Cancer - Nutritional Support #2

So to continue our discussion on the use of nutrition to treat cancer, I would like to mention the importance of legumes, beans, onions and garlic.

As the liver is the main organ that processes toxins in the body, eating foods (and avoiding others) that boost liver function should be consumed daily. These include garlic, onions and legumes. Author Murray (2013) states that an onion extract was found to by cytotoxic to tumor cells in vitro and to arrest tumor growth when tumor cells were implanted in rats. The onion extract was shown to be unusually nontoxic, because a dose as high as 40 times that of the cytotoxic dose for the tumor cells had no adverse effect on the host.

The vegetarian diet is one that should not be overlooked as an option to adopt into one's life as the elimination of red meat has been linked to a lower risk of cancer (particularly colon and colo-rectal cancer - more on this in a moment). Including beans is in the diet is a viable option for protein intake rather than meat. According Dr. Byers et al, (2001) in an article published by the American Cancer Society regarding guidelines for nutrition in cancer prevention state "beans are excellent sources of many vitamins and minerals, protein, and fiber. Beans are legumes, the technical term for the family of plants that includes dried beans, pinto beans, lentils and soybeans, among many others. Beans are especially rich in nutrients that may protect against cancer and may be a useful low-fat, high-protein, alternative to meat". Cancer fighting phytonutrients such as lignans should also be incorporated into the diet. Lignans are present in flaxseed and those with cancer could take up to four tablespoons of ground flaxseed daily. Of course, drinking plenty of clean, fresh water with this as well as throughout the day is highly recommended.

References:Byers, T. Nestle, M., McTiernan, A., Doyle, Currie-Williams, C., Gansler, A. & Thun, T. (2001). American Cancer Society guidelines on nutritional and physical activity for cancer prevention. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians; ACS Guidelines on Nutrition and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention. 31 Dec 2008. 52:2, 92-119

Further information on this referenced article can be found at www.cancer.org