6 Healthiest Foods That Protect You From Cancer

1. Tomatoes

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Thanks to their high concentration of the antioxidant lycopene, tomatoes can help protect our DNA from damage that can lead to breast, endometrial, lung, stomach, prostate, and renal cell carcinoma cancers, according to researchers. Since Ohio State researchers found that the heating process increases the amount of lycopene that is available for your body to absorb, make sure you add tomato paste, sautéed tomatoes, or an organic tomato sauce to omelets, chicken and pasta dishes to reap the benefits.

2. Turmeric

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Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in women. Scientists have found that one way to reduce the mortality of cancer is through prevention, and that can be accomplished by eating turmeric. This ginger-family spice contains curcumin, an antioxidant polyphenol with chemopreventive properties. Chronic inflammation is a major risk factor for the development and metastatic progression of cancer, and curcumin's anti-inflammatory properties have been found to diminish the formation of breast cancer, according to a study in Molecular Oncology.

3. Pomegranate

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Pomegranates have been linked to fertility and health for centuries, but today, experts are fascinated with the seeded fruit's ability to inhibit the growth of hormone-dependent breast cancer. According to a study published in Cancer Prevention Research, ellagic acid in pomegranates might help protect against cancer by suppressing estrogen production and preventing the growth of breast cancer cells. While further studies are needed, researchers say people may consider eating more pomegranates to protect against cancer. Go get your pom on! Raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, walnuts, and pecans are also rich in ellagic acid, but they have varying amounts of fruit sugar.

4. Peanuts

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One of the most underrated cancer-fighters of the bunch, peanuts are a great source of cancer-fighting choline. The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology found that women who consumed the highest amount of choline had the lowest risk of breast cancer compared with those who consumed the least. And other studies have connected and choline deficiency with a higher risk of liver cancer as well as other ill health effects, such as fatty liver disease.

5. Whole Grain Bread

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A Harvard study found that eating more fiber-rich foods may lessen breast cancer risk partly by helping to reduce high estrogen levels in the blood, which are strongly linked with breast cancer development. And just a single slice of whole-grain bread can provide up to 6 grams of fiber.

6. Green Tea

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Green tea is packed with polyphenols, an antioxidant with enormous health benefits including anti-breast cancer properties. In a study of healthy Japanese American women at the National Institute of Health's National Cancer Institute, researchers found that those who drank at least one cup of green tea daily had less urinary estrogen—a known carcinogen of the breast—than the non-tea drinkers.

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Olivia Tarantino (Eat This, Not That)

Markham Heid (MD Anderson)