Plant-based Diet Offers Solution for Preventing Cancer

By Vera Viner

The mission of the Breast Health and Healing Foundation is to discover the specific causes of breast cancer and to use that knowledge to prevent the disease. As such, one of the main ways to prevent this disease is to focus on one’s diet and consume cancer-fighting foods throughout one’s day.

Having a plant-based diet is a major step toward remaining cancer-free. In addition, there are specific vitamins or supplements one can take to prevent different types of cancer. According to the Huffington Post, this includes vitamin D, curcumin found in curry-containing foods, vitamin B, and selenium.

Vitamin D can be obtained by going on daily walks and being out in the sun. Sunscreen is necessary for avoiding skin cancer, but getting some sunlight and vitamin D goes a long way to protecting against breast, ovarian, pancreatic, renal, and colon cancer.

In order to get enough selenium in one’s diet, it is necessary consume seafood, nuts, whole grains, meats, and poultry. Some other cancer-fighting foods include garlic, green tea, and carrots for their beta carotene components.

The Science Daily reported today that a diet rich in walnuts was able to block prostate tumors from growing in mice. Researchers from the School of Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio injected human prostate cancer cells into mice with a compromised immune system. After four weeks, the scientists split the mice into two groups – one on a walnut-rich diet and one control group.

A total of 44 percent of the mice in the control group had their tumors grow and develop while only 18 percent of the mice on the walnut diet developed prostate cancer. Additionally, previous studies have shown that a walnut-based diet could also slow down the growth of breast tumors.

“We found the results to be stunning because there were so few tumors in animals consuming the walnuts and these tumors grew much more slowly than in the other animals,” Study author Russel Reiter, Ph.D., professor of cellular and structural biology at the Health Science Center, told the news source. “We were absolutely surprised by how highly effective the walnut diet was in terms of inhibition of human prostate cancer.”

Along with these diet tips, research from the University of California, Los Angeles shows that a low-fat diet may lower mortality risk in breast cancer patients by as much as 66 percent, according to the News Fix. By following a healthy, plant-based diet filled with vitamins, fruits, nuts, and vegetables and avoiding sugary, fatty foods, it is possible to prevent a number of different cancers and become heart-healthy.