|
Eating small amounts of red meat can increase the risk of breast cancer by more than 50 per cent in older women, according to a study published recently. It is the latest in a series of 'cancer scare' studies to make headlines.
Green tea: Packed with antioxidants, it is believed to cut the risk of lung cancer. Researchers found that it works on protein in cells called actin, which are involved in chemical changes in early stages of lung cancer. Green tea encourages the reverse to happen to actin.
Who says so? A US team with scientists from various universities.
How much should I drink? Five 8-ounce cups a day.
Carrots: They could reduce your risk of developing cancer because they contain falcarinol, a naturally occurring pesticide that protects them from fungal diseases.
Who says so? A team from Newcastle University, UK, found that rats fed with falcarinol supplement were one third less likely to develop full-scale tumours than those who went without.
How much should I eat? Not too much - in large doses, falcarinol is toxic. The team suggests eating one small carrot a day.
Apples: It has been shown that regular consumption of apples helps reduce incidences of bowel cancer. It has a high concentration of anthocyanin, a chemical that inhibits the growth of cancer cells.
Who says so? A study at Cornell University, US, in 2005, found that breast-cancer tumours in rats were cut by 39 per cent when fed the equivalent of three apples a day.
How much should I eat? One apple contains as many antioxidants as three 500mg vitamin C tablets and tastes a whole lot better, too.
Blueberries: These are a well-known super food, which contain a compound called pterostilbene. This compound is said to fight colon cancer.
Who says so? Scientists at Rutgers University, US, and the US Department of Agriculture.
How much should I eat? A cup of blueberries a day is beneficial for health.
Onions: They smell awful and make you cry, but onions are packed with flavonoids - antioxidants that mop up damaging free radicals. The strong-smelling varieties, such as the Western Yellow and pungent yellow onion, are the most effective in inhibiting the growth of liver and colon cancer cells.
Who says so? Researchers at Cornell University, in a study carried out in 2004.
How much should I eat? Rui Hai Liu, who led the study, says: "No one knows yet how many daily servings of onions you'd have to eat … [but people] might want to go with the stronger onions rather than the mild ones."
Cabbages: Believed to reduce the risk of bowel cancer and breast cancer.
Who says so? It is packed with vitamin B folate, according to a study published in the journal Gut. Low levels of folate might protect against bowel cancer. Researchers at Lancaster University, UK, found that a compound in cabbage helps prevent breast cancer. When the compound - called 13C - was used in conjunction with chemotherapy, cancer cells died because it made them more vulnerable to the drugs.
How much should I eat? At least two servings a day are beneficial to health.
Tomatoes: Rich source of lycopene, an antioxidant that lowers the risk of getting prostrate, colon and breast cancers as it counters the effects of radicals that damage cells and DNA.
Who says so? Researchers at Illinois University, US, believe eating tomatoes and broccoli in the same meal can help fight prostate cancer, due to the way the compounds in each vegetable work together to attack cancer cells. Dutch researchers also found that lycopene slowed tumour growth by 50 per cent.
How much should I eat? Ideally, 22mg a day.
Broccoli: Rich source of glucosinolates, once thought to be toxic, is now believed to break down cancer-causing substances, as well as stimulate our immune systems. One
of the glucosinolates, sulphoraphane, kills the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, thought to cause stomach cancer.
Who says so? Teams from the French National Scientific Research Centre and the US National Cancer Institute.
How much should I eat? You should munch on broccoli three to four times a week. Steam it instead of boiling it, as fewer of the nutrients are lost. Tender-stem broccoli is the best variety, as it has five times the glucosinolates of standard broccoli.
Watercress: Recent studies have found that it boosts levels of lutein and beta-carotene, which help fight cancer-causing free radicals.
Who says so? Ian Rowland, professor of human nutrition at Reading University, UK, in a study published recently.
How much should I eat? A packet of it raw daily or alternatively, a whole bowl.
Chillies: Hot in more ways than one. It kills cancer cells by attacking their energy-producing centres (mitochondria) without harming any of the surrounding healthy tissue.
Who says so? Dr Timothy Bates, who carried out the research at Nottingham University, UK.
How much should I eat? Researchers are not sure of that.
|
