Lung Cancer Prevention
The right diet is the key to managing many diseases and to improving general quality of life. For this condition, scientific research has found benefit in the following healthy eating tips.
Fish
Fish eaters have been reported to have low risks of many cancers including lung cancer.FishFish eaters have been reported to have low risks of many cancers including lung cancer.44 The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish are thought by some researchers to be the components of fish responsible for protection against cancer.45
Fruit and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables have many constituents that contribute to their protective effect against lung cancer.Fruit and VegetablesMost studies suggest that as consumption of fruits and vegetables increases, risk of lung cancer decreases.46 Several ingredients in fruits and vegetables may be responsible for this apparent protective effect.
Flavonoids are found in virtually all fruits and vegetables. Onions and apples contain large amounts of a flavonoid called quercetin. Consumption of flavonoids in general, or quercetin-containing foods in particular, has been associated with a reduced risk of lung cancer in some preliminary reports,47,48 although not every study finds an association between flavonoid consumption and a reduced risk of cancer. 49
Researchers agree that people who eat yellow and orange fruits and vegetables—good sources of alpha-carotene and beta-carotene—are at lower risk for lung cancer. However, double-blind trials have shown that when nonsmokers supplement with (synthetic) beta-carotene, their risk of lung cancer is not reduced, and when smokers take (synthetic) beta-carotene supplements, their risk of lung cancer increases. These findings suggest that beta-carotene may not be the cause of the low lung cancer risk found in people who eat carotene-rich foods.
Meat
To reduce your lung cancer risk, eat less red meat or opt for meat that isn’t well-done or fried.MeatConsumption of fried and well-done red meat was associated with an elevated risk of lung cancer in one report.50 Consumption of red meat in general, as well as fried meat, correlated with a high risk of lung cancer in another study.51 People who cook with fat taken from meat (such as bacon fat and lard) have also been reported to be at high risk of lung cancer according to preliminary research.52
Tomatoes
High in the antioxidant lycopene, tomatoes may protect against a variety of cancers including lung cancer.TomatoesTomatoes contain lycopene—an antioxidant similar in structure to beta-carotene. Most lycopene in our diet comes from tomatoes, though traces of lycopene exist in other foods. Lycopene has been reported to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells in test tube research.53,54
A review of published research found that higher intake of tomatoes or higher blood levels of lycopene correlated with a reduced risk of cancer in 57 of 72 studies. Findings in 35 of these studies were statistically significant.54 Evidence of a protective effect for tomato consumption was strongest for several cancers including lung cancer.
Cholesterol
Most, but not all, studies have reported that as dietary cholesterol increases, so does the risk of lung cancer.CholesterolDietary cholesterol comes primarily from the consumption of eggs. Most,55,56,57 but not all, 58 studies have reported that as dietary cholesterol increases, so does the risk of lung cancer. No clear explanation has yet emerged to account for this association.
Low-Fat
Lung cancer risk appears directly related to eating foods that contain saturated fat.Low-FatIncidence of lung cancer correlates with dietary fat intake from country to country.59 Some,60 but not all,61 preliminary studies report consumption of saturated fat in both meat and dairy fat correlates with the risk of lung cancer, even among nonsmokers.62 Lung cancer risk appears directly related to consumption of foods containing saturated fat––not only from consumption of well-cooked meat.63 In one trial that was unable to find an association between lung cancer risk and total saturated fat intake, people consuming skim milk nonetheless had a 50% reduction in risk compared with people drinking whole-fat milk.64
Low-Sugar
People who eat high amounts of sugar-containing foods have had an increased lung cancer risk, whether the association may be due to other dietary or lifestyle factors remains unknown.Low-SugarPreliminary studies have reported associations between an increasing intake of sugar or sugar-containing foods and an increased risk of several cancers including lung cancer.65 Whether this association exists because sugar directly promotes cancer or because sugar consumption is only a marker for some other dietary or lifestyle factor remains unknown.