Cancer Fighting Foods

 

Cancer fighting foods can be found everywhere, not only in the tropical regions of the world. If you are unable to obtain a regular supply of soursop due to geographic restrictions there are many other alternatives. Nature has supplied an artillery of cancer fighting foods and many of us are unaware of it. If you are serious about cancer prevention and possibly cure these foods should be implemented into your diet as much as possible.

 

Blueberries

If you do not live in a tropical region then the soursop may not be a very convenient form of cancer treatment for you, however blueberries should be a lot easier to come by. Recent studies in mice have shown that blueberries can significantly shrink the size of tumors by approximately 55-60%. Mice with blood vessel tumors who were fed blueberries were able to live twice as long as the mice on the non-blueberry diet. What we need to focus on though is what makes this fruit blue, because those same poly phenol pigments called anthocyanins are responsible for fighting cancer. Studies were conducted by the University of Illinois on the effects of wild blueberries on prostate and liver cancer and it was proven that the fruit is able to prevent cancer in the three stages of initiation, promotion and proliferation, thanks to the anthocyanins and other compounds contained in the fruit. Sterol compounds of the blueberry have been shown to inhibit carcinogen from causing cellular damage in the first stage of cancer while the anthocyanin pigments are able to stop growth and spread of these damaged cells in the latter stages of promotion and proliferation, making blueberries one of the most effective cancer fighting foods.

 

Avocados

Preliminary studies by Ohio State University have shown that Hass Avocados are able to stop the uncontrollable growth of pre-cancerous cells that lead to oral cancer. Like the soursop, the avocados do not harm normal cells, making it possible to have it as a regular part of your diet. They include Vitamin C, Vitamin E, unsaturated fats and fibre which are all beneficial antioxidants. Avocado also contains high amounts of carotenoid lutein which researchers are now saying can be effective for men in the fight against prostate cancer. Lutein is also beneficial to women; research has shown that women with a higher intake of lutein have a lower risk of getting breast cancer. Breast Cancer risk is also lowered by the primary fat in avocados called Oleic Acid.

 

Carrots

For quite some time medical experts have recommended carrots for their anti-cancerous properties, however the exact component that makes it a cancer fighting food was only discovered in 2005. Falcarinol, the vegetable's natural pesticide which serves to protect it from fungal diseases can also help us in the prevention of cancer. Studies show that persons who maintain a regular intake of carrots are 33% less likely of developing cancer. These findings were made using raw carrots, therefore it is unsure as to how effective they serve in the fight against cancer when cooked.

 

 

Garlic

Have you ever heard this saying; half a clove of garlic a day keeps the cancer away. If you haven't then you must be living under a rock. Garlic is one of the most diversely beneficial herbs in ancient and modern medicine alike and it should be of little surprise that its a cancer fighting food. Garlic, like carrot, is more effective when taken raw, therefore our saying should be; half a clove of raw garlic a day keeps the cancer away. Garlic has been proven to be particularly effective with prostate, colon and stomach cancer. The main component of that inhibits cancer and tumor cells is allyl sulfur. These compounds make cells vulnerable to stress through cell division. The rapid development of cancer cells create an avenue for many stressors, therefore the allyl sulfur targets and destroys these cells.