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Foods that prevent cancer:
10 cancer-fighting fruits
This list of foods that prevent cancer contains 10 fruits that are easy on the taste buds. The majority of the fruits outlined here are familiar to most of us, but a couple are tropical selections that are not as well known. If you're looking for natural cancer prevention strategies, incorporating these foods into the diet is very pleasant task-- many of the fruits are popular due to their great taste and texture.
All of the cancer-fighting fruits included on this page have been tested by researchers who've found convincing evidence that they are effective in cancer prevention. See what vegetables are proven cancer fighters.
Foods that prevent cancer - Berries
Cherries - This is one of the most versatile foods that prevent cancer. Cherries not only have cancer-fighting properties, but they are also useful for tackling arthritis and lowering cholesterol. Cherries contain significant amounts of a component called quercetin, which has been linked to stopping or slowing the growth of colon, prostate, ovarian, pancreas, breast and lung cancer cells.
Cherries are also loaded with ellagic acid, a phytochemical that in lab studies has demonstrated the ability to prevent skin, bladder, lung, esophagus and breast cancers, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research.
Cranberries - This tart fruit has been shown in lab studies to be toxic to a variety of cancers including lung, cervical, prostate, breast and leukemia. A study at the University of Massachussets Dartmouth found that the cancer-fighting magic of cranberries is thanks to their proanthocyanidins. This finding was published in the January 2006 issue of issue of The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.
Raspberries - One of my favorite foods that prevent cancer, raspberries are loaded with ellagic acid, which in the lab has been shown to cause cancer cells to die while not affecting healthy cells. Various research projects have demonstrated that ellagic acid inhibits skin, bladder, lung esophagus and breast cancer.
An international research project has linked diet and behaviors to increased risk for cancer. See the survey results.
Strawberries - This popular fruit has been shown to slow the growth of human liver cancer cells, according to a 2005 article in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. In this project, researchers tested 8 types of strawberries and all of them inhibited the spread of liver cancer cells. Strawberries are also rich in ellagic acid, discussed in the entries on cherries and raspberries.
Blueberries - This overview of foods that prevent cancer wouldn't be complete without some space devoted to blueberries. An Ohio State University study published in 2009 found that blueberries shrunk the size of tumors and significantly improved survival rates in an animal research project. Mice with blood vessel tumors that were fed blueberry extract lived twice as long as mice that weren't given blueberries. In addition, the tumors in the mice fed blueberries were 60 percent smaller than the other group.
In 2007, researchers from Rutgers University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture discovered that a compound in blueberries called pterostilbene can prevent colon cancer. In this study, colon cancer was induced in 18 rats. Nine were fed a balanced diet plus the blueberry compound pterostilbene, and nine consumed a balanced diet with no pterostilbene. After eight weeks, the group eating the blueberry extract experienced 57 percent fewer pre-cancerous lesions in the colon compared to the other group.
And in 2005, researchers from the University of Illinios reported that the antioxidants called anthocyanins in wild blueberries prevent cancer from forming and stop them from proliferating. Published in the Journal of Food Science, the study tested the effects of blueberries on prostate and liver cancer cells.
How to eat berries all year long
Eating fresh berries is the preferred way of getting the benefits of these amazing fruits. However, there are firms that offer blueberry and cherry supplements, and dried blueberries and cherries so you can get the health benefits of these berries when they are out of season. Traverse Bay Farms offers free shipping on all blueberry and cherry supplements and larger orders of dried blueberries and cherries.
Blueberries are one of our foods that prevent cancer but they are also helpful in boosting memory and coordination. Click here to learn more.
Other foods that prevent cancer
Green tea is a proven cancer fighter, according to recent research.
Grapes - Grapes, especially red and purple varieties, make this list of foods that prevent cancer. However, wine does not. A massive study released in 2007 by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research, found that consuming alcoholic drinks carries a "convincing increased risk" for the following cancers: mouth, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, colon and breast, as well as a "probable increased risk" for liver cancer.
The skin of grapes contain resveratrol, which was shown to prevent the formation and growth of cancer cells at the Illinois College of Pharmacy in the late 1990s. The skin of dark grapes are packed with more resveratrol than their green counterparts. In addition, grapes also contain proanthocyanidins, a cancer-fighting compound.
Guava - This tropical fruit may be unfamiliar to those of us who live is areas visited annually by snow, ice and freezing temperatures. However, it may be worth looking for in the supermarket. Guava contains 17 percent more cancer-inhibiting lycopene than tomatoes. In 1995, Harvard University scientists released the results of a study that tracked the eating habits of men aged 40 to 75 years. The more tomato products men ate (sauce, juice, even pizza), the less likely they were to develop prostate cancer. In a follow up study at Detroit's Karmanos Cancer Institute, men with prostate cancer who were given lycopene supplements experienced smaller tumors and less spreading of the cancer.
Other research projects show Lycopene has the ability to stop proliferation of breast and colon cancer cells.
Lemons in hot tea - These two foods that prevent cancer work best together. By putting lemon peel in your hot black tea, you may reduce your chances for developing skin cancer, according to a 2001 report from the University of Arizona. Researchers studied the tea-drinking habits of 450 people, half of whom had skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and questioned them about their tea-drinking habits. Scientists found the people who developed skin cancer drank significantly less hot tea. Citrus peel in the tea led to a 70 percent reduced risk for SCC skin cancer, while drinking black tea alone resulted in a 40 percent reduction. 
Papaya - This exotic, tropical fruit is an excellent source of beta-cryptoxanthin, which is related to the better-known compound, beta carotene. Consumption of beta cryptoxanthin is associated with lower risk for lung cancer, according to a study published in the January 2004 issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention. This report found that lung cancer risk dropped by more than 30% for people whose diets included the high amounts of this compound. Other good sources of beta cryptoxanthin are red bell peppers, oranges, corn and watermelon.
Apples - This popular fruit finishes off our list of foods that prevent cancer. Apples contain significant amounts of quercetin, a powerful component that has been shown in various studies to inhibit several types of cancers: colon, ovarian, breast, lung and leukemia.
 A 2001 study from the Mayo Clinic found that quercetin stopped the growth of prostate cancer cells. In 2002, the International Journal of Cancer outlined animal and lab research demonstrating that quercetin (and the compound resveratol) decreased the growth rate of pancreatic tumors. And in 2009, the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry published the results of an animal research project at Cornell Institute that found apple extracts inhibited the growth of breast tumors.
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The information on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace medical advice or diagnose or treat any health condition. The statements on this site have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
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