Cancer Proof Your Diet

Cancer-Proof Your Diet by Hillari Dowdle Natural Health Magazine I have cancer. You do, too. But don’t panic. I’m not talking about the disease. Rather, I’m talking about the random cancer cells that regularly pop up in your body just about everywhere—a byproduct of eating, breathing and, well, just living. If we’re healthy, they get nipped in the bud by our immune system. This function, called apoptosis (also known as programmed cell death), causes unwanted cells to self-destruct and is our body’s innate cancer-prevention process. The trouble starts when too many cancer cells get together and figure out how to outfox our body’s natural defenses. “Cancer is like a weed,” says Donald Abrams, M.D., chief of oncology at San Francisco General Hospital and director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. “You need to tend your garden carefully to make the soil as inhospitable as possible so it can’t take root in the first place.” Step one in developing a strong anti-cancer diet is eliminating its “fertilizers,” Abrams says. “Dairy, sugar, refined flours and red meat are the top foods for feeding the weed,” he explains. These foods also add inches to our waistlines, fattening us up and raising our national risk of developing cancer. Losing excess weight might be the best thing you can do to lower your risk for cancer, says Colleen Doyle, M.S., R.D., director of nutrition and physical activity for the American Cancer Society. “People who are overweight have higher levels of circulating estrogen and insulin— both of which are associated with tumor growth,” she says. Moreover, Abrams says, extra fat promotes systemic inflammation in the body. “Excess fat secretes cytokines, which prompt an inflammatory response,” he says. “More and more, we are coming to believe that chronic inflammation leads to cancer because it ties up the immune system, undermining apoptosis.” Trimming calories (and losing inches) is a good idea, but it helps to eliminate the following fertilizers from your diet: Alcohol “We know that breast cancer in particular responds to alcohol in a negative way—possibly because excess alcohol can raise estrogen levels,” says Carolyn Lammersfeld, M.S., R.D., L.D.N., CNSC, national director of nutrition for Cancer Treatment Centers of America. “Alcohol also contains a variety of chemicals that may have a carcinogenic effect.” Limit yourself to one glass a day. Red meat A 2006 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that women who ate 1 1?2 servings or more per day of beef, lamb or pork had nearly double the risk of hormone-receptor positive breast cancer when compared with those who ate red meat just three times a week. If the meat is processed, the risk is even higher: A 2007 study put the number at 64 percent for women eating bacon, ham, hot dogs, sausages or other meats that may contain added sodium or nitrates. Eat meat sparingly, if at all, and stick to chicken, fish and turkey. Sugar Skip added sugars in all forms, including sweetened and processed foods and drinks. “The link between cancer and sugar isn’t clear, but there’s an indirect link in that foods high in sugar tend to be high in calories and may lead to excessive weight gain,” says Doyle. Individuals who get a lot of processed sugar in their diets also tend to miss out on nutrient-rich whole foods that are linked to cancer protection. Dairy It’s easy to see how cakes, candies, cookies and doughnuts fall under the “sugars” heading, but Abrams adds dairy to the list. “Dairy contains simple sugars that the human body was never intended to digest past the age of weaning. Because we don’t digest dairy well, it ends up contributing to inflammation in the body,” he says. Milk, in particular, has been linked to cancers of the breasts, prostate and bladder, as well as lymphoma. The 9 most protective foods You’ve heard it before: For good health, eat a plant-based diet that centers on organic fresh fruits and vegetables and includes whole grains, too. These are, per nature’s design, the most nutrient-rich fuel for your immune system. “Any plant that has been grown outdoors organically is one that has had to fight for its life and develop chemical protections against birds and insects and sunshine,” explains Abrams. “It turns out that those same protections—phytonutrients—are beneficial for us, too.” When it comes to cancer protection, some fruits and vegetables are better than others. “I encourage people to focus on the three A’s: anti-carcinogens, antiinflammatories and antioxidants,” says Carolyn Katzin, M.S., C.N.S., M.N.T., founder of the Cancer Nutrition Center in Los Angeles. A good (if well-worn) rule of thumb is to choose the most colorful foods, and aim to get a rainbow’s worth of them each day—orange carrots, green grapes, red strawberries, pink watermelon and blueberries. “The pigment is where the antioxidants are,” says Dave Grotto, R.D., author of 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life (Bantam). So, stock up on brightly colored produce as well as these cancer-fighting powerfoods: 1. Barley “The fiber content of many whole grains can block the actions of some carcinogens and promote cell differentiation, making it easier for the body to know which cells to target for apoptosis,” says Grotto. Whole oats, corn and brown rice are all good sources, but barley is best. 2. Black beans All beans are a good source of fiber, but black beans stand out because of the high antioxidant content in their skin. “Black beans may also block the circulation of estrodiol, a form of estrogen that’s a problem for those at risk for estrogen-driven breast cancer,” says Grotto. The resistant starch found in the beans is thought to mimic estrogen enough to attach to estrogen-receptor sites, allowing excessive and harmful forms of estrogen to pass through the body. 3. Black raspberries All berries are good for cancer prevention, but black raspberries are the best. They contain a lot of A’s: antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic compounds, plus a fourth A that gives them an edge: anthocyanin. “Black raspberries contain a unique form of anthocyanin that has been strongly linked with reduced rates of cancers of the upper respiratory system and digestive tract,” Katzin says. 4. Broccoli “Broccoli has more than 300 studies to back its efficacy,” says Grotto. The vegetable is among nature’s richest sources of sulforophane, a compound that’s thought to strongly inhibit cancers. Research suggests that sulforophanes stimulate the body’s own cancer-fighting enzymes, slowing the rate of breast and prostate cancer cell growth. 5. Green tea Switch to green tea for your morning cuppa, and you’ll get a nice dose of support for apoptosis. The key compound, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, seems to work as a signaling agent for inducing programmed cell death. “Drinking green tea helps cells to die at the end of their normal life cycle, which is important because cancer is caused by cells that have continued to grow and mutate beyond their normal lifespan,” says Kristin Stiles Green, N.D., director of naturopathic medicine for Cancer Treatment Centers of America at Midwestern Regional Medical Center in Zion, Ill. Aim for two to four cups of homebrewed organic green tea per day. 6. Mushrooms According to integrative medicine guru Andrew Weil, M.D., mushrooms are on primary cancer treatment protocols in Brazil and Japan. The verdict is still out on whether mushrooms work as a treatment, Abrams says, “but we know mushrooms are anti-inflammatory, and we think they may have an anti-tumor effect.” In fact, a study published in the International Journal of Cancer found that women who ate 10 grams of mushrooms each day were 64 percent less likely to develop cancer than those who didn’t. Incorporate mushrooms into your diet whenever you can and consider taking a daily supplement that includes cordyceps, maitake and reishi. 7. Soy Some studies suggest that consuming soy foods may reduce the risk of breast and prostate cancers, says Doyle. “Soy foods contain several phytochemicals, some of which have weak estrogen activity and may compete with the body’s natural source of estrogen, reducing the overall amount of circulating estrogen,” she says. Skip supplements and stick to whole forms of soy, such as edamame, tempeh and tofu. 8. Turmeric If there is a miracle food for cancer, it is turmeric. Studies are showing positive effects in the realms of prevention and treatment (particularly in hard-totreat pancreatic cancer)—as well as adjunctive therapy for patients going through chemo and/or radiation. “We are finding that turmeric discourages inflammation and down regulates tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a chemical that encourages cancer growth,” says Bharat Aggarwal, Ph.D., author of Healing Spices: How to Use 50 Everyday and Exotic Spices to Boost Health and Beat Disease (Sterling). For best results, combine turmeric with black pepper. “Black pepper makes turmeric much more bioavailable,” notes Abrams. “But because it can increase absorption of other compounds, too—including prescription drugs—you should use it with moderation.” 9. Watercress “It supports liver function, which is crucial for cancer prevention and overall wellness,” says Katzin. “As little as three sprigs a day can lead to better outcomes for those at risk for lung cancer.”