Lung cancer kills more people in the U.S. than colon cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer put together, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Risk factors for lung cancer include tobacco use, environmental exposure to asbestos and family history. If you have lung cancer, follow the advice given to you by your physician. In addition, consider eating these natural foods to combat lung cancer.
Green Tea
Green tea is rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants are compounds that protect the lungs from the oxidative damage that precedes lung cancer. Drinking more than 10 cups of green tea per day can reduce your lung cancer risk, reports Hirota Fujiki of Saitama Cancer Center Research Institute. If you already have lung cancer, drinking green tea may help your body combat cancerous cells. In research published in the June 1998 issue of "Mutation Research/Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis" Fujiki states that the unique antioxidant in green tea -- known as EGCG -- shield lung cells from damage and reduces inflammation in the lungs.
Apples
Apples contain high amounts of an antioxidant known as flavonoids. Flavonoids combat the free radicals that damage vulnerable lung cells. Loïc Le Marchand of Cancer Research Center of Hawaii reports that people who eat an abundance of flavonoids in their diet have significantly lower rates of lung cancer. In Machand's study published in the November 1999 issue of the "Journal of the National Cancer Institute," he found that people who ate apples regularly had a 60 percent lower risk of developing lung cancer than those that didn't. Other flavonoid rich foods include onions, grapefruit, green tea, pears and black beans.
Red Wine
Resveratrol is a powerful antioxidant compound found in red wine and grapes. Chun Chao of Southern California Permanente Medical Group investigated the effects of red wine consumption and lung cancer risk in a paper published in the November 2007 edition of "Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention." Although consumption of beer and hard alcohool was associated with higher lung cancer risk, Chao found that those that drank red wine actually had a decreased lung cancer risk. To reap red wine's benefits, limit your intake of one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men.
References
- CDC: Lung Cancer Statistics
- "Mutation Research/Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis": Cancer inhibition by green tea
- "Journal of the National Cancer Institute": Intake of Flavonoids and Lung Cancer
- "Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention": Associations between Beer, Wine, and Liquor Consumption and Lung Cancer Risk: A Meta-analysis
