The magical anti-cancer food is not that magical

"Cancer", how can you stay away from me?

Have you noticed that almost every food you have eaten is advertised as being able to prevent cancer?

Broccoli, garlic, onion, ginger, black fungus, mushroom, okra, bitter melon, eggplant, tomato, deer antler, bear paw, shark fin, roast chicken, duck in soy sauce (seems to have gone off track)...

Anyway, it seems to be something you eat, and it is the "correct molecule for fighting and preventing cancer."

There are even some that can cure cancer.

Are these foods as magical as they are said to be? What are their anti-cancer abilities?

Come, Ozawa will help you uncover the anti-cancer rumors about some of the most common foods.

Broccoli

Broccoli is the "anti-cancer star" among vegetables. It and other cruciferous vegetables contain many "bioactive substances". Such as carotenoids, glucosinolates, folic acid, vitamin C, flavonols, etc. These substances have certain anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Therefore, its relationship with cancer prevention has always attracted the attention of the world, and many related studies have been carried out.

However, current research results still cannot give a clear conclusion on the anti-cancer effect of broccoli.

Some studies have found that sulforaphane formed by glucosinolates in broccoli can inhibit prostate cancer, but other studies have denied this result; some studies have found that the intake of cruciferous vegetables is negatively correlated with cancer risk, but other studies have shown no association.

These contradictory research results may be due to the genetic factors of different populations and the cooking methods of vegetables. However, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli are indeed high-quality vegetables, and ensuring a high daily intake of vegetables can also help reduce the incidence of cancer.

garlic

It is rumored that allicin in garlic can inhibit the activation of carcinogenic factors and regulate cell metabolism, thus effectively resisting cancer. The truth is that most of these rumored effects currently only exist in cell experiments and animal experiments, which are far from the actual situation of the human body.

There are not many human clinical trials on garlic at present. There are some experiments on whether garlic can reduce the mortality caused by gastric cancer, which show that garlic may have some effect. In the experiment, 8 out of 874 people who took garlic supplements died of gastric cancer. And 23 out of 875 people who took placebos died of gastric cancer. But when we change the perspective and conduct a statistical analysis of the dietary habits of the whole population, we find that the difference between taking garlic supplements and taking placebos does not seem to be that big.

In other words, even scientists cannot give a clear conclusion on whether garlic has anti-cancer effects. So, if you want to eat it, eat it. If you don’t want to eat it, don’t force yourself to eat it just for the sake of the “anti-cancer effects” that you don’t know whether they are true or not.

onion

Many ingredients with pungent smells are often believed to have various magical medicinal effects. Onions are one of the most representative ingredients. There are endless articles about "onions can fight cancer and anti-aging", but in fact, the so-called anti-cancer effect of onions is not that magical.

The claim that onions can fight cancer comes from the "anti-cancer active substances" contained in onions, which are commonly known as selenium and quercetin. Selenium has certain antioxidant activity, and in some animal experiments it has a certain inhibitory effect on certain cancer cells; and quercetin has also been found to kill cancer cells through experiments.

Since onions contain such powerful anti-cancer active substances, why do people say that they are not as magical as rumored?

Because these ingredients are not strange. The meat, eggs, and peanuts we eat daily are also rich in selenium. So why doesn't anyone hype up these foods as anti-cancer? Moreover, the so-called anti-cancer active substances can be found in almost all foods. Studies have found that even white wine contains a variety of anti-cancer substances.

Therefore, containing ingredients that can kill cancer cells does not mean that eating it can prevent cancer. Remember this.

Although this is an era of medical advancement, scientists have not yet discovered any necessary factors that can prevent the occurrence of cancer. As far as we are concerned, the only way we can control the possibility of inhibiting the occurrence of cancer is through our personal lifestyle.

As for a healthy personal lifestyle, it is nothing more than a healthy diet, quitting smoking and drinking, maintaining a normal weight, proper exercise, etc. These are all old news, so Ozawa will not elaborate on them here.