How Eating Lentils Can Significantly Reduce the Risk of Cancer

(NaturalHealth365) While lentils are often overlooked and underappreciated for their amazing health benefits, you may want to consider adding this legume into your diet as much as two times per week. This “elite” legume has been studied and proven to reduce the risk of breast cancer by an astounding 24%.

Not only does this super powered legume help slash the risk of cancer it also helps combat metabolic syndrome – which is something that nearly 34% of Americans suffer from today which can lead to cancer as well.

So, let’s take a closer look at what research is showing and how lentils are being regarded at one of the most potent foods to reduce the risk of certain cancers.

Prevent breast cancer by eating lentils

The health benefits of lentils are pretty amazing, and among the most impressive health benefits is the ability for this legume to specifically reduce the risk of breast cancer. A study published in the International Journal of Cancer assessed the relationship between flavonol intake and breast cancer risk by studying over 90,000 premenopausal women.

The women were studied for eight years, and the study found a remarkable connection between the women who included two servings of lentils into their diets each week as opposed to those who did not. Simply put, the group that ate lentils had a much lower risk of developing breast cancer!

How lentils can prevent cancers of the digestive system

As if the previous study wasn’t impressive enough, other studied such as studied done by Norwegian scientists found a link between lentil consumption and a reduction in cancers of the upper digestive tract.

The scientists studied legume intake in 3,539 cancer cases and found that the higher intake of lentils decreased the risk of cancer of the mouth, esophagus, throat and larynx by about 37%. Other studies have found that colon cancer risk can also be decreased by a whopping 47% by adding this legume into your diet! The fiber content in lentils is also thought to aid in the prevention of colorectal cancer.

Prostate cancer is also currently being studied to determine if prostate cancer risks would decrease with lentil intake as well, and a 6-year study found that men who ate three or more serving of lentils per week reduce their prostate cancer risk in half!

Selenium content in lentils prevents cancer

Selenium is a mineral and is quite abundant in lentils. It’s difficult to find foods rich in selenium which is why this particular legume is a great addition to your diet, but why does this benefit your health?

This mineral has been known to reduce inflammation, decrease tumor growth, and has the ability to stimulate the production of killer T-cells – which improves immune function in response to infections. All of these are essential components in fueling your body with nutrients it needs to combat cancer, giving lentils one more health benefit to rave about.

How to start adding lentils into your diet

If you want to reap all of the benefits of lentils, you will likely want to know the best ways to include them in your diet. Start by adding them in at least twice per week, as research has found that enjoying this legume two to three times per week comes with cancer protective health benefits. Here are some creative ways to get more of this legume into your diet.

• Add lentils to soups and stews
• Make a “meat” sauce made with lentils and homemade tomato sauce
• Toss into a salad
• Make a healthy lentil dip by mashing some lentils, garlic, onion, and spices of choice.

References:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/297638.php

http://www.lifeextension.com/Magazine/2013/9/Lentils-The-Elite-Legume/Page-01