Anticancer Diet Helpers

Here’s a summary* of recommended foods that may help you prevent various cancers:

Green Tea – not the rubbish additives in commercial drinks, the real thing properly steeped.
Rich in polyphenols which reduce the growth of new vessels needed for tumour growth and metastases. Green Tea is also a powerful antioxidant and detoxifer as it activates liver enzymes that eliminate toxins from the body.

Cruciform Vegetables – eat your greens!
Cabbage, brussel sprouts, bok choy, chinese cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower etc contain sulforaphan and indo-3-carbinols: powerful anticancer molecules that can prevent pre-cancerous cells from developing into malignant tumours.

Onions (including garlic, leeks, shallots, chives)
The sulphur compounds of this family reduce the carcinogenic effects created in over-grilled meat and during tobacco combustion and promote cancer cell death.

Get colour – carrots, sweet potatoe (yam), squash, pumpkin, tomatoes, persimmons, apricots, beetroot … in fact any of the bright-coloured fruits and vege (orange, red, yellow, green) all contain Vitamin A and lycopene which have the proven capacity to inhibit the growth of many types of cancer cells. Tomatoes get a special mention as the levels of lycopene in tomatoes lead to longer survival from prostate cancer in men who consumed tomatoes at least twice a week.

Soy (including tofu, tempeh, miso, mung beans and bean sprouts) block the stimulation of cancer cells by sex hormones and also block angiogenesis. Asian women who have eaten soy since adolescence have significantly fewer breast cancer cases.

Mushrooms
Shiitake, maitake, enoki, crimini, portabello and oyster and thistle oyster mushrooms all contain polysaccharides and lentinian, which stimulate immune cell reproduction and activity.

Herbs and spices
Tumeric the most powerful natural anti-inflammatory identified to-date, also helps stimulate the death of cancer cells. Ginger Root helps reduce the creation of new blood vessels (see Green Tea). A ginger infusion can also alleviate nausea from chemotherapy of radiotherapy (not to mention travel sickness). Rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil and mint promote cancer cell death and reduce their spread by blocking the enzymes they need to invade neighbouring tissue.

Fatty Fish: the omega-3s found in fatty fish reduce inflammation and in cell cultures have reduced cancer cell growth. They also act to reduce the spread of tumours in the form of metastases. A significant intake of Vitamin D reduces the risk of cancers considerably. Fatty fish types include (fresh, not smoked) salmon, mackerel, sardines, eel and cod liver oil.

Berries – you name them, they’re all great: raspberries, blueberries, cranberries. They contain ellagic acid and a large number of polyphenols and stimulate the mechanisms of elimination of carcinogenic substances and inhibit angiogenesis and promote apoptosis in cancer cells. Better still, freezing does not damage the anticancer molecules in these berries, so when out of season locally you can enjoy frozen stock.

Citrus Fruits contain anti-inflammatory flavonoids and also stimulate the detoxification of carcinogens by the liver. Organic tangerine skin has even been shown to penetrate brain cancer cells!

A great routine is to have 1 glass of warm water with the juice of ½ a lemon first thing every morning (before breakfast, shower etc), as the lemon juice will stimulate liver enzymes and give them a kick-start for the day.

Pomegranate Juice properties have already been confirmed as excellent anti-inflammatories and antioxidants. It also has the capacity to substantially reduce the development of prostate cancer with daily consumption slowing the spread of an established prostate cancer by 67%. A recent study has also linked this wonder juice to a reduction in LDL cholesterol.

My absolute favourite refresher is 1/3 pomegranate juice with 2/3 soda water.

And now the ones you really want to hear about …

Red Wine contains many polyphenols that are extracted by fermentation and the methods used for preserving wine protect the resveratrolis (a type of polyphenol) from oxidation. This makes their concentration much greater in red wine than in grapes or grape juice or white wine. Of course alcohol abuse has many other side-effects, so limited consumption is recommended.

Dark Chocolate: more than 70% cocoa chocolate contains antioxidants, proanthocyanidines and polyphenols that slow the growth of cancer cells and limit angiogenesis. A single square of very dark chocolate contains twice as many of these wonder molecules as a glass of red wine and as many as a properly steeped cup of green tea. Consumption of up to 20gr per day of chocolate is acceptable calorie-wise.

So there you have it – confirmation that a well balanced diet of fresh foods is not only good for you but can be tasty too. Enjoy!



Resource: Article published in Australian Natural Health (Vol 8, Number 6, Dec-Jan 2009) based on the book 'Anticancer: A New Way of Life' by Dr David Servan-Schriber