ORLANDO, Fla. – There will be more than 230,000 new cases of lung cancer this year in the U.S. About 130,000 will die from it. Smoking is one of the biggest risk factors for lung cancer, but just because you are not a smoker, does not mean you eliminate your risk for cancer.
There may be a way you can lower your risk and it all starts in the kitchen.
It’s well known what you breathe into your body has a great impact on your lungs. But what about what you eat? A study from Vanderbilt University has found people who had a diet high in fiber and yogurt had a 33 percent lower risk of developing lung cancer than those who didn’t consume fiber or yogurt at all. That might be because fiber and yogurt’s prebiotic and probiotic properties promote growth of beneficial microorganisms in the intestines, which can limit cancer cells from forming. The results were the same regardless of if a person was a smoker or not.
“The biggest risk factor, it turns out, for getting lung cancer is having lungs,” explained Siddhartha Devarakonda, MD, an oncologist at Washington University School of Medicine.
Vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts can also lower your risk for lung cancer by 40 percent. They contain a substance called indole-3-carbinol that can repair the damage done to cells from carcinogens, which is found in tobacco products, before they can turn cancerous. And a Singapore Chinese health study found that diets high in beta-cryptoxanthin lowered lung cancer risk by about 25 percent, and by 37 percent in smokers.
These foods include carrots, red bell peppers, oranges and peaches. Even though diet may play a role in keeping cancer at bay, the biggest way to lower your cancer risk is, “To not smoke and to not pick up a cigarette. If you’re already a smoker, it’s not too late. Quit smoking,” Dr. Devarakonda said.
A study from MD Anderson Cancer Center found that former smokers who had enough folate in their diet lowered their risk of lung cancer by 40 percent. Foods rich in folate include spinach, beans, and kale.