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Smokers can considerably reduce the risk of acquiring lung cancer by merely eating three servings of fruits and vegetables everyday and by drinking green or black tea. Published in the ‘Cancer’ journal, the study has found that tobacco smokers who ingest high levels of natural chemicals, called flavonoids, in their diet have a lower risk of developing lung cancer.
According to researchers at the University of California, flavonoids block the formation of blood vessels that tumors develop so they can grow and spread, and stop cancer cells from growing and allowing for naturally programmed cell death, or apoptosis, to occur. Lead researcher Dr Zu-Feng Zhang remarked that there study has highlighted some interesting facts, for instance there are several types of flavonoids that are associated with a reduced risk of lung cancer among smokers. Zhang said that the naturally occurring chemicals might be working to reduce the damage caused by smoking. Zhang further revealed that flavonoids that appeared to be the most protective included ‘catechin’, which is found in strawberries and green and black teas, ‘kaempferol’ that is found in sprouts and apples, and quercetin, found in beans, onions and apples.
