Energy Times - Health, Vitamins, Supplements and Nutrition

The Anti-Cancer Rainbow

Plant foods contain compounds that can shine a spotlight on disease prevention.

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May 2010

Just as white light is formed from a spectrum of color wavelengths, a cancer-protective diet contains a full spectrum of colorful produce. “Vegetables and fruits,along with whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds, contain thousands of phytochemicals—many of which influence one or more stages of
cancer development,” says Karen Collins, MS, RD, nutritional advisor to the American Institute of Cancer Research. “This makes variety in the plant foods we eat more important than ever.” To learn what substances give these foods their colors and health benefits, turn the page.

What’s worse, “the same day I learned I didn’t have stereovision I learned I could never get it,” says Barry. That’s because the developing brain was thought to be like a vat of drying concrete: The flexibility that allowed a young child’s brain to acquire skills such as stereovision was simply lost by the time a person reached adulthood. Barry would even use herself as an example in passing along that conventional wisdom to her students.

Compound	Found in	Actions
Allicin	Garlic, leek, onion, scallion, shallot	Garlic intake linked to reduced cancer rates; allyl sulfides suppresswild cell growth
Limonoids	Grapefruit, lemon, lime, noni, orange	Promotes detoxification of cancer-causing compounds within the digestive tract; may inhibit breast cancer cell growth
Carotenoids	Apricots, carrots, kale, spinach, sweet potatoes	Antioxidants that boost immunity; one carotenoid, lutein, has been linked to reduced risk of kidney and ovarian cancers
Catechins	Apples, berries, green tea (best-known source)	Inhibits enzymatic reactions that can lead to cancer; has reduced tumor size in lab studies
Chlorophyll	Barley and wheat grasses, chlorella,leafy greens, spirulina	Helps neutralize toxins and boost the body’s immune defenses
Sulforaphane	Broccoli, especially broccoli sprouts	Has counteracted genes that increase cancer susceptibility in lab studies; helps the body destroy abnormal cells
Lycopene	Grapefruit, tomato (best-known source), watermelon	Helps protect cells against free-radical damage; may reduce risk of breast, intestinal, pancreatic and prostate cancers
Ellagic Acid	Grapes, pomegranates, raspberries,strawberries	Has inhibited tumor growth and blood-vessel development, and promoted natural death of cancer cells, in lab studies
Resveratrol	Grapes, peanuts; supplements often useJapanese knotweed	Helps reduce exposure to the toxic effects of cancer-causing chemicals and normalize the natural cell life cycle
Anthocyanins	Açai, berries, black currants, goji, grapes,mangosteen, plums	May inhibit tumorous cell growth and protect against the kind of genetic damage that leads to cancer development

Note: If you have cancer or any other pre-existing condition, speak to a healthcare practitioner
before starting a supplementation program.