5 Simple Steps to Help Prevent Cancer

5 Simple Steps to Help Prevent Cancer

Gigi Chow N.D.

1 1) Eat Your Colors

Colorful fruits and vegetables are your friends when it comes to cancer prevention. The brilliant colors of foods such as pomegranates, blueberries, carrots, and broccoli indicate the foods are loaded with antioxidants.

First of all, what are antioxidants?

Antioxidants are molecules that can safely interact with free radicals and stop the free radicals from damaging vital molecules in the body such as the DNA. Free radicals, also known as oxidants, disrupt the stability of the cell membranes and if not counteracted by antioxidants, will ultimately damage the inner contents of the cells such as the DNA. A cell that has accumulated a large amount of DNA damage may lead to unregulated cell division, which can lead to the formation of cancer.

When it comes to choosing the types of fruits and vegetables, the general rule is that the brighter the color, the higher the antioxidants. Kale therefore is a better option than iceberg lettuce and sweet potato is better than a white potato. Don’t forget that beans also come in many wonderful colors, red kidney beans and black bean are all great sources of antioxidants.

2) Drink Green Tea

Tea drinking is an ancient tradition dating back 5,000 years in China and India. Long regarded in those cultures as an aid to good health, researchers are studying tea for possible use in the prevention and treatment of a variety of cancers.

The cancer-preventive effects of green tea and its main constituent EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) are widely supported by results from epidemiological, cell culture, animal and clinical studies (1). Green tea’s EGCG has been shown to prevent damage to the DNA because it is an excellent antioxidant. In addition, green tea has been show to inhibit tumor growth and keep tumor suppressor genes (a stretch of DNA responsible for preventing cancer) active (2).

Try adding two 12oz cups of green tea to your diet to reap green tea’s anti-cancer benefits. Aside from protecting you from cancer, green tea has many other wonderful benefits such as lowering blood pressure and relieving stress as well.

3) The Power of Mushrooms

A vital and healthy immune system is critical for cancer prevention. Immune cells such as the natural killer cells have an important job of recognizing cancer cells and killing them before the cancer cells can proliferate. Mushrooms comprise a vast number of compounds called polysaccharides with anti-tumor and immune-stimulating properties.

The number of mushrooms on Earth is estimated at 140,000, yet maybe only 10% (approximately 14,000 named species) are known (3). Several mushrooms have been shown to exhibit immune boosting and anti-cancer properties:

(i) Maitake mushroom (specifically a maitake mushroom extract known as MD-fraction) has shown strong anti-cancer activity by increasing immune-competent cell activity (4). In a study (4), a combination of MD-fraction and whole maitake powder was investigated to determine its effectiveness for 22- to 57-year-old cancer patients in stages II-IV. Cancer regression or significant symptom improvement was observed in 58.3 percent of liver cancer patients, 68.8 percent of breast cancer patients, and 62.5 percent of lung cancer patients.. Furthermore, when maitake was taken in addition to chemotherapy, immune-competent cell activities were enhanced 1.2-1.4 times, compared with chemotherapy alone.

(ii) Coriolus versicolor or turkey tail mushroom, is a medicinal mushroom widely prescribed for the prophylaxis and treatment of cancer and infection in China. In recent years, it has been extensively demonstrated clinically that aqueous extracts obtained from Coriolus versicolor display a wide array of biological activities, including stimulatory effects on different immune cells and inhibition of cancer growth (5).

The anti-cancer benefits from mushrooms are likely not derived from eating common types of mushrooms found in the grocery store such as button mushrooms or portabellas. However, the immune-boosting and tumor-fighting powers of medicinal mushrooms such as maitake and Coriolus versicolor make them worthy candidates for consideration along with your daily multivitamin.

4) Shed Excess Fat

Cancers such as breast, uterus, along with gynecological tumors such as uterine fibroids, cysts, and endometriosis are linked to high amount of estrogens in the body. These cancers and tumors are unfortunately on the rise. One sure way of keeping the amount of estrogens in check is to consume a diet lower in dietary fats.

Fatty foods affect the body in many ways and have a strong influence on hormonal activity in the body (6). First, high-fat diets increase the amount of estrogens, the female sex hormones, in the blood. It is known that many breast tumors are "fueled" by estrogens. Estrogens are normal and essential hormones for both women and men, but the more estrogen there is, the greater the driving force behind some kinds of breast cancer. On high-fat diets, estrogen levels increase.

To make matters worse, the excessive adipose tissues that accumulate around our thighs and midsection also serve as endogenous secretors of estrogen. Therefore, it is not only essential we avoid a high fat diet, but we should also lose excessive fats especially around our abdominal areas since excessive abdominal fat is correlated with increased cardiovascular risks.

Of course, not all fats are the same. Fats that are known to have anti-inflammatory effects such as olive, fish, and flaxseed oils should be consumed in a greater amount than oils that are inflammatory like corn, butter, and other high-fat dairy sources. As a general rule, keep daily fat intake under 30 percent of your overall diet.

5) Minimize the Consumption of Foods Cooked in High Temperatures

Almost everyone loves fried and baked foods. But now these two cooking methods have health agencies worldwide concerned. A Swedish report found that when starchy foods (like flour and potatoes) when baked or fried at high temperatures produce the carcinogenic (i.e. cancer causing) chemical acrylamide (7). Prolonged exposure to acrylamide has been shown to cause cancer in laboratory animals and may do the same in humans.

The generation of carcinogens from frying is not limited to only starchy foods. During the process of frying protein-rich foods, such as meat and fish, various kinds of mutagenic and carcinogenic heterocyclic amines (HA) are produced, particularly when cooking temperature is very high (8). Heterocyclic amines have been shown to cause malignant tumors in the colon and breast of mice and rats, and are possible or probable carcinogens for humans (8).

Foods that are broiled and barbecued may also be bad for health. These methods use high temperature to cook foods resulting in the formation of oxidants (much like acrylamides and heterocyclic amines), which is what the charred black layer is on top of many barbecued and broiled foods. As mentioned before, oxidants or free radicals disrupt the stability of cell membranes and DNA; accumulated damage to the DNA is a precursor to cancer.

To minimize the number of carcinogens released from cooking, limit temperature of cooking to 375 degrees and below. When consuming fried, broiled, barbecued, or baked foods that are cooked in high temperature, make sure you consume plenty of antioxidant fruits and vegetables to neutralize the oxidants released from high temperature cooking.