General Health

Cancer-Fighting Foods Everyone Should Incorporate

February 2, 2022

Medically reviewed by

David Culpepper, MD

It’s a statistical certainty that most people will be affected by cancer, whether through someone they know or themselves. Nearly two in every five people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their life. Every year more than 1.6 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed in the United States alone, and cancer is the cause of death for around 600,000 people annually. It's the second leading cause of death behind heart disease.

These statistics are sobering, but there's a bright side in the modern era: advances in treatment and a better understanding of the causes of cancer have resulted in a 31 percent improvement in cancer’s survival rate.

Cancer's survival rate can be influenced by several factors. One of the more important factors is diet and general health. Making a few changes may help to lower your odds of developing cancer and limit its severity.

How Does Food Impact Cancer?

It’s no secret that the food you eat has a significant effect on your overall health, so it should come as no surprise that certain foods may increase or decrease the odds of developing cancer.

Important: While diet undoubtedly contributes to your body's ability to combat cancer, many of the substances discussed below have demonstrated an ability to aid in cancer inhibition in laboratory tests, but not always in controlled clinical trials, the gold standard for "effectiveness" of a medical intervention. While there is research to back most of these foods, precisely how much you need to eat, or whether the substances get to where they need to be to have an effect in your body, is not always perfectly understood.

There are tons of chemical compounds in the food we eat, and some of them can be helpful in combatting cancer or cancer-causing processes.

The most beneficial of these compounds are called phytochemicals, and they can be found in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.

Studies have shown that phytochemicals can help disrupt cancer cells and prevent growth, spreading, and metastasizing. Phytochemicals fight cancer due to their anti-inflammatory properties.

Inflammation has a somewhat complicated relationship with your body. On one hand, inflammation is a key tool used by your immune system that helps protect you from external threats and heal wounds. On the other hand, inflammation can help cancer cells form, grow, and spread.

Your diet plays a role in inflammation, which is believed to contribute to cancer, as well as heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and even lower levels of testosterone.

What Foods Are Best at Fighting Cancer?

One facet to fighting cancer is to focus on eating foods that support your immune system. A strong immune system can contribute to better control over inflammation. Foods that help your immune system or lower inflammation may help in limiting the effects of cancer.

These are a few examples of cancer-fighting foods that provide one or both of these benefits.

Fruits

Apples have polyphenols that have been shown to fight tumor growth. Phloretin is a polyphenol shown to potentially inhibit breast cancer growth. Apples also provide vitamin C, which is an antioxidant necessary to proper immune system function.
Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries all contain considerable antioxidants and vitamin C, which can lower inflammation. They also contain anthocyanin, which has been shown to have a positive effect on colon cancer.
Citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, grapefruits, and limes are extremely high in vitamin C. They also have multiple antioxidant, antimutagenic, and antiproliferative properties that may help with esophageal and stomach cancers.
Tomatoes are loaded with the powerful antioxidant lycopene. Lycopene is what gives tomatoes their trademark color and may be effective at protecting men from prostate cancer.
Grapes are a good source of the antioxidant resveratrol, which is believed to prevent cell damage from triggering cancer in the stomach, breast, liver, and lymphatic system.

Vegetables

Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and kale contain sulforaphane, which has inhibited cancer cell growth in studies NS can and possibly kill cancer cells. They also have glucosinolates that are broken down into isothiocyanates and indoles, which can both lower inflammation.
Carrots are a good source of beta-carotene that can help protect your cell membranes and inhibit cancer cells from growing. Beta-carotene is what gives carrots their color and also helps to improve immune function and reduce inflammation.
Mushrooms can stimulate your immune system. Mushrooms also seem to have an effect in slowing and preventing the growth of some tumors.
Allium vegetables like garlic and onions have anti-inflammatory properties. Allicin and diallyl sulfide are two compounds that can help to deactivate carcinogens in the body.
Leafy green vegetables like spinach, cabbage, and lettuce contain glycoglycerolipids, vitamin C, and carotenoids. These antioxidants can help to support the immune system and stop free radicals from damaging cells and potentially contributing to cancer.

Other Foods

Soybeans are a good source of the compound genistein, which can boost the effectiveness of sulforaphane and help inhibit the growth of cancer cells and tumors.
Walnuts, almonds, peanuts, and cashews have several antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. They also contain gamma-tocopherol, which may help decrease cell growth, especially in the colon and pancreas.
Beans are high in fiber and other phytochemicals that can help limit the cell damage that contributes to cancer.
Fatty fish are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which can lower inflammation and promote good cardiovascular health.
Flaxseed is high in fiber and has plenty of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. They also have enzymes that can deactivate carcinogens, limit growth, and help destroy cancer cells.
Turmeric contains curcumin, which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It is believed to affect how tumors spread.
Ginger, basil, oregano, and dill can lower inflammation.
Cinnamon can help to ease inflammation.
Green tea is loaded with both antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. The phytochemicals in green tea have been linked with helping slow and prevent the spread of cancer cells.

What Foods Should You Avoid?

Eating certain foods is just one part of a healthy diet. The other part is avoiding foods that can be harmful. It’s worth noting that these foods can significantly impact your overall health when eaten in excess, contributing to a host of medical conditions that put you at higher risk of developing cancer.

These are some of the foods that can increase inflammation in your body or are otherwise believed to contribute to the development of cancer when consumed in excess:

Refined carbs found in white flour, white bread, white rice, and processed foods not only increase blood glucose and insulin levels but are also a risk factor for colon cancer.
Sugar can lead to obesity and diabetes, which increases the odds of cancer.
Alcohol is a carcinogen and can also damage your liver, which can lead to increased inflammation.
Saturated fats found in red meat and full-fat dairy products may contribute to obesity and cardiovascular inflammation in your body.
Omega-6 fatty acids are used by your body to lower cholesterol but can also trigger an inflammatory response that leads to elevated cholesterol.
Preservatives in preserved meats like hotdogs are associated with an increased risk of cancer.
Charred meats or foods, like those that are aggressively grilled, are linked to a higher risk of cancer.
Trans fats found in fried, processed, and fast foods can quickly lead to weight gain and obesity, which increases the risk of cancer.

The Takeaway

Making a few changes to your diet can support proper wellbeing and nutrition to potentially reduce the risk of cancer. Alongside good sleep, exercise, stress reduction, and other practices that support general wellbeing, a better diet is a key pillar of preventing cancer.

While cancer is a deadly condition for some, survival rates are increasing every year. Decades of cancer research have uncovered new treatments for cancer and have made it easier to diagnose. It's these early detection and treatment abilities that will make a difference for most people with cancer.

Following a Mediterranean diet is one way to get more foods that are beneficial in fighting cancer or cancer-causing processes. Getting more of the essential nutrients found in whole fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds can contribute to combatting cancer-causing triggers.

These benefits can be doubly effective if you reduce carcinogens and unhealthy foods like refined carbs, processed foods, alcohol, and excess saturated fats, all of which can contribute to metabolic and cardiovascular conditions.