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Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, but also soy, turmeric or green tea - these are some of the products that contain substances that can reduce the risk of cancer. It is worth incorporating them into your diet as an element of health prophylaxis, says medical dietician Sandra Ataniel.
Dietitian Sandra Ataniel emphasises that cancer is the second most common cause of death in the world. That is why researchers continue to search for medicines and substances that prevent the formation of cancer.
The use of natural or synthetic substances intended to prevent the formation of cancer cells is called chemoprevention. "These are mainly substances of plant origin, which is why vegetables and fruits will be extremely important in our diet" - emphasises the medical dietician. According to her, research shows that as much as 70 percent cancers have an environmental origin, and a third of them could be avoided with a proper diet.
"We have confirmed studies that eating very large amounts of vegetables and fruits helps reduce the risk of cancer. It is worth emphasizing that supplements that only contain isolated ingredients from fruits and vegetables are not as effective as consumption of these products in a natural form" - she adds.
Among the food products that have the strongest chemopreventive activity, the expert names cruciferous vegetables, which include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, turnips and kale. These vegetables are common in the Polish diet, although - in her opinion - their consumption gets smaller every year.
According to the dietician, cruciferous vegetables contain glucosinolates - substances with anticancer activity that may also inhibit the spread of cancer cells in the body. "Unfortunately, glucosinolates are very soluble in water, so if you cook these products, use small amount of water, and its preferable to eat them raw or steamed" - says Ataniel.
To increase the bioavailability of these ingredients, you can add mustard to your meal, because - according to the expert - it increases the bioavailability of glucosinolates several times.
"An important information for men is that broccoli, which contain these active substances, in combination with tomatoes increase their anti-cancer effect several times. This duo works very well to reduce the risk of prostate cancer" - she adds.
Another chemopreventive product is soy, which contains genistein - isoflavones, the effects of which are very similar (although much weaker) to the effects of human estrogens. "A negative correlation was observed between the consumption of soy products and the occurrence of hormone-dependent cancers, such as breast, prostate, cervical and endometrial cancer. Therefore, eating soy products is recommended" - the expert says.
In her opinion, you should not underestimate various types of spices. Among them is recently popular curcuma containing curcumin, which - as the dietician emphasises - not only has anti-cancer activity, but also very strong anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity. Unfortunately, curcumin is poorly absorbed in our body, so to increase its bioavailability it should be used in combination with black pepper - piperine increases the absorption of curcumin several times.
According to the dietician, chemopreventive ingredients are also found in green and white tea. They are catechins that have antioxidant activity.
"The strongest anti-cancer activity and the largest amount of these polyphenols is found in Japanese green tea. The length of tea infusion is also important because the polyphenol content will highest be after about 8-10 minutes of brewing. Of course, to make it effective, one cup of tea per day is not enough, there should be more" - adds Sandra Ataniel.
According to the dietician, another important substance is an organic chemical compound called resveratrol - known for its cardioprotective effect on our body. It turns out that it also helps protect our cells. Resveratrol is found mainly in the skin of dark grapes, therefore its highest concentration occurs in red wine - the lighter the wine, the lower its content. This substance is also found in cranberries, blueberries, peanuts and other forest fruits.
"All of these food products have low toxicity and cause few side effects, so you should consider including them in your diet. On the other hand, this will not replace check-ups and doctor visits, because it is only one element of preventive medicine" - emphasises the medical dietician.
PAP - Science in Poland
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