Cancer Fighting Foods You Should Know!

When we think about it, there are actually many different types of foods out there that help our body in so many ways. And one of the most popular type of foods are the ones that help your body fight against cancer. The cancer treatment in Malaysia or in any country in general can be very lengthy and physically exhausting for the people out there.

There are actually so many types of food that help you with cancer treatment in and around Malaysia. What you consume and put into your body can drastically affect many aspects of your health, including your risk of developing chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes and of course cancer. However, the development of cancer, in particular, has been linked and is shown to be heavily influenced by the diet that you follow. Many types of food out there contains beneficial compounds that could help you decrease the growth of cancer and having the ability to fight cancer. There are also several studies out there that have show that a higher intake of certain foods could be directly associated with a lower risk of developing the disease. In this article, we will be taking a look at a few different types of food that could potentially help you fight against cancer and the development of cancer. Here are a few cancer fighting foods which you should try implementing into your diets in order to prevent and to fight against cancer!



BROCCOLI
Broccoli is a vegetable that contains sulforaphane, a plant compound found in cruciferous vegetables that may have potent and effective anticancer properties. One test tube study showed that sulforaphane had reduced the size and also the number of breast cancer cells by up to 75%. Similarly, an animal study found that treating mice with sulforaphane helped eradicate the prostate cancer cells completely and it also reduced the tumor volume by more than 50%. Some studies have also found that a higher intake of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli may be connected to lowering the risk of colorectal cancer. One analysis of 35 studies showed that consuming more cruciferous vegetables was linked with a lower risk of colorectal and colon cancer as well. Putting together some broccoli with a few meals per week may actually come with some cancer fighting benefits. However, keep in mind that the available research has not looked directly at how broccoli may affect cancer in the human body. This is because it has been limited to only test tube, animal and also a few observational studies that have either investigated the effects of cruciferous vegetables, or the effects of a specific compound found in broccoli. Thus, more in depth studies are needed to confirm anything.



CARROTS
Several studies have also found out that eating more carrots is connected to a decreased risk of certain types of cancer. For instance, an analysis looked at the results of five studies and it all concluded that eating carrots may reduce the risk of developing stomach cancer by up to 26%. Another study found out that a higher intake of carrots was associated with 18% lower odds of people developing prostate cancer. One study tracked the diets of 1,266 participants, both with and without lung cancer. The study found out that current smokers who did not consume carrots were three times as likely to develop lung cancer in comparison to those who consumed carrots more than once per week. You could try incorporating carrots into your diet as a healthy snack or a delicious side dish just a few times per week in order to increase your intake and potentially reduce your risk of developing cancer. But keep in mind and remember that these studies show an association between the consumption of carrots and cancer, but do not account for other factors that may possibly play a role.



BEANS
Beans are known to be high in fiber, which some studies have found out that it may help protect against colorectal cancer. One study followed 1,905 people with a history of colorectal tumors, and found out that those who ate more cooked, dried beans tend to have a lowered risk of a tumor recurrence. An animal study has also found out that feeding rats black beans or navy beans and then inducing colon cancer helped in blocking the development of cancer cells by up to 75%. According to these results, consuming a few servings of beans each week can increase your fiber intake and it may also help lower the risk of developing cancer. However, the current research is limited only to animal studies and studies that show association but not causation. In depth studies are necessary to examine this in humans, specifically.



BERRIES
Berries are high in anthocyanins, plant pigments that have antioxidant properties and it may be connected with a reduced risk of cancer. In one human study, 25 people with colorectal cancer were treated with bilberry extract for seven days, which had shown to reduce the growth of cancer cells by 7%. Another small study gave freeze dried black raspberries to patients who have oral cancer and it showed that it had decreased the levels of certain markers associated with the progression of cancer. One animal study found out that giving rats freeze dried black raspberries helped reduced esophageal tumor incidence by up to 54% and it also decreased the number of tumors by up to 62%.

Similarly, another animal study had shown that giving rats a berry extract was found to inhibit several biomarkers of cancer. Based on these findings, starting to include a serving or two of berries in your diet each day may benefit you by helping to inhibit the development of cancer. Although, keep in mind that these are animal and observational studies looking at the effects of a concentrated dose of berry extract, more and further human research is needed.



TURMERIC
Turmeric is a spice which is popular for its health promoting properties. Curcumin, its active ingredient, is a chemical with anti inflammatory, antioxidant and also anticancer effects. One study looked at the effects of curcumin on 44 patients who had lesions in their colon that could have become cancerous. After 30 days, 4 grams of curcumin daily had reduced the number of lesions in their colon by 40%. In a test tube study, curcumin had also shown to decrease the spread of colon cancer cells by targeting a specific enzyme related to cancer growth. Another test tube study showed that curcumin helped eradicate the head and neck cancer cells completely. Curcumin has also been shown to be effective in slowing down the growth of lung, breast and even prostate cancer cells in other test tube studies. For the best results, try aiming for at least 1 and a half to 3 teaspoons or 1 to 3 grams of ground turmeric every day. Try using it as a ground spice that you can add flavor to foods with, and pair it with some black pepper to help boost its absorption.



NUTS
Over the years, research has found out that the consumption of nuts may be connected to a lowered risk of certain types of cancer. For example, a study looked at the diets of 19,386 people and found out that eating a greater amount of nuts was associated with decreasing the risk of death from cancer. Another study followed 30,708 participants for up to 30 years of their lives and found out that eating nuts regularly was connected with a decreased risk of colorectal, pancreatic and even endometrial cancers.

Other studies have also found out that specific types of nuts may be linked to a lower risk of cancer. For instance, the nuts from Brazil are high in selenium, which may help protect your body against lung cancer in those with a low selenium status. Similarly, one animal study had shown that feeding mice walnuts had decreased the growth rate of breast cancer cells by up to 80% and it also reduced the number of tumors by up to 60%. These results have suggested that by adding in a few servings of nuts into your diet each day, it may potentially reduce the risk of developing cancer in the future. But, more in depth studies in humans are needed in order to determine whether nuts are actually and truly responsible for this association, or whether other factors are involved in this.

Thank you.