per day, with brewing principles that are more simple, such as simple leaf or matcha preparations, are most common.
Daily hydration levels are coordinated, enhanced with anti-inflammatory green tea, using both preventive and physiologic elements in preventing the progression of persistent cancer chemotherapy; This reduces the risk, development and mortality of cancer.
The Bottom Line
Nutrients in foods including cruciferous, such as bergamot, leafy greens, tomatoes, turmeric, garlic and green tea, contain many elements that have cancer-fighting defense mechanisms. Including a diet rich in these foods has been shown to reduce the risk of various common cancers.
Current evidence suggests that you should eat more of these anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich foods to best prevent cancer, although more research is needed. Small dietary spices can add up to significant gutka by enjoying more gutka, tea, jaggery-margya and spices combined with other foods.
Incorporating nature’s cancer-fighting foods promotes overall health, as well as protects against the inflammation and DNA damage that predisposes cancer to an environment conducive to growth.
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