For lots more advice on nutrition to combat cancer, visit www.eatandbeatcancer.com

Dietary Strategies for Fighting Cancer: The Theories

The science of nutrigenomics—how nutrients interact with genes to affect health—is all the rage now, and we’re seeing more and more evidence that phytonutrients—nutrients from plant foods—can directly impact cancer genes. How do these nutrients work?  Here are the various theories. 

Phytonutrients can

● boost the immune system

● stop the cancer cells’ growth cycle and interfere with chemicals and processes, such as elevations in blood glucose, that promote growth

● encourage cancer cells to mature into healthy tissue (differentiation) or to commit suicide (apoptosis)

● stop them from producing blood vessels that allow them to grow and spread (anti-angiogenesis)

● reduce the effects of hormones, including estrogen, that fuel growth

● control inflammation in the body (the theory being that inflammatory chemicals suppress the immune system and encourage tumors to grow and spread).

Controlling the inflammatory process by eating fish or fish oils high in Omega-3 fatty acids and maintaining even blood sugar levels are among the many dietary strategies for improving our health.