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Fight cancer in the kitchen

Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Fight cancer in the kitchen
Fight cancer in the kitchen
Here's a statistic to make you think twice about what you eat: an unhealthy diet may be behind up to one-third of all cancers. It's vital therefore to increase your intake of fruit and vegetables. They contain phytochemicals and antioxidants, which countless studies have shown help to protect, block or suppress cancer-causing cells and tumours. Many help to protect against specific cancers, too:

  • Broccoli and cabbage contain glucosinolates, which break down to fight lung and colon cancers. (Tip: if you can't stand broccoli, but want its cancer-fighting properties, look for broccoli sprouts, available in health food stores and some supermarkets. They've got a tangy yet delicate taste, and they contain up to 50 times the concentration of the protective chemical sulphoraphane found in mature broccoli.)
  • Citrus fruit is high in antioxidant flavonoids that protect against stomach and oral cancer.
  • Garlic has been shown to reduce the size of colon tumours.
  • Grapes, or rather, their skins, contain resveratrol, which inhibits cancer development.
  • Soya contains a naturally occurring plant oestrogen that mimics the action of the anti-breast cancer drug tamoxifen.
  • Tomatoes contain lycopene, which protects against cancer-causing pollutants and helps guard against stomach and prostate cancer.
  • Watercress contains a substance called phenethyl isothiocyanate, which preliminary research findings indicate may help prevent lung cancer.

    Support the Cancer Council for Daffodil Day: Sorbent will make a donation on behalf of all the top 3 arcade challengers! Click here to take the Sorbent Arcade Challenge.

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