Breast cancer: How to Prevent Breast Cancer With Superfoods

By Apollo Leong M.D.

Don't we all know somebody who has had breast cancer? For non-smoking American women breast cancer remains the most likely cancer to occur over a lifetime. Though early detection methods and advanced treatments have dramatically improved outcomes for women breast cancer remains an emotionally and physically devastating disease. There are numerous factors that determine a woman's lifetime risk for developing breast cancer. Some factors such as genetic defects are difficult to alter; however, medical studies are demonstrating the increasingly critical role of diet and nutrition in preventing breast cancer. How can we prevent breast cancer by incorporating superfoods into our daily diet?

1. Eat plenty of cruciferous vegetables daily. This group of superfoods contain an active ingredient called indole which serves to stimulate the body's immune system to prevent breast cancers from ever occurring. Animals fed cruciferous vegetables developed far fewer cancers than their counterparts even when they were exposed to cancer causing toxins. So eat your broccoli, cabbage and brussel sprouts like your mother urged you to.

2. Eat plenty of carotenoid containing vegetables. Carotenoids are the colorful pigment chemicals which provide bright yellow, red and orange hues to certain plants and vegetables such as carrots, oranges and peaches. In addition to being colorful they're powerful antioxidants that protect the body against free radicals which are known to promote breast cancer.

3. Drink plenty of catechin containing green tea. Catechins are a type of flavonoid that stimulate the immune system to detect and eliminate early breast cancer cells more efficiently. Catechins also seem to prevent breast cancer by not allowing cancer inducing chemicals to damage human cells.

4. Numerous mushrooms from maitake to the common button mushroom have been shown to prevent breast cancer. Women who consumed the largest quantities of green tea and mushrooms had 90 percent less breast cancer than women who consumed the least amount of these superfoods. The medicinal effects of mushrooms against breast cancer are numerous. Mushrooms contain polysaccharides called beta-glucan which directly kill breast cancer cells; stimulate the immune system to eradicate precancerous cells and reduce estrogen levels which fuel breast cancer cell growth.

5. Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning produced from fermented soybeans. In the U.S. it's usually used for broth or soup stock. In addition to being high in protein and low in calories miso also has an immune stimulating effect which allows the body's defenses to more quickly detect and remove early breast cancer cells from the body.

6. How To Prevent Breast Cancer With Superfoods
Eat plenty of colored berries such as blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. These popular superfruits contain extremely high levels of antioxidants such as anthocyanins, lycopenes and phenolics. Many healthy foods contain antioxidants; however, based on extensive research the superfruits contain the very highest amounts of antioxidants based on the ORAC scale(Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity).

7. How To Prevent Breast Cancer With Superfoods
Add more garlic to your diet. That distinct garlic aroma is due to allyl sulfides which also happen to be potent anti-cancer agents. Garlic has the ability to enhance the immune system in it's never-ending battle to eliminate early cancer cells from the body.