THE BREAST CANCER DIET

Diagnosed with breast cancer at age 45, a breast cancer survivor scoured libraries, and reading nutrition studies to find a healthy diet to fight the disease. After her second diagnosis she realized there were no magic bullets, and devised her own plan. Five years later she reports no recurrence and wishes she had been given this nutritional advice by her cancer center after her second diagnosis. She reports renewed energy and doesn’t even require a daily nap. Her diet includes three to six servings of whole grain foods per day, one to two servings of beans a day and a handful of nuts several times a week with plenty of fruits and vegetables.

In a large study in the Netherlands, researchers who examined the diets of nearly 121,000 people found that the more of the eye-watering garlic bulbs they ate, the lower their risk of stomach cancer.

Tofu, soy milk, soy nuts and other soy foods contains rich stores of isoflavones, plant compounds that hundreds of studies suggest may prevent cancer. Lab studies have shown that gentistein, one isoflavone in soy, stunts the growth of cancer and keeps them from multiplying. It has also been shown to thwart the new blood vessels which help tumors grow.

In a study conducted at Michigan State University in East Lansing, researchers added 39 g a day of either soy protein or a soyless protein to the diets of 29 men and 10 women who had either previous colon cancer or polyps, which tend to develop into cancer. One year later, changes in the cells lining the colons of the men and women eating soy protein indicated that their risk of colon cancer had been cut in half.