When it comes to nutrients for cancer protection, the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E get most of the press.
Now a very large study from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre of over 20,000 people, published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, suggests that a less well-known mineral, selenium, is also strongly associated with a reduced risk of bladder cancer.
This effect was most pronounced in women — overall, people with a high dietary intake of selenium were about one-third less likely to develop bladder cancer; but in women, that rate of protection climbed to 45 percent, therefore nearly halving their risk. The researchers concluded that selenium's beneficial effect is due to selenoproteins, enzymes which prevent cellular damage.
Make sure your selenium levels stay optimal by regularly eating the following foods: Brazil nuts, wheat germ, brewers yeast, kidneys, liver, tuna and other oily fish, shellfish, sunflower seeds, lentils, and cashew nuts.
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