By Dr. Matsen

On January 31, 2005 the National Toxicology Program (NTP), a division of the U.S. Department of Health based in North Carolina, released its 11th Report on Carcinogens. The report listed 246 chemicals, dyes, drugs, viruses and metals known to, or likely to, cause cancer. This is up by 17 from the last report. The new additions include lead, which had been widely used as a gasoline additive until recently, naphthalene, which was used in mothballs, and x-rays, which we’ve all been exposed to. Even some cancer treatments are shown to increase the incidence of cancer. The NTP is proposing to add 21 more carcinogens to its next report in October 2005.

In a world that appears to be getting increasingly toxic, are we helpless victims doomed to die of cancer? Fortunately, other researchers have been finding chemicals called phytoalexins in common foods that defend us from cancer.

Apples have long been known to induce health, thus the adage “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Recent research on apples at Cornell University found that isolating various nutrients from apples decreased their anti-cancer properties. The vitamin C extracted from apples had far less anti-cancer properties than the phytochemicals of the apple. Also, using apple skin extract inhibited colon cancer cells 43% while using apple flesh extract gave only a 29% inhibition. Studies using liver cancer cells showed similar results; the apple skin gave 57% inhibition while the apple flesh gave 40% inhibition. The obvious conclusion was that eating the whole apple would give the strongest anti-cancer protection against colon and liver cancers. (Nature, June 22, 2000)

Asparagus contains an enzyme that has been shown to break down potentially toxic pesticides. (J of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Sept 22, 2004; vol 42: pp 5919-5923)

Berries—such as blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, raspberries and strawberries—contain lignans, which help to balance out steroid hormones that could cause some cancers, and ellagic acid, which helps break down four types of chemical carcinogens. Blackberry was rated the highest of common foods on the ORAC Scale of Antioxidant Value with a score of 3,672; kale came second at 2,479 and blueberries third at 2,304.

Onions are low in vitamins and minerals but make up for that with a rich assortment of tumour-inhibiting phytoalexins, including allyl sulphides and quercitin, with yellow onions being the highest in quercitin. Red onions are higher in anthocyanins which also have medicinal properties. While other plants with anti-cancer properties—such as apples and tea—also contain quercitin, the quercitin from onions is four times more absorbable.

Green tea has been used as a dietary medicine in Asia for at least 3,000 years. In its green state, tea has numerous anti-cancer chemicals called catechins, the activity of which is 5/6 lost when fermented into black tea.

Grapefruit contains a bioflavonoid called naringen which is believed to have anti-cancer properties because of its ability to inhibit a liver enzyme that makes deadly epoxides and peroxides, which are at the root of most diseases, including cancer. White grapefruit has more naringen than ruby red but the latter has more lycopene, which has been found to have anti-prostate cancer properties. (Lycopene is also present in tomatoes.) For those who can’t take grapefruit because of its acidity, grapefruit pectin—the white layer found between the peel and the fruit—is available in capsule form and is known to improve cholesterol readings.

Broccoli is a member of the Brassica family of vegetables which contain sulfur compounds that have long been known to have anti-cancer properties. Diets high in broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, and other Brassica vegetables have been found to reduce the risk of cancer. Indol-3-carbinol (I-3-C) is an extract from broccoli has been shown to prevent and even reduce some cancers, especially those with a steroidal hormone connection such as breast, prostate, uterine, ovary and cervical cancers. It has also shown promise in lung and colon cancers and has been found to reduce the activity of human papilloma virus, which has just been added to the NTP’s list of carcinogens. I-3-C is commonly used at 200 mg twice per day, with meals.

Selenium, taken at 200 micrograms per day, has been shown to decrease the recurrence of many cancers from 50 to 80%, without side effects. Feeding selenium to broccoli plants allows the plants to convert the selenium into a form with even stronger anti-cancer properties called SeMe (Se-Methylselenocysteine).

Studies of foods with the greatest anti-cancer properties found that they typically were high in a chemical called calcium d-glucarate . Some hormones or chemicals that are neutralized by the liver and passed into the bile for elimination through the bowels can be reabsorbed if bacteria in the bowels are able to unbind them from the compound the liver had applied to them. The calcium d-glucarate in foods was found to block the gut bacteria from causing this reabsorption, thus dramatically reducing the body’s load of deadly hormones and carcinogens. Animal studies using calcium d-glucarate supplements have shown inhibition of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers with doses implied for humans of 200 to 400 mg per day.

So as our world gets more toxic, it seems prudent to increase our intake of defensive foods such as apples, asparagus, berries, onions, green tea, grapefruit, tomatoes, broccoli and other Brassica vegetables such as cabbage, including coleslaw and sauerkraut. Minimal supplementation to help protect against cancer might include: 200 mcg of selenium per day; 200 mg of I-3-C with 2 meals per day; 1 capsule of grapefruit pectin with 2 or 3 meals per day; and possibly 200 to400 mg of calcium d-glucarate per day.