Breast cancer kills nearly 40,000 women each year in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Whether you have breast cancer or have a high family risk of developing it, consider adding red beets to your diet -- they contain vitamins, minerals and other compounds that may contribute to prevention and treatment of this potentially deadly disease. Consult your health care provider before using beets as self-treatment, though.
Betacyanin
Betacyanin provides color to red beets, and it may also play an important role in breast cancer. A study published in the March 2011 issue of the journal "Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry" indicates that this compound killed breast cancer cells in laboratory testing. Human studies are needed to confirm this finding, but including beets in your diet while undergoing traditional treatment for breast cancer might be a good complementary option.
Folate
Red beets are a good source of folate, a vitamin that may have an influence on breast cancer risk. A 1-cup serving of beets contains 148 mcg of folate; the daily recommended intake of this vitamin stands at 400 mcg per day. Evidence available in the August 2005 "Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention" journal correlates adequate folate intake with a lower risk of breast cancer in women who drink alcohol in large quantities, making folate particularly important in the diets of alcoholic women.
Potassium
The American Heart Association website points to evidence that suggests adequate potassium levels may correlate to a lower rate of cancer, including breast cancer. One cup of red beets provides you with 442 mg of this mineral. Adult men and women should endeavor to include 2,000 mg of potassium in their diets each day for best health and to potentially ward off breast cancer.
Vitamin C
The vitamin C in red beets may decrease your risk of breast cancer. A study in the April-June 2005 "Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention" studied Indian breast cancer patients and found that they had a low level of vitamin C in their bodies; researchers discovered that raising vitamin C intake by one unit decreased the incidence of breast cancer significantly. One cup of beets contains 6.7 mg of vitamin C, and your diet should include 75 to 90 mg daily.
References
- "Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry"; Cytotoxic Effects of the Red Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) Extract Compared to Doxorubicin (Adriamycin) in the Human Prostate (PC-3) and Breast (MCF-7) Cancer Cell Lines; G.J. Kapadia, et al.; March 2011
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Beets, Raw
- MayoClinic.com; Folate (Folic Acid); April 2011
- "Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention"; Folate Intake and Risk of Breast Cancer Characterized by Hormone Receptor Status; S.M. Zhang, et al.; August 2005
- American Cancer Society; Potassium; October 2010
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Potassium; May 2009
