Quercetin is a phytochemical found in onions, apples, tea, asparagus, blueberries and more.  This flavonoid may have some anti-cancer benefits such as controlling abnormal cell growth and deactivating carcinogens, according to some lab studies.

But a recent laboratory study raises concerns that quercetin, in larger doses, may act differently and actually aggravate cancer in some cases.  In this study, researchers gave quercetin and another antioxidant (ferulic acid) to severely diabetic laboratory rats.  They found that these rats developed more advanced forms of kidney cancer.

Although a lab study, the results do show the potential that too much of a good thing, including quercetin, may not be better – or even helpful.

AICR does not recommend dietary supplements for cancer prevention.  Of course there are special situations where supplements are valuable for other reasons, but so far evidence does not confirm that, for the general population, supplements are helpful for preventing cancer.

In addition to quitting smoking, the best thing you can do to lower your cancer risk is to maintain a healthy body weight, get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity daily and eat a plant-based diet with plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes for an abundant variety of healthful plant compounds and more.

Cancer Prevention, Diet, Foods That Fight Cancer, Phytochemicals Hide

Sliced into a salad or sandwich, tomatoes usually play a supporting role. But this time of year, tomatoes are at their best.

Today’s Health-e-Recipe celebrates tomatoes as the main ingredient: Broiled Tomatoes Provencal highlights this favorite garden vegetable with a little breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and oven time to create a flavorful treat brimming with cancer-fighting lycopene. Noted for its ability to prevent prostate cancer and even retard the growth of prostate cancer cells, scientists are investigating lycopene’s possible protection against skin, lung and other cancers, too. Its levels are highest in cooked and processed tomatoes (it is also present in other red produce including red grapefruit, papaya and watermelon).

Try these simple broiled tomatoes as a healthy appetizer or side dish for a light, late-summer fish or poultry entree, along with some leafy greens. Click here to subscribe to Health-e-Recipes.

Diet, Foods That Fight Cancer, Health-e-Recipe, Phytochemicals, recipes Hide

Peaches are peaking right now. These sweet, juicy orbs are the perfect summertime dessert or snack.

One medium peach has 2 grams of fiber, only 40 calories, 285 mg of potassium and a fair amount of vitamin A. A treat when sliced into fruit or green salads, peaches are prime for pies, too. But today’s Health-e-Recipe is a way to get the delicious combo of peach with a crunchy, baked whole-grain topping without the calories and fat of pie crust.

Our Peach Crumble with Blueberries adds berries’ succulent flavor along with their cancer-fighting phytochemicals called anthocyanins. You can find more delicious fruit recipes from the AICR Test Kitchen. Click here to subscribe to our weekly Health-e-Recipe.

Diet, Foods That Fight Cancer, From the AICR Test Kitchen, Health-e-Recipe, Phytochemicals Hide

Ever tried whole-wheat pasta? Today’s Health-e-Recipe for Confetti Macaroni and Bean Salad is a great opportunity.

Now carried by most grocery stores, all or part whole-wheat pastas give you more health benefits than plain white pastas. The texture and taste of whole-wheat pasta is different from regular pasta, so try out various brands.

Since Americans eat a lot of pasta, choosing the whole-wheat kind can help you get the 3 daily servings of whole grains recommended for good health. Whole grains such as whole wheat have more dietary fiber to keep your digestive system working well and to add a few more cancer-fighting phytochemicals, vitamins and minerals to your diet. If you are gluten-intolerant, try substituting 3 cups of cooked barley, bulgur or brown rice for the pasta. Also whole grains, they blend beautifully with the other ingredients in this recipe.

You can find more recipes for healthy whole grains from AICR’s Test Kitchen. Or get a free download of the newly updated Beans and Whole Grains brochure from AICR’s New American Plate series. Click here to subscribe to our weekly Health-e-Recipe.

Cancer Prevention, Diet, Foods That Fight Cancer, From the AICR Test Kitchen, Health-e-Recipe, New American Plate, Phytochemicals, recipes Hide

Surf summer’s heat waves with AICR’s Blueberry-Watermelon Freeze, today’s Health-e-Recipe. Watermelon’s red color means it has plenty of lycopene, as do cooked tomatoes and red grapefruit. Lycopene is one phytochemical researchers believe may help discourage prostate cancer.

And blueberries are bursting with anthocyanins, a class of phytochemicals also found in cherries, red grapes and cranberries. AICR grantees have found – you guessed it – these compounds may help protect us from cancer. When you eat combinations of fruits and vegetables, their many kinds of phytochemicals work together to maximize cell protection and help to ward off DNA damage that can lead to cancer. For more delicious summertime recipes using foods that fight cancer, visit AICR’s Test Kitchen. Or, click here to subscribe to our weekly Health-e-Recipe.

Cancer Prevention, Diet, Foods That Fight Cancer, From the AICR Test Kitchen, Health-e-Recipe, Phytochemicals, recipes Hide

Making homemade pizza usually involves making a crust that has to be tossed and kneaded and put in a warm place to rise. It’s a good way to include physical activity in your cooking – but at the end of a long day, you may want a simpler solution.

Today’s Health-e-Recipe uses rice for a crust that holds a variety of healthy veggies and part-skim mozzarella. Rice is the go-to grain for many of the 2 million people in the U.S. who have celiac disease, where eating any food that contains a protein called “gluten” can cause severe intestinal problems. Gluten is found in wheat and other grains.

Here, rice allows you to avoid highly processed frozen or delivered pizzas, and even mixes in Parmesan for a delicious cheesy flavor to complement the cancer-fighting garlic, mushrooms, peppers, onions and tomato sauce, whose phytochemicals all work together in this dish to protect your health. Click here to subscribe to Health-e-Recipes.

Diet, Foods That Fight Cancer, From the AICR Test Kitchen, Health-e-Recipe, Phytochemicals Hide

Today, AICR’s Health-e-Recipes hit the big 3-0-0.

Every Tuesday for the past 300 weeks, we’ve sent out a new recipe from the AICR Test Kitchen to what is now many thousands of email subscribers. Each one has been developed by a team of recipe developers and dietitians here at AICR, and rigorously taste-tested by AICR staff (as job perks go, it’s a good one.)

To celebrate, we came up this light, delicious and summery risotto, a serving of which weighs in at just at 300 calories.

Click here to subscribe to weekly Health-e-Recipes from AICR.

Do you have a favorite AICR recipe?  Click over to this week’s Health-e-Recipe and read how you can tell us about , and enter to receive a copy of AICR’s New American Plate Cookbook.

Diet, Foods That Fight Cancer, From the AICR Test Kitchen, Health-e-Recipe, Phytochemicals, recipes Hide

Once again, we offer Steve the AICR Librarian’s links to some recent news items that touch on our mission.

Happy clicking, and have a great weekend.

ANTICANCER FOOD AND PLANT COMPOUNDS

Apples deserve superfruit status, say Americans

OBESITY

USDA Awards Grants to Develop Obesity Prevention Programs

MSG not linked to obesity: Chinese study

Inability to taste a bitter compound linked to obesity

RESEARCH

The Estrogen Dilemma

Cancer Prevention, Diet, Phytochemicals, Research Hide

The already confusing link between dietary supplements and cancer risk just got a tiny bit murkier.

A study published online last week in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition tracked approximately 35,000 middle-aged Swedish women.  After 10 years, women who said they took multivitamins were found to be at a 19% greater risk for breast cancer than women who didn’t take multivitamins.

This is a large study, but it’s still only one study, and no one should ever change their behavior based on the results of a single study.

But it’s only the latest to suggest that we should look to the whole diet, not supplements, for cancer protection.

For more on this often confusing issue, and the AICR “bottom line,” check out our In The News statement.

Cancer Prevention, Diet, Phytochemicals, Research Hide

In true Mediterranean style, today’s Tasty Tuna and Bean Salad in our

Health-e-Recipe combines piquant flavors into a springtime dish. White cannellini beans are popular in Tuscany, while chickpeas (garbanzos) have been used in Turkey and Syria since ancient times. Both types of beans supply folate, a B vitamin, and healthful fiber. Combined with tuna, a rich source of omega-3s, red pepper’s vitamin C – plus more cancer-fighting phytochemicals in the onion, parsley and mint – you’ve got a tuna salad that beats the plain, mixed-with-mayo version any day. To use up leftover ingredients, find cancer-preventing recipes that use them by searching our Test Kitchen. Click here to receive weekly Health-e-Recipes.

Diet, Foods That Fight Cancer, From the AICR Test Kitchen, Health-e-Recipe, Phytochemicals, recipes Hide