Superfoods Research

The Power of Superfoods

researchers

Superfoods boost the body’s immune system

City of Hope researchers are looking for ways to prevent and cure cancer, and they’ve found some promising possibilities in the foods that we eat. Lab research shows that certain "superfoods" may have the ability to combat cancer — without affecting healthy tissue.

How superfoods fight and prevent cancer

Superfoods could block hormones that help cancer spread and cut off tumors' "lifeline"

 
MUSHROOMS
 
Fight prostate and breast cancer
  • In a study led by City of Hope researchers, a powder made of white button mushrooms was found to reduce the levels of prostate specific antigen, or PSA, in prostate cancer patients whose PSA levels had been rising. And, even better, the powder caused no ill effects. 
  • City of Hope scientists were among the first to discover that white button mushrooms can help block the enzyme aromatase, which helps produce estrogen. Because most breast cancers are dependent on estrogen to grow, cutting down on the amount of estrogen may help kill the tumor.
Fight lung cancer
  • City of Hope is testing medicine derived from shiitake mushrooms that could naturally help the body fight lung cancer by boosting the immune system.
  • Promote healthy metabolism
  • Recent research at City of Hope shows that mushrooms may prevent fatty liver, slow down the formation of fat and reduce the incidence of metabolic diseases.
 
POMEGRANATES
 
Fight breast cancer
  • City of Hope researchers identified six natural compounds in pomegranates that suppress hormones that help breast cancers grow and spread.
 
Fights breast cancer
  • City of Hope researchers discovered that grape seed extract naturally blocks a hormone that causes breast cancer to spread and grow — but without affecting healthy tissue.
BLUEBERRIES
 
Fight triple-negative breast cancer
  • In City of Hope labs, studies of blueberries have shown they inhibit growth and the spread of triple-negative breast cancer, which is one of the most aggressive types of breast cancer and often resistant to standard treatment. 
 
Stunts growth of tumors
  • City of Hope scientists found that cinnamon extract interferes with a tumor’s ability to grow by blocking the tumor from forming blood vessels to feed it.
  • City of Hope scientists found that cinnamon contains compounds that block tumor angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels that fuels cancer cells' growth.
Read more about our cinnamon research »