Foods to help prevent cancer

Living a healthy life is a controllable factor helping to reduce the risk of cancer.

Risk factors

Although there is a genetic link with some cancers, the major risk factors are those we have some control over, including a poor diet, insufficient exercise, being overweight or obese, excess alcohol, smoking and excessive sun exposure. As far as diet is concerned, certain foods are problematic and others are protective. Eating more than 500 grams of red meat weekly increases one's risk of cancer, and this increases exponentially if the meat is charred. Burning meat creates carcinogens and eating processed meats including  bacon, sausages and ham also increases cancer risk.

Protective foods

Hundreds of studies have shown that fruit and vegetables are the winners when it comes to reducing cancer risk.

Vegetarians have a lower rate of cancer than their carnivorous counterparts. Alliums – garlic, onion, chives, leeks and shallots – contain ajoene, a compound which helps kill cancer cells.

The brassica family – broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi and brussels sprouts – contains isothiocyanates and indoles that help the liver to detoxify carcinogenic substances.
Flavonoids, found in berries, grapes and beetroot, help eradicate free radicals, initiators in many cancers.
Fruit and vegetables are also a reliable source of fibre. Fibre has several mechanisms for lowering cancer risk, particularly for bowel and breast cancer. Fibre is consumed by beneficial bacteria living within the bowel, which produce butyric acid, an anticancer compound. Butyric acid also lowers the pH to a favourable level. Fibre improves transit time through the bowel, reducing the time toxic compounds come into contact with the bowel wall. Other fibre-rich foods include legumes, wholegrains, seeds and nuts.