Want to lower your risk of cancer–naturally? Well here’s one way to kick cancer to the curb: Eat a lycopene-rich diet.
In a new study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Clinical Oncology in Chicago, researchers say that women who ate a diet rich in antioxidants called lycopenes faced a 45 percent reduced risk of kidney cancer.
Kidney cancer, also know as renal cancer, currently accounts for 2 percent of all cancers among adult Americans.
“The amount of lycopene in the diet of the women who consumed lycopene at the highest level in the study would be equal to eating four tomatoes daily,” says Dr. Won Jin Ho, a co-researcher and medical resident at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. “However, it’s likely that the women received lycopene not just from tomatoes, but also from tomato sauces and other fruits that contain lycopene.”
The Study
First drawing data from the Women’s Health Initiative, a long-term study used to collect data on how disease affects middle-age to elderly women, researchers first located 92,000 women described as being postmenopausal–a group often facing a higher risk of kidney cancer. Their goal in the study was to understand how a woman’s diet and the micronutrients she consumed affected certain health outcomes, like her risk of cancer.
To do this, they had the women fill out questionnaires on the foods they consumed while also collecting data on their supplement use. They also noted how many women in the study developed kidney cancer–in this case, 383 women were diagnosed, about 0.4 percent of the study group.
Then they compared the data, and found strong correlations with certain nutrients.
For those who consumed the highest amounts of foods rich in lycopene, an antioxidant, their risk of developing kidney cancer was reduced by 45 percent. Those who did not consume much lycopene in their diet–usually, those who ate a diet rich in processed foods and fat–were the most likely to develop cancer, however.
As noted earlier, Ho says the amount of lycopene-rich foods they ate weren’t unrealistically high–at the most, it equated to four tomatoes per day. But oftentimes these women also complemented their diet with other foods rich in lycopene, such as watermelon, pink grapefruit and papaya.
As an added bonus, these foods also contain other healthful phytochemicals and micronutrients that also reduce the risk of cancer, say researchers.
“Studies have suggested that a process known as oxidative stress may play an important role in the development of kidney cancer,” say researchers. “A diet rich in micronutrients that have antioxidant properties could potentially affect the risk of this cancer, but more studies are needed to know for sure.”
What You Should Do
Want to minimize your risk of kidney cancer? Then try upping your intake of foods containing lycopene–such as tomatoes, pink grapefruit, and watermelon. It also wouldn’t hurt to eat other antioxidant-rich foods as well, such as grapes and blueberries.
Readers: How often do you eat foods rich in lycopene?
Sources:
Tomato Rich Diet May Lower Kidney Cancer Risk – Yahoo.com
Tomatoes May Lower Kidney Cancer Risk – LiveScience.com
About The Author: Zero to Hero Fitness
Our mission at Zero to Hero Fitness is to help you to finally lose the weight and keep it off, strengthen your body and mind, and experience naturally high levels of energy throughout the day. We believe everyone, regardless of your past or current struggles with your health or fitness, can greatly improve on your existing condition and live life in your best body possible.