These are the wonderful bioactive compounds including antioxidants and flavonoids found in fruits, vegetables, beans and grains. They offer numerous health benefits which include anti-cancer properties. The best way to obtain phytochemicals is to eat a colourful diet, prepared with minimal processing to help preserve the nutrients.
Apigenin is one flavonone being studied for its cancer protective compounds and parsley is one of the top sources (1). The US Department of Agriculture offers a database with the average flavonoid counts of various foods, and The American Institute for Cancer Research recognizes the following foods as having anti-cancer properties:
- Apples
- Blueberries
- Broccoli & Cruciferous Vegetables
- Cherries
- Coffee
- Cranberries
- Dark Green Leafy Vegetables
- Dry Beans & Peas
- Flaxseed
- Garlic
- Grapefruit
- Grapes & Grape Juice
- Soy
- Winter Squash
- Tea
- Tomatoes
- Walnuts
- Whole Grains
It’s important to note that high doses of antioxidants and flavonoids don’t always offer the same protection as what’s found in fruits and vegetables. In tests on animals, large quantities of some flavonoids protected the tumours and encouraged their growth. There haven’t been many studies on humans, however one study with high doses of beta carotene and lung cancer had to be stopped because researchers found it was encouraging the cancer to grow in people who were prone to the disease.
Source:
1. Apigenin: A Promising Molecule for Cancer Prevention; S. Shukla and S. Gupta http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2874462/
2. Foods that Fight Cancer; American Institute for Cancer Research http://www.aicr.org/foods-that-fight-cancer/
3. Cancer Prevention: Plant Products (Phytochemicals); CancerQuest https://www.cancerquest.org/patients/prevention/plant-products
4. Phytochemical List; Produce for Better Health Foundation http://www.pbhfoundation.org/about/res/pic/phytolist
5. Eat to Beat Evidence List http://www.eattobeat.org/evidence
Wendy’s Wellness Connection 