Eighteen of the top 20 cancer-beating foods listed on the World Cancer Research Fund’s (WCRF) latest list are fresh produce items.
The superfoods are cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, carrots, garlic, onions, red and orange peppers, spinach, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, watercress, virgin olive oil, kiwi fruit, mangoes, oranges, strawberries, Brazil nuts, sunflower seeds, salmon, and wholemeal bread.
The list has been taken from the charity’s immense report “Food Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer”, based on thousands of studies, being updated for publication in 2006.
The report declares that eating more fruits and vegetables is the second most effective way to help prevent cancer, after not smoking.
In a survey more than half of people asked were unaware that diet could affect their risk of cancer.
The superfoods contain high levels of antioxidants, the vitamins and minerals that help protect the body from the damaging effects of oxygen-free radicals - unstable molecules created by the body and produced by toxins, such as tobacco, that can be carcinogenic.
Also the Royal Marsden Hospital in London is to publish a book next year called Cancer: The power of food. As well as containing healthy recipes, the book also provides useful dietary information. For example, it is widely believed that raw fruit and veg are more nutritious than cooked, as vitamins can be lost in cooking. But in fact cooking carrots helps the body to absorb beta carotene which it then converts to vitamin A.
A recent study in America has challenged the link between healthy eating and cancer prevention. The results published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute revealed a decrease in the risk of a heart attack or stroke among those who ate at least five portions of fruit and veg a day, but there was no effect on overall cancer incidence.
The WCRF is standing by its testament however.
A spokesman for the charity, Steven Heggie, said: “Our first expert report into cancer prevention brought together thousands of studies from all over the world, which showed that we can reduce our risk of developing cancer by up to 40 per cent by eating a plant-based diet with lots of fruit and vegetables, taking regular exercise and watching our weight.”
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