Foods that Fight Breast Cancer

By Kara Sibilia

According to Breastcancer.org, diet is thought to be partly responsible for about 30% to 40% of all cancers. Most research on diet and cancer shows that eating a low-fat, high-fiber diet rich in vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains help protect against cancer. No single food can prevent or cure breast cancer, but it’s the combination of food and nutrients in your diet that boost your immune system, which may help reduce your overall risk. Although more research needs to be done on foods that specifically help prevent breast cancer, some foods may help keep you healthy, control treatment side effects, or help treatment work more effectively.

Breastcancer.org recommends the following:

Low-fat
Sticking to a low-fat diet may help reduce the risk of breast cancer coming back. One study in which women got only about 25% of their daily calories from fat found a lower risk of recurrence.

Phytochemicals
Eat more vegetables, fruits, and other plant foods that have certain phytochemicals in them. Research has shown that some phytochemicals may help stop the formation of potential cancer-causing substances, and help cells stop and wipe out any cancer-like changes.

Some of the most beneficial phytochemicals are:

-beta carotene and other carotenoids in fruits and vegetables
-resveratrol in red wine
-polyphenols in tea
-isothiocyanates in cruciferous vegetables (members of the cabbage family that include bok choy, collards, broccoli, brussel sprouts, kohlrabi, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens, and cauliflower)

Flavonoids
Found in lots of grains, vegetables, and fruits; particularly soybeans, chickpeas, and licorice, flavonoids may act a little bit like estrogen, a hormone that might affect the risk of breast cancer that depends on estrogen for its growth.

Antioxidants
Antioxidants protect your body's cells from free radicals, which can damage a cell's genetic parts and may trigger the cell to grow out of control. These changes may contribute to the development of cancer and other diseases.

Antioxidants are found in broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, tomatoes, corn, carrots, mangos, sweet potatoes, soybeans, cantaloupe, oranges, spinach, nuts, lettuce, celery, liver, fish oil, seeds, grains, kale, beets, red peppers, potatoes, blueberries, strawberries, and black and green tea.

Sulfides
Found in garlic and onions, sulfides may strengthen the immune system.

Sources: Breastcancer.org, www.aicr.org (American Institute for Cancer Research)

Kara Sibilia, mother of one, is a freelance writer based in New Jersey. To contact Kara, please email kara_sibilia@yahoo.com.