The Top Ten Anti Cancer Foods
Rushing out the door to work, you grab yourself a bag lunch: a soy-make-believe-turkey sandwich on whole wheat, salad with a little bit of dressing, a handful of walnuts, and two tangerines. A healthy meal you think.
More than healthy: As a matter of fact, researchers believe that those foods may help you fight cancer.
“Most of the top anti-cancer foods are not only good for you, they are also rich in antioxidants,” says Michael J. Wargovich, PhD, a Professor of Pathology at University of South Carolina School of Medicine and Director of Basic Research for the South Carolina Cancer Center.
“The fruits and vegetables you eat are especially important because nature endowed them with phytochemicals (chemicals found in highly colored fruits and vegetables) that protect us against cancer,” says Kevin Vigilante, MD, author of Low-Fat Lies High-Fat Frauds (Lifeline Press). Some of these phytochemicals, such as carotenes, function by helping cells communicate in suppressing the growth of cancerous cells.
Feast in the top 10 anti-cancer foods
- Tomatoes: One of the natural colorings that make tomatoes red is a “carotenoid” called lycopene. Aside from its luscious color, this chemical may significantly reduce a man’s risk of prostate cancer and also may help the body avoid breast and lung cancer. Researchers have found that those who eat foods with tomato sauce, ketchup and pizza sauce absorb enough lycopene to lower their cancer risk (though lycopene is also available in supplements). In food, your body can absorb plenty of lycopene from cooked tomatoes that includes some oil. Since carotenes like lycopene are what food chemists call lipophilic or fat loving, fat eaten with them helps them get into your bloodstream more effectively. Research: Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 218, 1998: 129-39; Nutr Cancer 34(2), 1999: 153-9.
- Walnuts: When you bite down on walnuts, you also bite down on a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids. Research shows fatty walnuts may reduce rates of cancer in addition to their role in fighting heart disease. Beneath those wrinkled shells, walnuts also contain vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps the body fight off the harmful effects of environmental carcinogens. Research: Cancer Letter 136(2), 1999 Mar 1: 215-21.
- Olive Oil: Don’t forget to drizzle those salads with olive oil and vinegar. Studies show that countries where people consume plenty of olive oil (such as Greece) experience low rates of cancer. Olives contain lots of antioxidants (though not all of them make it into the oil). Still, olive oil is a monounsaturated fat which resists oxidizing, a process that creates harmful molecules called free radicals. The fatty acids in olive oil are thought, to help protect against breast, prostate and colon cancer. On the other hand, polyunsaturated fats like corn, safflower and sun- flower oil are thought to stimulate cancer cells when consumed at the high levels Americans are prone to. Research: Arch Intern Med 158(l), 1998: 41-5; IntJ Cancer 80(5), 1999 March 1: 704-8; Carcinogenesis 19(2), 1998 Peb: 287-90.
- Red, Orange, Green and Yellow Fruits and Vegetables: Are you looking for anti-cancer carotenoids in all of the right places? The more color in your fruits or vegetables (think carrots, sweet potatoes, red peppers and tangerines), the more cancer- fighting flavonoids and carotenoids they contain. Flavonoids are natural chemicals that scavenge and help eliminate free radicals (unstable molecules that may promote tumor growth). Carotenoids are believed to also help make cancer cells behave. And while fruits like bananas have healthy minerals and vitamins, their pale stuffing contains few of these cancer-fighting pigments. Research: i Am Diet Assoc 97, 1997: S199-S204; Anticancer Res 18 (6A), 1998 Nov-Dec: 4201-5.
- Cruciferous Vegetables: Parents have been fighting with their kids for ages to get them to eat cruciferous vegetables (named for their cross-shapes). These green wonders which kids resist include kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower. Their secret ingredient: a biochemical called dithiolthione, which revs up the body’s detoxifying enzymes. Researchers find that people who eat large helpings of these vegetables run a reduced risk of colon and bladder cancer. Research-. National Cancer Institute 91(7), 1999 April 7: 605-13; Am J Clin Nut?i 71(2), 2000 Feb: 575-82.
- Garlic: Garlic, a prominent member of the allium family of plants (along with onions, shallots and leeks) is believed to protect against many types of cancer by enhancing immunity. At the same time, it boosts liver function, slows the spread of cancer cells and increases the production of enzymes that help eliminate cancer-causing substances. Research: Carcinogenesis 17, 1996: 1041-44; jpn J Cancer Res 90(6), 1999 Jun: 614-21; Urol Clin Nortb Am 27(l), 2000 Feb: 157-62.
- Green and Black Tea: A spot of tea may help prevent spots on your x-rays. Green and black teas (though primarily green tea) contain polyphenols, powerful antioxidants that research shows may reduce your risk of colon and skin cancers. In the lab, the phytochemicals in green tea have inhibited the development of tumor cells in animals. Researchers also think that milk in your tea may slow absorption of these desirable biochemicals. So try lemon instead. Research: Columbia P”sbyterian Biomedical Frontiers Fall 1996; Cancer Res 60(4), 2000 Feb 15: 901-7.
- Soy foods (soy milk, tofu): Soybeans are a treasure trove of phytochemicals like genistein, which may suppress the growth of cancer cells in the prostate, colon and urinary tract. Soybeans also contain isoflavones, a family of weak, natural estrogens (phytoestrogens) that have been shown to decrease estrogen in the blood. How does this help fight cancer? The theory: Phytoestrogens bind to estrogen receptors on breast tissue cells, slowing or eliminating the cancerous effects of letting real estrogen link up to those cells. Research: Am J Clinical Nutrition 68(6), 1998 Dec: 1426S-30S; Clin Cancer Res 6(l), 2000 Jan: 230-6.
- Whole Grains: Whole grains usually contain more vitamins, fiber and miniscule amounts of healthy fat. Refined grains lack these reputed cancer-fighters. The fiber in these whole foods has been found to lower rates of colon and breast cancer. Whole grains like brown rice and whole oats retain the bran husks on the seeds. Theory: Fiber speeds undigested food through your intestines, eliminating carcinogens that might otherwise increase cancer risk. Research: j Natl Cancer Inst 82, 1990: 561-569; Proc Nutr Soc 49, 1990: 153-71.
- Red and Purple Grapes, and Red Wine: They contain a compound called resveratrol, a potent polyphenol (antioxidant) that may help prevent tumors and also ward off heart disease. ActiVin, a grape seed extract available as a supplement, has been found to help the body fight off the free radical effects of environmental pollution. Research: J Biol Chem 273, 1998: 21875-82; Anticancer Res 19(6B), 1999 Nov-Dec: 5407-14.
Remember that eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables may give your body a larger anti-cancer arsenal than a single fruit or vegetable. (A multivitamin for nutritional insurance won’t hurt either.) Frozen fruits or vegetables retain reputed cancer-fighting biochemicals. Organic produce (grown with out artificial chemicals) lowers your risk of being exposed to pesticide residues. Restrict your consumption of processed foods, which have had many of the cancer-fighting compounds taken out.
“For the most part, our diets can either promote or inhibit cancer,” says Dr. Wargovich. By making the right food choices, you can make certain that you (and not cancer) will remain in the driver’s seat when it comes to your health.
Low-Fat Lies
People think that a low-fat diet is the healthiest. Not so, says Low-Fat Lies author Kevin Vigilante. The traditional Mediterranean diet is 40% fat, yet the Mediterranean countries that eat this diet enjoy the lowest rates of cancer in the world. A few anti-cancer tips:
Fats such as olive and canola oil, and omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil, may help prevent cancer. Stay away from meaty saturated fats and limit polyunsaturated fats, such as corn, safflower and cotton- seed. Hydrogenated oils in margarines may increase your risk of cancer and heart disease.
Eat your veggies with a little bit of oil (try extra virgin olive oil) to help your body absorb their carotenoids more effectively.
Limit your meat consumption. A study in the November 1998 Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that women who regularly ate very well-done red meat ran a much higher risk of breast cancer than women who liked theirs rare or medium. The reason: Chemical carcinogens created by browning or barbecuing. Chicken or fish have fewer of these chemicals. Fish also yields omega-3 fatty acids.
Cut back on fast food and deep-fried foods such as French fries and fried chicken, which are loaded with unhealthy saturated and polyunsaturated fats (they raise LDL levels), and avoid processed foods, which have had all the vitamins, minerals and nutrients taken out.
Drink alcohol in moderation. Two or more alcoholic drinks a day can raise your risk for cancer. However, red wine is linked to a reduced rate of heart disease because it appears to inhibit platelet clotting more than white wine or other types of alcohol.
