Since cancer cells are known to undergo mutation as they progress or metastasize, a combination of different cancer-active and cancer-protective foods are ideal for incorporating into daily dietary regimen.

 

KALE

 

Kale is a cruciferous vegetable and has a high concentration of Vitamin C and Vitamin K.  Research has shown it to be powerful against prostate and colon cancer, lung cancer and breast cancer.

 

The reasons you should pay attention to Kale; the cancer benefits of Kale.

Kale is so nutrient-dense that 100g it contains

Vitamin A: 206% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance  (from beta-carotene)

Vitamin K: 684% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance

Vitamin C: 134% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance

The explanation below shows how these Vitamins help fight Cancer

 

Carotenoids act as antioxidants themselves and stimulate the body’s own antioxidant defenses, decreasing free radical damage to DNA that can lead to cancer. Very high levels in cell studies, however, can have an opposite effect, promoting damage from oxidation.

Beta-carotene and lutein promote cell-to-cell communication that helps control cell growth. These carotenoids also increase carcinogen-metabolizing enzymes and stimulate the self-destruction of abnormal cells. The body uses beta-carotene to form vitamin A, which helps protect against cancer through the immune system and expression of genes that regulate cell growth.

RETINOIC ACID, another Vitamin A precursor found in Kale has been found to help restore pre-cancerous cells.

Sandra V. Fernandez, Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor of Medical Oncology at Thomas Jefferson University, and colleagues, used a model of breast cancer progression composed of four types of cells each one representing a different stage of breast cancer: normal, pre-cancerous, cancerous and a fully aggressive model.

When the researchers exposed the four breast cell types to different concentrations of retinoic acid – one of the chemicals that the body converts vitamin A into – they noticed a strong change in the pre-cancerous cells. Not only did the pre-cancerous cells begin to look more like normal cells in terms of their shape, they also changed their genetic signature back to normal. Dr. Fernandez’s pre-cancerous cells had 443 genes that were either up or downregulated on their way to becoming cancerous. All of these genes returned to normal levels after treatment with retinoic acid. “It looks like retinoic acid exerts effects on cancer cells in part via the modulation of the epigenome,” says Fernandez.

“We were able to see this effect of retinoic acid because we were looking at four distinct stages of breast cancer,” says Dr. Fernandez.

 

VITAMIN K

There have been a number of studies demonstrating the anticancer effects of vitamin K.  It has been found to exhibit anticancer activity in a number of cell lines (stomach, nasopharynx, breast, oral epidermoid cancer and leukemia (Wu, et al, 1993).

Liver Cancer –
Following the realization that patients with liver cancer do not process vitamin K, research began on the relationship between vitamin K and hepatocellular carcinoma.  It was observed that the vitamin K restored normal clotting to the cancerous cells and also stopped them from growing.  A phase I/II trial of K1 with liver cancer patients resulted in decreased cancer growth. (Carr, 1994).  A phase 1 study involving 40 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, who received high doses of vitamin K (40 mg per day) showed decreased cancer growth.  Vitamin K has also been applied on pancreatic cancer cells, resulting in apoptosis (cell death) of the cancer cells.

Vitamin K has also been shown to be effective against brain cancer cells, Leukemia, and Oral cancer cells.

Vitamin K has been seen to suppress both androgen-dependent and androgen-independent prostate cancer cell lines via apoptosis. Additionally, inflammatory genes were significantly down-regulated.

Lung cancers are notoriously aggressive and difficult to treat.  In several different types of lung cancer, including small cell, squamous cell, and adenocarcinomas, vitamin K induces apoptosis through the activation of a suicide protein.

Vitamin K has been shown to stop liver cancer in research studies in Tokyo and Washington. And you can only get your vitamin K naturally from green foods and the action of beneficial bacteria on them causing its release.

VITAMIN C

Nearly 60 years ago Toronto physician William McCormick observed that cancer patients often presented with severely low levels of vitamin C in their blood and featured scurvy-like symptoms, leading him to postulate that vitamin C might protect against cancer by increasing collagen synthesis. In 1972, extending this theory, Ewan Cameron, a Scottish surgeon, hypothesized that ascorbate could suppress cancer development by inhibiting hyaluronidase, which otherwise weakens the extracellular matrix and enables cancer to metastasize. He began treating terminally ill cancer patients and published a case report of 50 patients in which some of the treated patients benefited from high dose vitamin C.

 

Encouraged by the result, Cameron teamed up with Linus Pauling to conduct clinical trials involving terminal cancer patients. In 1976, they published a study of 100 patients with terminal cancer treated with ascorbate. Their disease progression and survival rates were compared to 1000 retrospective control patients who were matched with the vitamin C-treated patients regarding age, sex, type of cancer and clinical stage and who were treated by the same physicians in the same hospital, and in the same way except that they did not receive vitamin C.

 

Although the study was not well designed by modern standards, mainly because they lacked the placebo-control group, the results demonstrated that patients treated with vitamin C had improved quality of life and a four-fold increase in their mean survival time. In a follow-up study, Cameron and Pauling reported that 22% of vitamin C-treated cancer patients survived for more than one year compared to only 0.4% of control patients. A clinical trial in Japan independently showed a similar result.

 

Kale is also loaded with other compounds that are believed to have protective effects against cancer. One of these is sulforaphane, a substance that has been shown to help fight the formation of cancer at the molecular level

It also contains  indole-3-carbinol, another substance that is believed to help prevent cancer.

CHLORELLA

Chlorella is a single-celled green algae found always near freshwater sources. It is said to represent one of the very first life forms on the earth, some 3.6 billion years ago. Interests in Algae as a source of food intensified in Japan after the Second World War.

 

In one study, chlorella’s anti-cancer properties were investigated in an effort to determine how this microalgae stops cancer from spreading. Researchers tested the chlorella in vitro. They treated cancerous liver cells with Chlorella and compared the results with normal liver cells, looking for the mechanisms by which Chlorella was able to induce apoptosis(natural cell deaths that must occur in order for new, healthier cells to form).

The researchers discovered that there was a 70% increased apoptotic rate in liver cancer cells treated with Chlorella compared to normal cells. The Chlorella also was shown to inhibit anti-apoptotic proteins in cancer cells while leaving the normal cells’ self-destruct mechanisms in place.

 

In another recent study performed at the Chemical Injuries Research Center, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran, researchers wanted to find out if Chlorella could help reduce or eliminate some of the negative effects of smoking. Oxidative stress has been determined to be one of the key mechanisms that ushers in the harmful health effects of smoking, especially lung cancer.

 

The study evaluated the effect chlorella had on markers of oxidative stress in Iranian smokers. Thirty-eight smokers were recruited for the trial. All were administered Chlorella  at 3,600 mg/day for a period of six weeks.

 

The researchers conducted blood tests at baseline and then again after the study was completed. Concentrations of vitamin C, vitamin E, glutathione, and malonedialdehyde (MDA) as well as activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase were recorded. These major nutrients help protect against cancer cells formation and proliferation.

 

Chlorella is shown to have ten times the beta-carotene of carrots

The research team also measured the ability of Chlorella to inhibit the formation of free radicals (the major cause of cancer by binding to healthy cells and causing cell misbehavior), and they found that the six-week supplementation with Chlorella in smokers was associated with an increase in all antioxidant measures.

 

* Chlorella has an abundance of chlorophyll - which helps provide magnesium to the body, and increase oxygenation. Oxygen is known to be an enemy of cancer cells. Research has shown that cancer cells lack oxygen.

* Chlorella can increase interferon levels and boost the immune system.

* Chlorella can increase cellular glutathione levels and detoxify the cell of free-radicals.

* Chlorella has a fibrous wall, which helps chelate to toxins in the blood stream and gut and eliminate them from the body. High level of blood toxins is directly linked to cancers

In 1998 a study in Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy journal showed that chlorella had anti-cancer properties with an extracted protein inhibiting cancer spread in mice. A second study in 2009 (Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE B) which concluded it had definite anti-cancer properties. In this case it was with rats which had been given liver cancer. The chlorella triggered cancer cell death.

In a 2010 study, a hot water extract of chlorella induced apoptosis in liver cancer cells. The results were dose dependant (Clinics (San Paulo)

The detoxifying ability has been shown in research to help during and after chemotherapy.

 

Clinical trials show that chlorella and beneficial bacteria, properly stimulated, will chelate heavy metals, nitrosamines and oestrogenic products helping their elimination from the body. Correct levels of beneficial bacteria will also aid production of cancer-fighting vitamins such as B-12 , biotin, folic acid  and vitamin K from the greens.

 

Chlorella helps negate the effects of chemotherapy and radiation by protecting against UV radiation and removing radioactive particles.

The Journal of Zhejiang University found chlorella to have definite anti-cancer properties and triggered cancer cell death.

Researchers from the Yonsei University in Seoul Korea found that chlorella supports a healthy immune system response and helps “natural killer” cell activity. The first criterion to fighting cancer is an optimum immune system.

 

SPIRULINA

Spirulina is an edible, blue-green algae. Being hailed as a superfood, Spirulina is well-deserving of its status in that category.

Spirulina is another plant that can help to combat/ fight cancer naturally. In your cancer-recovery journey, spirulina deserves a spot in your must-have.

A February 20, 2001 press release issued by spirulina manufacturer Earthrise Nutritionals, Petaluma, California, briefly described a spirulina clinical study that was reported by Dr. Tsukasa Seya and colleagues from the Osaka Institute of Public Health, Japan, at the 30th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Immunology, in Miyagi, Japan, November 14–16, 2000. 

Volunteers who were more than 40 years old were given 50 mL of a spirulina extract.. The investigators measured the serum levels and activity levels of natural-killer (NK) cell s and interferon-g, both of which are important natural cancer-fighting substances. 

The researchers found that spirulina increased the tumor-killing ability of NK cells and the interferon significantly. This activity was increased 1–2 weeks after administration of spirulina and the activity continued for 12–24 weeks even after spirulina supplementation had been stopped. The secondary report on the research did not indicate the size of the study sample, nor did it specify how long the study participants took the spirulina supplement

 

WHEATGRASS

Wheatgrass is prepared from freshly sprouted leaves of Wheat plant. The best part of wheatgrass is that it doesn’t pose any risk for people living with Celiac Disease. It doesn’t contain Gluten. It is totally gluten-free.

Wheat grass “shots” have a high concentration of chlorophyll structural similarity to hemoglobin that provides the deep green colour. NIH Research shows wheatgrass is a good adjunct to chemotherapy, increasing effectiveness and reducing devastating side effects.

A 2007 study with breast cancer patients on chemotherapy showed that those who consumed wheatgrass needed less bone and blood strengthening drugs. This is one of the cancer benefits of Wheatgrass.

Sunlight on chlorophyll causes oxygen release. Studies on wheat grass show its ability to oxygenate the blood. Oxygen is an enemy of cancer.
The high fibre content will also help bind to toxins inside the blood stream and gut, and help eliminate them from the body.

 

The Cancer-healing stories below written by  AVNEET AROR  on SBS Punjabi website shows supporting pieces of evidence of the cancer-fighting power of Wheatgrass. I do recommend combination with other plant sources for optimum nutritional benefits

 

Brisbane-based Sundeep Singh's world came to a grinding halt when he was diagnosed with stomach cancer in September 2016.

The 34-year-old who hails from a farming family in Punjab's Moga district was just two weeks away from the settlement of his first home in Greater Brisbane when the doctors told him that he would need gruelling chemotherapy and at least two major surgeries to rid his body of the tumour.

Grappling with the diagnosis that has proved fatal for many, his wife, Kiranjot Kaur, started looking for herbal remedies that she claims are widely used for trying to treat cancer back in her village in Punjab.

Through her online research, she came upon wheatgrass; a popular herb in the wheat family some claim to carry healing properties.

Mrs Kaur told SBS Punjabi that her husband started consuming wheatgrass juice regularly for three months before his second cancer eviction surgery.

“When we took him for the second surgery, to our surprise, the doctor told us that only 15 percent of his tumour was now active, which they later removed through radiotherapy," she said.

“He didn’t require a second surgery. The cancer was gone…just like that, with no medicines, just a regular dosage of wheatgrass juice."

Mrs Kaur believes wheatgrass was largely responsible for not only helping her husband regain his lost strength but also recovering from cancer itself.

However, her belief was not shared by Mr Singh’s doctors who she says neither recommended nor stopped her from administering it to her husband.

The internet is rife with similar stories of people swearing by the “healing power” of wheatgrass - a young grass of the common wheat plant 'Triticum Aestivum' which can be easily grown in temperate weather conditions.

Wheatgrass heals 74-year-old man with cancer, after doctors give him only weeks to live. https://t.co/Nqwp8UZZI4#wheatgrass #cancer #health

— HealthRanger (@HealthRanger) May 10, 2018

Dietitian and nutritionist Raghav Thukral is among those who support Internet theory.

“Wheatgrass provides a concentrated amount of nutrients, including iron, calcium, magnesium, amino acids, chlorophyll, and is a rich source of vitamins A, C and E."

“Over 70 per cent of wheatgrass is chlorophyll, a pigment which can increase hemoglobin content in the blood.

“The superfood has a high level of alkaline properties and is capable of treating internal ailments like joint pain, infections, weight-related problems and also external skin disorders besides cancer."

In Kanjla in Punjab, one man named Jaswinder Singh has gained the reputation of a “universal healer” who receives hundreds of calls and visits from cancer-afflicted patients and their families every year from as far away as Canada.

The 48-year-old claims he has “cured” hundreds of people with cancer and other ailments with wheatgrass in the past six years alone.

Speaking to SBS Punjabi, Mr Singh said he has been studying the plant since 1992.

“I have tested it on my own mother”, says Mr Singh.

“Doctors had given up on her case. But I put my years of research into the use and started giving her 100 ml of wheatgrass juice every day along with a raw food diet.

“She started walking and carrying out her ablutions in no longer than three months."

With the aim of sharing his findings with the world, Mr Singh is now on the verge of partnering with a group of volunteers from Punjab to spread awareness about wheatgrass.

The product is readily available in the markets across the globe in the form of juice, powder, shots and tablets.

According to another researched run in India, a 41.4% of OSCC cell inhibition was observed at 1000 µg/ml dilution of aqueous wheatgrass extract in 24 hours, proving that the aqueous extract of wheatgrass has an inhibitory effect on the oral cancer cell line proliferation.

 

MILK THISTLE

Milk thistle has been found to resolve inflammation of the liver and liver problems induced by chemotherapy. A clinical study involving children with chemotherapy-induced liver inflammation from acute lymphoblastic leukemia showed a marked improvement in the liver function and enzyme activities leading to a significant reduction in their chemotherapy doses.

Silymarin and its major constituent, Silibinin, orally active, flavonoid agents, and extracts of Milk thistle have also been shown to exert significant anti-neoplastic effects (acting to prevent, inhibit or halt the development of a cancer tumors) in a variety of in vitro and in vivo cancer models, including skin, breast, lung, colon, bladder, prostate and kidney carcinomas.

A randomized clinical trial of 30 patients with head and neck cancer who had radiation therapy found that those who took silymarin for 6 weeks had lower rates of radiation-related mucositis compared to those who did not.

 

Milk thistle may benefit patients undergoing radiation therapy. In a nonrandomized study, patients with brain metastases received stereotactic radiotherapy alone (n = 262) or stereotactic radiotherapy plus omega 3 fatty acids and silymarin (n = 143). Patients taking omega 3 fatty acids and silymarin had longer survival times and a smaller number of radionecroses.36 In rats, silymarin administered 1 hour before gamma irradiation moderated radiation-induced changes in the spleen, liver, and bone marrow.

 

Read about this amazing product that physicians, doctors have been raving about and recommending to their cancer patients that has cold-pressed Kale, Spirulina, Chlorella, Milk thistle, Wheatgrass, and Black cumin seed as parts of its ingredients. Check it out

BLACK AND RED RASPBERRY

 

Black raspberries are a dark berry similar to raspberries and blackberries. They are native to North America

The major cancer-fighting component of food is the antioxidant level.

Antioxidant levels, shown in terms of their oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC), are a measure of a substance's ability to absorb oxygen free radicals. Oxygen-free radicals can damage DNA, cause cellular change, oxidize LDL cholesterol, and cause premature mental aging. Consuming foods high in antioxidants helps prevent cancer, heart disease, stroke, and possibly Alzheimer's Disease.

When compared to other foods, black raspberries have extremely high ORAC values. They are also among the highest foods in anthocyanins. Anthocyanins give foods like black raspberries their deep, dark color and have been shown to have anti-inflammatory and vasoprotective properties. Research has linked anthocyanins with improved vision, cardiovascular health, memory retention in old age and reduced risk of hypertension.

Major Cancer Benefits of Black Raspberries

Black Raspberries contain an extremely dark pigment which allows them to be used as a colorant and gives black raspberries one of the highest antioxidant ratings in common fruits and berries. Rich in ellagic acid, anthocyanins, and antioxidants, black raspberries have been called the “king of berries” for their superior health benefits.

Studies at Ohio State University have found significant decreases in colon tumors in rats and esophageal tumors in mice fed a diet with black raspberries. In vitro studies have shown that extracts of raspberries and blackberries may slow the growth of breast cervical, colon, and esophageal cancers. Human clinical trials are underway to assess the effects of black raspberries on colon and esophageal cancers in humans.

The king of berries in terms of health benefits.Has an extremely high overall level of phenolic compounds compared to other berries.

Phenolic compounds such as ellagic acid, gallic acid, and rutin contribute to the health benefits of black raspberries.

Contains high levels of anthocyanins, which give them their rich, dark color. Anthocyanins work as antioxidants that help fight free radical damage in the body.

Antioxidant levels of food are sometimes measured as ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity). The ORAC level of black raspberries is 77 µmoles /TE/g, about three times higher than blueberries, a very powerful antioxidant.

Black raspberries are rich in ellagic acid. Ellagic acid is a phenolic compound known to be a potent anti-carcinogen, anti-viral and anti-bacterial.

University studies are underway to determine black raspberries' ability to slow the growth of certain cancers. In vitro studies show that extracts of raspberries and blackberries may slow or reverse the growth of breast, cervical, colon, oral and esophageal cancers.

Studies at Ohio State University showed a 60–80 % reduction in colon tumors in rats fed a diet with black raspberries added.

Studies at Ohio State University showed an 80% reduction in esophageal cancers in mice fed a 5-10% diet of black raspberries.

Scientists from Ohio State University are now conducting human clinical trials into the effects of black raspberries on colon and esophageal cancer in humans.

The use of black raspberries as a chemoprevention agent has gained interest, and six human trials have been completed to date to assess the efficacy of black raspberry formulations for cancer prevention (17). High concentrations of chemopreventive compounds such as the anthocyanins , ellagic acid, quercetin, and β-sitosterol have been identified in Black raspberries (14, 18). Black raspberries  and their component Anthocyanins have the ability to inhibit cell proliferation, inflammation, and angiogenesis and to stimulate apoptosis, cell differentiation, and cell adhesion (15).

 Black raspberries also re-activate suppressor genes that have been silenced in tumors by hypermethylation (27, 28).

The absorption and bioavailability of black raspberry constituents including the Anthocyanins is a fundamental aspect of their physiologic role in disease prevention.

 

The majority of Anthocyanins enter the colon where they are metabolized by colonic bacteria into smaller, and more bioavailable phenolic acids such as protocatechuic acid (PCA; refs. 31, 32). Protocatechuic acid is known to function as an antioxidant and an antidiabetic agent (33)

 (Source: Cancer Prevention Research Website). 

 In addition, it is effective as a chemopreventive against colon, bladder, and liver cancer in rodents (34–36) and has antiproliferative and proapoptotic capabilities (37, 38).

 Black raspberries continue to generate a high level of interest from research scientists due to their potent antioxidant and anti-cancer properties.

In a study published in PubMed, extracts of six popularly consumed berriesblackberry, black raspberry, blueberry, cranberry, red raspberry and strawberry were evaluated for their phenolic constituents using high performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) detection. 

The major classes of berry phenolics were anthocyanins, flavonols, flavanols, ellagitannins, gallotannins, proanthocyanidins, and phenolic acids. The berry extracts were evaluated for their ability to inhibit the growth of human oral (KB, CAL-27), breast (MCF-7), colon (HT-29, HCT116), and prostate (LNCaP) tumor cell lines at concentrations ranging from 25 to 200 μg/mL. With increasing concentration of berry extract, increasing inhibition of cell proliferation in all of the cell lines were observed, with different degrees of potency between cell lines.

 The berry extracts were also evaluated for their ability to stimulate apoptosis of the COX-2 expressing colon cancer cell line, HT-29.  Black raspberry extracts showed the most significant pro-apoptotic effects against this cell line.

In another study, stomach, colon, and breast cancer cells were treated with berry extract and with HCl and ascorbic acid solutions of the same pH. A dilution of 7.5% ascorbic acid solution, of the same pH and slightly higher antioxidant concentration than the red raspberry extract, killed less than 10% of the stomach and colon cancer cells. 

In contrast, the red raspberry extract at this same dilution killed more than 90% of these cells. Antioxidants played a more significant role in the killing of breast cancer cells.

 A sure-fire way to Fight Cancer cell and tumors? Incorporate black raspberries in your daily diet.

 The best form of black raspberries and Red raspberries are cold-pressed. Cold-pressed technology ensures nutrients are not lost during processing.

BLACK CUMIN SEED

Black cumin seed is so powerful that it has been tagged as a 'Miracle seed' .

In Islam, it is regarded as one of the greatest forms of healing medicine available. Muhammad (S. A. W.) once stated that the black seed can heal every disease-except death-as recounted in the following hadith:

[Sahih Muslim: Book 26 Kitab As-Salam, Number 5489]

(Sahih Bukhari vol. 7 book 71 # 592).

 The black seed is also mentioned in the Bible in Isiah 28:25-27 (KJV)as the ‘fitches’.

 Known in the West for stimulating the body's energy and helping recovery from fatigue’.

 Mahfouz and El-Dakhakhny, prominent Egyptian researchers isolated the active principle nigellone from Black Seed's essential oil in 1959. There are over 100 different chemical components in the seed.

 Recent research describes the many ways in which black seed (Nigella sativa) is a potentially life-saving