According to the statistics released by https://www.cancer.org, the mortality rate of cancer has declined steadily over the last 20 years, mainly due to the reduction in the habit of smoking and advancements in cancer detection and treatment. Healthy lifestyles and diet have also contributed to the reduction of risk of developing cancer, and many foods have been proven to contain compounds that help to lower the risk of development of cancer. A quick glance at some common foods that you could include in your diet and reduce your cancer risk:
Broccoli
Multiple studies have established that by eating broccoli, you can reduce the risk of developing cancer. Broccoli contains a compound by the name of sulforaphane that acts on cancer cells and causes them to die and reduces the size of malignant tumors in animal studies and lab tests. In fact, in one study of breast cancer, it was found that sulforaphane reduced the number and size of the cancer cells up to 75%. Even though the studies have been limited to the laboratory environment, scientists suggest that including broccoli in your diet a few times a week can be beneficial in reducing the risk of cancer.
Carrots
There are multiple scientific studies that indicate that eating carrots can decrease the risk of developing certain types of cancers like stomach cancer, prostate cancer, or even lung cancer. It has been suggested that by including carrots in your diet, it may be possible to significantly reduce the risk of these cancers as these build fences novel and strengthen them. Carrots may either be cooked or even eaten raw for the benefits to be realized.
Beans
Beans are naturally very high in fiber that has been considered to be helpful in protecting against colorectal cancer. A study of 1,905 people suffering from colorectal tumors discovered that those who had included more beans in their diet tended to have reduced their risk of cancer and recurrence of the tumors. As interesting as these studies are, it should be kept in mind that the current research is limited to animal studies and as of now only an association seems to have been demonstrated, not causation.
Berries
A number of studies have established that berries that are high in anthocyanins have antioxidant properties that may be useful in reducing the risk of cancer. In a study conducted on a group of 25 people afflicted with colorectal cancer who were treated for seven days with an extract of bilberries, it was found that there was a 7% reduction in the cancer cell growth. Two more studies involving freeze-dried black raspberries showed encouraging results in the reduction of oral cancer in human beings and esophageal tumors in rats.
Conclusion
With continuing research, it is becoming increasingly evident that the diet has a major impact on the risk of cancer. There is an incredible array of foods that seem to have a potential for the reduction in the growth and spread of cancer cells, however, more clinical trials are required because at the moment most of the inferences are based on lab studies on animals.
