Top 10 natural cancer killers

A recent study found that the adoption of only one of five healthy lifestyle habits, such as not smoking and drinking moderately, can lower the cancer risk in males by 14 per cent.

The results of a long-term survey by the National Cancer Center of Japan found that the more healthy habits the subjects had, the lower their risk of cancer.

On average, the adoption of one healthy habit would reduce cancer risks by 14 per cent for males and by 9 per cent for females, the center said.

However, other than healthy habits, it is known that certain foods have excellent anti-cancer properties.

These cancer-fighting foods contain antioxidants and phytonutrients - nutrients with potent disease fighting power that supresses the development of cancer cells and boost your immune system.

And the fact that these are all easily available foods means that you can fight cancer with ever meal, snack and beverage you take, three times a day, everyday.

Here's a list of the top 10 cancer fighting foods you should watch out for, compiled by Dr Geo Espinosa, N.D., L.Ac, CNS, the Director of the Integrative Urology Center at New York University Langone Medical Center.

 1. Beans: Not only do they offer an excellent nutritional choice, they are a good source of fibre and have been found to be especially protective against head and neck cancers - which include cancer of the mouth, throat and larynx.

A study found that people who ate beans at least three times a week cut their chances of getting colon polyps by a whopping 33%.

However, unlike vegetables where the more colourful the vegetable, the more cancer fighting nutrients it is likely to have, beans are the opposite. White kidney beans are believed to work better against cancer cells than more colourful beans.

 2. Broccoli and other vegetables: Broccoli is known to be rich in several cancer fighting compounds, including the chemical indole-3-carbinol (I3C), which is linked to another phytonutrient diindolylmethane (DIM).

Not only broccoli, other cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower and brussel sprouts are rich in these nutrients.

The chemicals help to promote the metabolism of estrogen, which is a cancer-promoting hormone. Cruciferous vegetables are also a source of a chemical known to promote the production of enzymes that fight cancer-causing agents.

3. Carrots: This power food is known to be an excellent source of beta-carotene, which is a powerful anti-oxidant.

It is known for cutting the risk of various cancers, such as cancers of the prostate, mouth, throat, colon, stomach and bladder, among many more.

In addition to beta-carotene, carrots also have a cancer-fighting substance known as falcarinol. This substance is known for inhibiting the proliferation of intestinal cancer cells.

4. Peppers and Capsicum: Capsaicin is the main capsaicinoid in chili peppers. In a study, it was found that capsaicin slows down the growth of prostate cancer and encouraged cell suicide of cancer cells.

Capsaicin is believed to have some effect against lung cancer and stomach cancer.

According to reports, when capsaicin was added to conventional anticancer drugs, it promoted the apoptosis of stomach cancer cells.

5. Garlic: Garlic is not just for vampires. They also keep cancer away.

The herb reportedly helps to enhance the immune system to fight cancer. These compounds are believed to block carcinogens from getting into cells. In addition, they may help slow the growth of tumours.

Studies say that people who regularly eat raw or cooked garlic have about half the risk of developing stomach cancer and two-thirds the risk of colorectal cancer.

 6. Mushrooms: Mushrooms are delicious, and they come in many different forms - from shitake, maitake to coriolus versicolor.

They are rich in polysaccharides, which gives a boost to the immune system.

Mushrooms also contain lectin, which prevents cancer cells from multiplying. Previous studies have suggested the potential of mushrooms against cancers such as prostate cancer and leukemia.

7. Raspberries: It is a well known fact that fruits such as raspberries are an excellent source of antioxidants and phytonutrients.

In a study done on rats, those given of diet of 5 to 10% raspberries had up to 62% decrease in number of esophageal tumours.

The raspberries were also observed to inhibit the growth of colon cancer cells.

8. Red wine and grapes: Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant known to be present in grapes and red wine.

A study found that it slows the growth of prostate cancer cells, and have shown positive results in relation to colon cancer.

Its anti-inflammatory properties are also helpful in the cancer fight.

 9. Tomotoes: Tomatoes which are cooked or processed have an especially high concentration of lycopene, a phytonutrient and antioxidant.

A study found that men who consumed the most tomatoes and tomato products had a 35% lower risk of developing prostate cancer.

Other case-control studies have shown that greater consumption of tomatoes is associated with a reduced risk of lung cancer.

10. Turmeric: Turmeric is called an anticancer food for a reason. Curcumin, which is the active ingredient in turmeric, appears to be a blend of anti-carcinogenic, pro-apoptotic, anti-angiogenic, anti-metastatic, immunomodulatory and antioxidant substances.

In addition to fighting prostate and colon cancer, data suggests that curcumin used along with chemotherapy is a superior strategy for the treatment of gastrointestinal cancer.

Clinical studies have shown that turmeric may also help in relieving symptoms of inflammatory bowel diseases.