Strengthen defences to tackle cancer
WE HAVE always blamed genetics, smoking, the environment, a bad diet, and other external factors for cancer.
But the truth is that, regardless of its cause, cancer only becomes a disease once malignant cells escape being destroyed by the immune system.
Normally, when the earliest signs of cancerous growths are spotted by first- responder immune cells, they send out cancer-killing cells.
Sometimes, cancer cells use camouflage to dodge this process, and wrap themselves in some friendly proteins to fool immune cells into thinking they are normal. By hiding like this, these cancer cells are able to grow.
If your immune system is weakened, cancer cells can be missed, and are able to multiply freely without fear of attack.
A staggering one in two people in the UK will develop cancer at some point in their lifetime, and its toxic treatments are often feared as much as the disease itself.
If you’ve got it, had it, or you’re worried about getting it, then it is important to shore up your defences and help your body destroy the cancer cells — or support it through treatment.
When working well, your own immunity is so powerful it can protect you against cancer. Indeed, some of the most revolutionary cancer treatments are now aimed at activating the immune system.
If you have cancer, you need to protect your immune system — especially if you receive highdose chemotherapy and/or radiation, both of which deliver a smackdown to immune defences. If you are receiving one of the new cancer immunotherapies, which rely on your immune system to wipe out cancer cells, it’s critical to get it into prime shape. The food you eat will play a role in this goal. You’ll get extra cancer-fighting support if you call in your body’s other defence systems, too. That’s because all cancers depend on weaknesses in angiogenesis (the formation of blood vessels) to grow; have rogue stem cells that need to be destroyed; are riddled with DNA mutations; and can be wiped out by your body’s immune system defences.
I recommend that you eat:
FOODS with ‘anti-angiogenic’ properties — rogue angiogenesis feeds the cancer — that can starve a tumour by cutting off its blood supply, such as tomatoes and blueberries.
FOODS that help get rid of tenacious cancer stem cells, such as purple sweet potatoes, which improve the odds that the cancer won’t come back following treatment.
A DIET that activates the immune system (see back page) and foods that promote a healthier microbiome (the community of bacteria in your gut), which can assist in cancer control and elimination (look out for these in tomorrow’s pullout).
FOODS that protect DNA (oysters, oyster sauce, or herbs) so your body can both shield you and repair any errors in your DNA that could lead to cancer.