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Many foods seem to protect against Cancer

WASHINGTON D.C. Researchers descended on the nation's capital Thursday to discuss foods that may reduce the risk of cancer. At a news conference held to open the annual meeting of the American Institute for Cancer Research, scientists discussed the state of medical knowledge about the beneficial effects of so-called phytochemicals in foods like soy, tea and red wine.

``Our life and our well-being depend on understanding these foods,'' said Dr. Vay Liang W. Go of the University of California, Los Angeles Center for Human Nutrition, who predicted that ``early in the next century,'' physicians will prescribe certain foods to individuals to prevent cancer. With increased understanding of how certain genes predispose some people towards certain cancers, Go argued, physicians will be able to fine-tune diets to contain phytochemicals that counteract defective genes.

``Physicians need to be educated in nutrition,'' said Dr. Richard Rivlin of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He complained that only one-quarter of doctors receive such training currently, often leaving patients more knowledgeable than their physicians about the cancer prevention benefits of foods.

``We've moved beyond simply telling people to eat fruits and vegetables,'' said Rivlin. Researchers have shown that the risk of prostate cancer drops for people who regularly eat tomato products, he noted. Other work has shown a decline in colon cancer among those who regularly eat soy products, drink tea and consume foods rich in selenium.

n addition, research presented at the conference demonstrates how foods interact, such as augmentation of the blood-thinning effects of garlic when vitamin A is added to the diet, or a similar effect for vitamin E combined with zinc-rich foods. Much of the interest in diets rich in phytochemicals reflects such foods' role in a diet that reduces obesity, said Dr. David Heber, a colleague of Go's.

The AICR recommends people maintain a healthy weight to lower their cancer risk. Women with breast cancer are at a higher incidence of recurrence of the disease if they put on weight, noted Rivlin.

As many as 70 percent of all cancers spring from a poor diet and bad lifestyle choices like smoking, said Heber. ``It's developing now that cancer is not a genetic disease as has been thought, but one where genes make people susceptible to illness.'' A diet that features vegetables and fruits, and relegates meat as a side portion, can help prevent cancer, he asserted.

At the news conference, Heber discussed new medical understanding of lycopenes, the cancer-fighting compounds found in tomatoes and carrots. Processing of these foods into sauces actually increases the amounts found in foods, said the physician. Because the food industry has started to add phytochemicals to foods, the medical community should reach out to the agricultural producers, he added, to ensure those enriched products receive healthy doses of genuinely healthy supplements in the future.

Among the food touted in AICR literature were beans and raspberries and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli. Sessions held Thursday at the meeting focused on the cancer fighting properties of tea, soybeans, garlic, grapes, and the trace mineral selenium.