Cancer Fighting Foods
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Cancer Fighting
Foods Peppers have been used to treat pain, coughs, sore throats and will eating certain foods help reduce my chances of getting cancer? Yes. And since fully
one-third of cancer deaths each year are attributed to a poor diet, eating right
is one of the most important things you can do to protect yourself. Start by
loading up on fruits and vegetables. Studies show that people who eat the most
produce run just half the cancer risk faced by people who eat the least. Many
foods from the garden contain nutrients such as Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and
Selenium, which act as antioxidants; they trap and absorb free radicals,
unstable oxygen molecules that form when cells burn off energy during normal
metabolism. Left unchecked, free radicals can damage cells and lead to cancer.
Other substances, called phytochemicals, may work by preventing carcinogens from
forming in the body. Which cancer-fighting foods are best? They're all good, but
here are a few stars of the produce aisle:
Your cancer-fighting arsenal should also contain grains and legumes. Beans, nuts, and whole-grain breads and cereals can shield you from pancreatic and stomach cancer. They boast plenty of fiber to speed waste out of the body, giving harmful substances less time to damage the cells lining your digestive system. And if you strip away the soybean's plain facade, you'll find a potent tumor fighter called genistein, which may protect against reproductive cancers by interfering with the effects of estrogen.
Aim for 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day -- fresh, frozen, canned, dried, or made into juice. For grains and beans, the goal is 6 to 11 servings a day. That may sound like a lot of food, but one serving size is generally small -- half a cup of veggies or a slice of bread.
The verdict is still out on supplements' cancer-fighting potential. On the promising side, one study of Selenium supplements suggested that they may cut the risk of lung, colorectal, and prostate cancer, and Vitamin E has lowered prostate cancer and death among smokers. But other studies aren't so encouraging. Scientists in the United States and Europe were alarmed to find that giving Vitamin A supplements to smokers actually increased their chances of getting lung cancer. The problem is that although researchers have started to identify various compounds in food that can disarm cancer cells in the lab, they still don't know how these substances act inside the body. So far, no single food or chemical has been proved to work on its own. Until more is known about supplements, it's probably smarter to get cancer-fighting protection from a variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains, which will deliver a range of nutrients and keep you from taking in large and possibly harmful amounts of any one substance. The same goes for fiber supplements. The health benefits may come from a combination of elements rather than the fiber alone, so it's better to get your fiber from the real thing.
Cut back on fat. A high-fat diet has been linked to an increased risk of breast, colon, and prostate cancer. You should get less than 30 percent of your daily calories from fat. (In the average American diet, 37 percent of calories come from fat). Cut down most of all on saturated fat, the kind that hardens at room temperature and is found in animal products like meat and butter. Drink alcohol in moderation, if at all. Drinking raises your risk of cancer of the mouth, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, lungs, liver, and colon. If you're a man, hold the line at two drinks a day. If you're a woman, your body metabolizes alcohol differently, so you need to limit yourself to no more than one can of beer, one glass of wine, or one hard drink a day. Eat processed meats sparingly; such items as hot dogs and lunch meats contain nitrates and nitrites. These preservatives have been linked to cancer of the esophagus and stomach in countries like Iceland, China, and Japan, where people eat large amounts of smoked, salted, or cured meat. Don't overdo the barbecued meats. The longer you leave your meat on the barbie, the more carcinogens form in it. To reduce cooking time on the grill, first thaw meat or partly cook it in the microwave.
-- Kristin
Kloberdanz, M.A., a former associate editor for Consumer Health Interactive, is
an editor at Book magazine in New York City. Roberta Larson Duyuff, MS, RD, CFCS, The American Dietetic Association's Complete Food & Nutrition Guide. Chronimed Publishing, 1996, 1998. Varro E. Tyler, PhD.
Herbs of Choice: The Therapeutic Use of Phytomedicinals. Pharmaceutical Products
Press, 1994.
2. Kono Y, Shibata H, Kodama Y, Sawa Y The suppression of the N-nitrosating reaction by chlorogenic acid. Biochem J 1995 Dec 15;312 ( Pt 3):947-53 3. Soliman KF, Mazzio EA In vitro attenuation of nitric oxide production in C6 astrocyte cell culture by various dietary compounds. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 1998 Sep;218(4):390-7 4. Giovannucci, E., Ascherio, A., Rimm, E.B., Stampfer, M.J., Colditz, G.A., and Willett, W.C. 1995. Intake of carotenoids and retinol in relation to risk of prostate cancer. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 87: 1767-1776 5. Clinton, S.K. 1998. Lycopene: Chemistry, biology, and implications for human health and disease. Nutr. Rev. 56: 35-51 6. Di Mascio, P., Kaiser, S., and Sies, H. 1989. Lycopene as the most efficient biological carotenoid singlet oxygen quencher. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 274: 532-538. 7. Li, Y., Elie, M., Blaner, W.S., Brandt-Rauf, P., and Ford, J. Lycopene, smoking and lung cancer. Proc. Am. Assoc.. Cancer Res. 38: 113 (abstract #758). Capsaicin is the source of heatfound in chili peppers. Possible benefits include reduced risk of colon, gastric and rectal cancers; inhibits tumor growth. May significantly reduce chronic, debilitating nerve pain associated with a range of diseases when used in high doses.
Chili peppers and jalapenos contain a chemical, capsaicin, which may neutralize certain cancer-causing substances (nitrosamines) and may help prevent cancers such as stomach cancer. Chilies Put the Heat on Cancer Substance In Peppers Kills Cancer Cells Sept. 3, 2002 -- Hot chili peppers not only fire up your food, they may also put the heat on cancer cells and force them to self-destruct. A new study shows a natural substance found in chili peppers kills cancer cells by starving them of oxygen. Researchers tested the chili pepper substance (known as capsaicin) along with a related compound (resiniferatoxin) on human skin cancer cells to analyze how the cells reacted. Both compounds are natural substances known as vanilloids. They found that the majority of the skin cancer cells exposed to the substances died. The researchers say these substances seem to kill cells by damaging the cell membranes and limiting the amount of oxygen that reaches the cancer cells. Study authors Numsen Hail Jr. and Reuben Lotan, PhD, of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston say if more studies confirm these findings, the compounds may eventually be used in skin patches or creams that could treat or prevent skin cancers. Their study appears in the Sept. 4 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. In an editorial that accompanies the study, Young-Joon Surh, PhD, of the College of Pharmacy at Seoul National University in Korea, says the findings provide valuable insight into how capsaicin works within a cell. But Surh says more research is needed to completely understand the process of how the substance causes cell death before it can be used as a potential cancer treatment. Until then, it could be argued that capsaicin might be poisonous to non-cancerous cells as well, he adds. |
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How
much of these foods should I eat?
There
are tantalizing hints that diet can play a role in cancer treatment. A small
Japanese study published in 1998, for instance, found that breast cancer was
about half as likely to recur or metastasize in women who drank four or more
cups of Green Tea a day. But there's no solid evidence yet that any particular
food or diet can cure cancer. Until there is, one of the best ways to boost your
immune system is to make sure that you're getting plenty of nutrients by eating
a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. Consider working with
a registered dietitian to devise a meal plan that's right for you.
Hot
Peppers: A source of capsaicin, a vital immune-booster with powerful anti-viral
effects. Capsaicin is linked to decreased risk of stomach cancer due to its
ability to neutralize nitrosamines, a cancer-causing compound formed in the body
when cured or charred meats are consumed. Capsaicin also kills bacteria believed
to cause stomach ulcers.