Nutrients with the Most Anti-Cancer Properties
Numerous studies have shown that a healthy diet can lower your risk of getting a variety of life-threatening diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, and increase your body’s natural defense mechanisms if you do get them.
Look at Your Diet Holistically
The American Institute for Cancer Research says it’s about the combination of foods you eat, more than the individual foods, that can best help reduce your risk of cancer. Also, they recommend limiting your plate to one-third animal proteins with two-thirds plant foods.
“Singling out individual so-called cancer-fighting foods like nuts or vegetables may be misleading and provide a false sense of health when there are other problematic areas of one’s diet,” says Rachel Lustgarten, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Weill Cornell Medicine. “The key is to eat a diet of minimally processed whole foods to increase antioxidant intake. Focus on total calorie intake as well, as excess weight can increase cancer risk.” Here are a few nutrients known to have anti-cancer properties.
Fiber. “Fiber has been linked with reduced risk of colon, breast, ovarian, endometrial, and digestive cancers,” says Lustgarten. Adult women over 50 should consume 21 grams daily.
Fiber is found in nuts, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables—in particular, in beans and other legumes, and crucifers including broccoli and cauliflower. Some research has linked eating beans to a reduced risk of colon cancer, possibly because the fiber in beans helps to support healthy bacteria in the large intestine. Nuts, especially almonds, are high in fiber, and have been shown to protect against digestive-system cancers, says Lustgarten.
Phytochemicals (flavonoids, carotenoids, polyphenols, and anthocyanins) are abundant in fruits and vegetables. Anthocyanins are primarily found in purple fruits and vegetables such as eggplant, black currants, and purple tea. Green tea, full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, has been associated with reductions in colon, liver, breast, lung, and prostate cancer.
Carotenoids are found in carrots and other red/orange vegetables. The carotenoid lycopene, found in tomatoes, is associated with reductions in prostate cancer. Flavonoids, another phytochemical, are in berries, red cabbage, onions, kale, dark chocolate, and tea, while polyphenols are found in grapes and red wine.
“People with relatively high intakes of fruit and vegetables have a 40 to 50 percent lower risk of esophageal cancer than people with low intakes of fruit and vegetables,” says Lustgarten.
Research published in 2018 from the Nurses’ Health Study and Nurses’ Health Study II found that total fruit and vegetable intake was associated with lower risk of breast cancer, especially more aggressive breast cancer tumors. Risk was 11 percent lower among women who ate 5½ or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables compared with those consuming fewer than 2½ servings per day. The most beneficial choices appeared to be those that are yellow/orange colored, and cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli and cabbage).
The daily requirement for adults is 1½ to 2 cups per day of fruit and 2 to 3 cups per day of vegetables, preferably more dark, leafy greens and fewer starchy vegetables (such as potatoes or squash). And like nuts, fruits and vegetables also contain fiber.
Folate (vitamin B9) has been found to reduce risk of breast and pancreatic cancer, according to Memorial Sloan Kettering. Find folate in dark, leafy greens, poultry, nuts, beans, eggs, dairy, potatoes, and Brussels sprouts. It is also in some fortified cereals.
Omega-3 fatty acids have been linked with the ability to reduce risk of colorectal cancer, in addition to other advantages, such as lowering inflammation. Omega-3s, which can be found in fatty fish (sardines, mackerel, tuna, salmon) also benefit arthritis, depression, diabetes, and cognitive function.
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