Cancer Fighting Foods Are ‘C’ Students

Good news! It’s okay, in fact it’s awesome, to be a C-student in nutrition! That is especially true if you want to reduce your risk of the C-word.

For example, vitamin C is now being investigated as an adjunct with chemotherapy — in high doses — to help combat already existing cancers (read this review on the subject, if you’re into a steady diet of syllable-salad).

But what about taking steps to reduce the chances of ever getting it in the first place?

It turns out that regular consumption of foods containing vitamin C can reduce your chances of cancer formation. Study: “Numerous epidemiological studies have pointed to the importance of dietary and supplemental ascorbate in the prevention of various types of cancer including bladder, breast, cervical, colorectal, esophageal, lung, pancreatic, prostate, salivary gland, stomach, leukemia, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.”

That’s a lotta cancer prevention in that citrus fruit, red bell pepper, broccoli, cabbage, and tomato.

Just keep this in mind. Vitamin C is a bit of a nutritional snowflake. It breaks down at higher temps, and is water soluble and can be lost if you steam that broccoli with too much water. Hint: just microwave your veggies, as this provides a shorter cooking time, and requires less water.