20 Foods That Could Decrease Your Risk of Cancer

6 minute read

By John Hardy

Cancer is such a staggering and cruel modern epidemic. Researchers are unanimous that foods can help prevent various cancers from forming. Fortunately, if you start a search online, you can discover 20 foods that can decrease your risk of cancer.

The World Cancer Research Fund has confirmed that eating mostly foods of plant origin—such as broccoli, berries, and garlic—show strong links to cancer prevention. The over-simplified ‘rule of thumb’ about cancer-reducing foods is COLOR! Read on!

1. Dark Veggies

Dark greens, such as spinach and romaine lettuce, are near the top of the cancer-busting list. Other dark colored veggies, such as beets and red cabbage and kale, make the list as well. Cancer-fighting compounds like bioflavonoids, indoles and carotenoids are in cooking greens.

A study in Mexico City published in the International Journal of Cancer showed that daily consumption of green peas along with other legumes lowers the risk of stomach cancer.

2. Broccoli

Broccoli is a cancer-preventing superfood! But how it’s eaten matters.

A Spanish study found that microwaving broccoli destroys 97 percent of the vegetable’s cancer-protective flavonoids. So steam it, eat it raw as a snack, or add it to soups and salads. Broccoli protects against cancers of the mouth, esophagus, and stomach, according to a review of hundreds of clinical studies conducted for the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research.

3. Eggs

Egg yolks are one of the few foods that contain vitamin D, which helps reduce the risks of some cancers, as well as heart disease and diabetes.

4. Coffee

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute found that those who drink four or more cups of coffee a day (regular or decaf) have a 15 percent lower risk of colon cancer than those who do not drink coffee. Studies from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School show that coffee intake may help reduce the risk of skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma).

5. Tea

Many people are making tea their go-to drink of choice. According to a large study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women who drink at least two cups of black tea daily have a 32 percent lower risk of ovarian cancer compared with those who drink one cup or less per day. This may be due to certain flavonoids (antioxidant compounds synthesized by plants) in black tea. The study did not include other types of tea.

6. Apples

When the natural fiber in apples ferments in the colon, it produces chemicals that help fight the formation of cancer cells. Other studies have shown that one type of antioxidant found in apples, procyanidins, triggered a series of cell signals that resulted in cancer cell death.

7. Berries

Blueberries rank number one for the cancer-preventing antioxidant power. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, which are unstable compounds that can damage cells and lead to diseases including cancer. Strawberries are also rich in antioxidants.

Other types of berries, all rich in flavonoids, are raspberries, blackberries and cranberries. Eating fruit, particularly berries, decreases the risk of lung cancer and cancers of the mouth, esophagus and stomach.

8. Grapes and Red Wine

The skin of red grapes contains resveratrol, a potent phytochemical that is linked to a reduction in cancer, as well as heart disease and stroke. Grapes also contain ellagic acid, which is thought to protect lungs against environmental toxins.

9. Garlic and Onions

Garlic and onions, scallions, leeks and chives are high in various anti-cancer substances. Garlic contains sulfur compounds that may stimulate the immune system’s natural defenses against cancer, and could reduce tumor growth.

Garlic may reduce the incidence of stomach cancer and onions may reduce the risk of prostate cancer by as much as 50 percent. The cancer-busting effects are strongest when they’re eaten raw or lightly cooked.

10. Wild Salmon

Australian researchers found that people who ate four or more servings of (wild, not farmed) fish per week were nearly one-third less likely to develop the blood cancers leukemia, myeloma, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Other studies show a link between eating fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, halibut, sardines, and tuna, as well as shrimp and scallops) with a reduced risk of endometrial cancer in women.

11. Whole Grains

The new golden rule of health nutrition says that half of all the grains you eat — rice, cereal and even chips — should be whole grains. That’s why even sugary kids’ cereals and frozen pizzas are loading up on whole-grain ingredients. Whole grains deliver plenty of fiber and decrease the risk of colorectal cancer. Whole grains contain other substances which could keep cancer cells from multiplying.

Look for bread labeled “100% whole wheat” rather than simply “wheat bread,” which likely contains refined grains.

12. Mushrooms

Portobello and white mushrooms are good sources of selenium, a potent cancer-fighting mineral, particularly for prostate cancer. Additionally, mushrooms are rich in disease-fighting phytochemicals and eating them regularly has been linked to a lower risk of breast cancer in Chinese and Korean women, according to studies.

13. Tomatoes

The red coloring in tomatoes makes them a potential weapon against prostate cancer. That red hue comes from lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, which is most concentrated in tomatoes. Several studies show that a lycopene-rich diet reduces the risk of prostate cancer and could stop other types of cancer cells breast, lung, and endometrial (in the lining of the uterus) from growing.

Researchers speculate that lycopene protects cells from damage that could lead to cancer by boosting the immune system. And they suspect lycopene stops the growth of tumors by interfering with abnormal cell growth.

14. Spinach

Spinach and other dark green leafy vegetables contain lutein, an antioxidant that may guard against mouth, esophagus and stomach cancer. Some studies suggest the carotenoids in spinach and other foods also reduce the risk of ovarian, endometrial, lung, and colorectal cancer.

15. Grapefruit

Pink and red grapefruits are also high in lycopene. A six-year Harvard study involving 48,000 doctors and other health professionals has linked 10 servings of lycopene-rich foods a week with a 50 percent reduction in prostate cancer.

Also, fresh (NOT from concentrate) lemonade or limeade may reduce the risk of mouth, throat, and stomach cancers by as much as 50 percent.

16. Carrots

Beta-carotene, other carotenoids, including alpha-carotene and bioflavonoids, may protect cell membranes from toxin damage and slow the growth of cancer cells and reduce the risk of cancer, especially lung cancer. Carrots also deliver other vitamins and phytochemicals that might guard against cancers of the mouth, esophagus, and stomach. Some studies suggest carrots protect against cervical cancer, perhaps because they supply antioxidants that could battle HPV (human papilloma virus), the major cause of cervical cancer.

17. Kiwi

Kiwi is a small, fuzzy, but potent package of cancer-fighting antioxidants, including vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein, and copper. You can also rub a couple of cut kiwifruit on a low-fat cut of meat as a tenderizer. Some simply cut a kiwi in half, then scoop out the flesh with a spoon.

18. Brazil Nuts

Brazil nuts are a rich form of selenium, a trace mineral that convinces cancer cells to commit suicide and helps cells repair their DNA. A Harvard study of more than 1,000 men with prostate cancer found those with the highest blood levels of selenium were 48 percent less likely to develop advanced disease. And a dramatic five-year study conducted at Cornell University and the University of Arizona showed Brazil nuts had positive effects on prostate tumors, colorectal cancers, lung malignancies and a significant decrease in cancer deaths.

19. Bean Sprouts

Bean sprouts are a rich source of sulforaphane, a potent anti-cancer compound, and contains 50 times more sulforaphane than mature beans. Garnish chicken or beef noodle soup with sprouts, sprinkle a layer of sprouts on a whole grain tuna salad wrap, or add sprouts to a veggie omelet.

20. Cabbage

People who eat large amounts of cabbage have low rates of colon cancer, and other kinds of cancer. Cabbage contains bioflavonoids and other plant chemicals that inhibit tumor growth and protect cells from free radicals. Other chemicals in cabbage also speed up the body’s metabolism of estrogen, a hormone that, in high amounts, is associated with breast cancer. These chemicals may also help protect against cancers of the uterus and ovaries.

John Hardy

Contributor