by On average, more than one in three people in the United States will develop cancer at some point in their lives, according to the American Cancer Society. And many of those cases, they say, can potentially be prevented, including through dietary changes.
Scientists have a good idea of which foods to avoid to reduce cancer risk, such as red and processed meats, “fast” or processed foods, alcohol, and sugary drinks. But knowing what to Eating isn’t always easy, said Johanna Lampe, a cancer prevention researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle.
Many nutrition studies depend on people accurately remembering what they consumed up to a year ago, Dr. Lampe said. And it’s difficult to understand how individual foods can influence health when they are part of a broader diet, he said, adding that lifestyle, environment, hormones and genes can also play a role.
No single food can prevent cancer, said Nigel Brockton, vice president of research at the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, DC. But eating a healthy diet appears to reduce the risk, he said.
Here are some foods that experts say are worth adding to your plate.
Broccoli and its cruciferous cousins
Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage are rich sources of isothiocyanates, plant compounds that help our cells eliminate toxins and repair themselves, which is crucial for cancer prevention, he said. Dr. Lampe.
Broccoli sprouts, for example, are rich in sulforaphane isothiocyanate, which can stimulate our body’s natural lines of defense against daily damage to cells, he added. The compound has been linked to protection against several types of cancer, including prostate, breast, bladder and colorectal cancer.
Research suggests that consuming more than four or five servings of cruciferous vegetables per week is associated with a reduced risk of cancer and other chronic conditions.
Tomatoes and tomato-based products
Studies have long linked tomatoes to a reduced risk of prostate cancer thanks to their abundant reserves of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that gives tomatoes their red color.
But lycopene may be just one of many compounds in tomatoes that help defend against prostate cancer, said Nancy Moran, assistant professor of nutrition at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. And limited research has found that lycopene may also protect against other cancers such as breast, lung, and colorectal.
Processing tomatoes, such as cutting or cooking them, helps us absorb lycopene more easily than when we eat them raw, Dr. Moran said. Eating tomatoes with fat also helps. Therefore, eating them cooked, such as in a sauce or with a healthy fat like olive oil, can help increase the health benefits obtained from them.
Beans and other types of legumes
Common bean varieties, such as black beans and kidney beans, and legumes such as chickpeas, dried peas, and lentils, are not only rich in protein. They are also excellent sources of fiber, which is crucial for gut and immune health, Dr. Brockton said.
Fiber is also linked to the prevention of colorectal cancer. Bacteria in our gut break down fiber and turn it into fuel for the cells lining the colon, keeping them healthy and less likely to become cancer cells, Dr. Brockton said.
Henry Thompson, director of the Cancer Prevention Laboratory at Colorado State University, said that in animal and human studies, consumption of beans (and other legumes such as chickpeas and lentils) has been linked to preventing obesity, which It is linked to several cancers. An ongoing human clinical trial is testing whether eating canned beans reduces the risk of cancer.
According to Dr. Brockton, the protective benefits of fiber appear after eating about 30 grams (or the amount of about two cups of black beans) per day.
Nuts, especially walnuts
Nuts are rich in healthy fats, protein, and fiber, and studies have found that those who consume them tend to have reduced risks of several types of cancer, especially those of the digestive system.
Walnuts, in particular, contain exceptionally high levels of plant compounds called ellagitannins, which our gut bacteria convert into metabolites that can reduce cancer’s ability to grow and multiply.
Dr. John Birk, a UConn Health gastroenterologist who has performed colonoscopies on people in clinical trials investigating the benefits of walnuts for colon health, said it was easy to spot a “walnut colon.” The lining of the colon wall “has a healthier appearance, sort of a bright reflection of the light shining from the endoscope,” he said.
Studies suggest that eating about a handful of nuts a day is linked to health benefits.
Berries
Fleshy fruits like strawberries, blueberries, pomegranates, and black raspberries are packed with antioxidants like vitamin C and flavonoids that help protect cells from stress and DNA damage that can increase cancer risk. Plant compounds called anthocyanins give berries their colorful hues and anti-inflammatory heft; and reducing inflammation is important because “it’s a big driver of cancer,” Dr. Brockton said.
Dorothy Klimis-Zacas, a professor of clinical nutrition at the University of Maine, said a growing body of evidence suggests that certain compounds in berries may help reduce cancer’s ability to develop, grow and multiply.
For the most anti-inflammatory benefits, try to consume between half and one cup of fresh or frozen (and ideally organic) berries per day, she said.
Garlic
This spicy allium contains high levels of allicin, a sulfur-containing compound that is responsible for garlic’s strong odor and its cancer-fighting ability.
In a long-term study of more than 3,000 people living in a region of China known to have high rates of stomach cancer, researchers found that for every 2.2 pounds of garlic participants consumed per year, they had 17 percent lower risk of stomach cancer. developing the disease. That’s equivalent to about five cloves of garlic per week, said Wen-Qing Li, an oncology epidemiologist at Peking University Cancer Hospital in Beijing and an author of the study.
Stomach cancer, while declining in the United States, is a leading cause of cancer death worldwide.
Other studies, mostly non-human, have suggested possible links between garlic consumption and reduced risk of other cancers, especially colorectal cancer.
According to Dr. Li, consuming raw garlic (pressed into oil for salad dressing or guacamole, for example) will help “keep the flavors and chemicals inside alive.”
Nikki Campo is a freelance writer in North Carolina.
