Bladder cancer is one of the relatively rare forms of cancer for which the principles of prevention are also the principles of cure. Since bladder cancer in its early stages only involves the outer cells in the lining of the bladder, keeping those cells free of dietary and environmental toxins is key to staying in remission.
For fighting bladder cancer with diet, best to go natural, without artificial sweeteners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, and preservatives. If you simply cannot afford food without the additives, you can still reduce its effect on bladder health.
The more acidic your urine is, the more easily these food additives can contribute to carcinogenesis. The more alkaline your urine, the less the effect of the chemicals. Avoiding hard cheeses and smoked meats altogether, and making sure you eat fruits and vegetables several times a day, even in small amounts, raises the pH of the urine and counteracts the chemicals.
So what should you be eating if you want to prevent bladder cancer recurrence? There is good evidence for garlic, vegetables in the cabbage family, and colored vegetables containing the pigments known as carotenoids.
How garlic protects against bladder cancer
To understand how garlic protects the bladder against cancer, it's helpful to know that the liver not only detoxifies, it also pretoxifies. At a molecular level, the S-allylsulfides ajoene, allylmethylsulfide, diallylsulfide, and diallyltrisulfide in garlic modify the action of enzymes in the liver that turn common toxins into their carcinogenic forms. Garlic protects against the cancer-causing effects of, benzo[a]pyrene,dimethylbenz[a]anthracene, and nitrosamines. In non-technical terms, garlic protects against the effects of petroleum products, plastics, and tobacco smoke.
Garlic compounds also act in the cells of the bladder itself to conserve the naturally occurring antioxidant glutathione. They also trigger apoptosis, or cell suicide, in cancerous cells. They can substitute for certain enzymes missing in an inadequate diet.
The thing about these garlic compounds is that they are released by chewing garlic. They are not available in high concentrations from garlic salt, garlic powder, or most garlic supplements. If you don't want to chew up your garlic every day, then a product like Allicin Pro with Garlicillin by Designs for Health (DFH) is your best alternative. The supplement is preferable to raw garlic if you take any kind of blood thinner, such as Coumadin or Plavix.
How vegetables in the cabbage family protect against bladder cancerThe crucifers, or vegetables in the cabbage family, such as cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, kohlrabi, turnips, watercress, and wasabi, provide cancer-fighting isothiocyanates. As the vegetables are digested, the isothiocyanates are released into the bloodstream. There they combine with the antioxidant glutathione and the amino acid N-acetylcysteine to form compounds that go quickly to the bladder. There the isothiocyanates modified by digestion are in prolonged contact with the lining of the bladder.
Scientists are not entirely sure how these protective chemicals increase the amount of antioxidant glutathione in bladder cells, whether they stimulate the cells to make their own antioxidants or they provide glutathione directly to the cells, but the concentration of this cancer-fighting antioxidant in bladder cancer cells goes up. In cancer cells, providing antioxidants has a paradoxical effect. The antioxidants actually damage DNA in ways that make cancer cells die without multiplying.
That's why high concentrations of isothiocyanates would be toxic to healthy cells. They would shift from being antioxidant to being pro-oxidant. Fortunately, if you are getting your isothiocyanates from food, the amount entering your bloodstream and going to the bladder is limited by how much glutathione and N-acetylcysteine is available to modify the cabbage family compounds into a soluble form. You cannot poison yourself by eating cabbage and related vegetables.
If you have any kind of thyroid problem, either hypo- or hyper- thyroidism, avoid eating these vegetables raw. Otherwise, 3 to 4 servings of these vegetables weekly is enough to provide the isothiocyanates your bladder needs to keep cancer cells in check.
How orange and yellow vegetables protect against bladder cancerThe colored pigments known as carotenoids play an important role in keeping bladder cancers in check. Carotenoids can be divided into two groups. The body can convert -carotene,ß-carotene, and ß-cryptoxanthin into retinol. These are known provitamin A carotenoids.The body does not convert lutein, lycopene, and zeaxanthin into vitamin A. These are called nonprovitamin A carotenoids.
Best sources of alpha-carotene include, in descending order of how much alpha-carotene each food contains:
- Carrots
- Red peppers
- Pimentos
- Chili powder
- Winter squash
- Frozen mixed vegetables
Best sources of beta-carotene include, in order how much beta-carotene each food contains:
- Red peppers
- Dried peppers
- Carrots
- Grape leaves
- Sweet potato
- Turnip greens
- Kale
- Pumpkin
Best sources of beta-cryptoxanthin, in descending order of how much beta-cryptoxanthin each food contains:
- Paprika
- Dried red peppers
- Acorn squash
- Pumpkin
- Tangerine juice
- Rose hips
- Low-sodium cucumber pickles
- Orange juice
- Papaya nectar
- Kumquats
- Cilantro (coriander leaf)
- Persimmons
- Plums
- Sweet corn
Best sources of lutein + zeaxanthin (measured together), in descending order of how much of the combination of nutrients each food contains:
- Kale
- Spinach
- Dandelion greens
- Cress
- Swiss chard
- Collards
- Fresh basil
- Raw parsley
Best sources of lycopene, in descending order of how much lycopene each food contains:
- Tomato powder
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Canned tomato paste
- Ketchup
- Rose hips
- Guavas
- Barbecue sauce
- Russian dressing
- Chili with beans
Beta-Carotene, alpha-carotene, lutein,and lycopene enhance the ability of healthy cells to communicate with each other. They seem to help healthy cells to "know" how to keep cancerous cells from breaking free of their tissues.
But be forewarned that vitamins can have a paradoxical effect. Among people who do not currently smoke, high consumption of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin protect against bladder cancer, as does high consumption of lutein, lycopene, and zeaxanthin. Non-smokers and former smokers who get these nutrients are up to 85 per cent less likely to suffer the disease.
Among smokers, however, high consumption of lutein, lycopene, and zeaxanthin reduces the risk of bladder cancer, but high consumption of beta-carotene actually increases it. Fortunately, smokers who do not take beta-carotene supplements are not likely to get enough of the provitamin to actually increase their risk of the disease. Even so, excessive consumption of carrots is not recommended.
Vitamin supplements can have paradoxical effects in bladder cancer. The iron and folic acid so common in fortified foods actually enhance the effects of food additives, although they enhance health if they are not combined with other food additives. People who have had bladder cancer who cannot eat an organic diet should avoid iron and B-vitamin supplements, as well as commercial breads and baked goods.
Sources:
- Alguacil J, Kogevinas M, Silverman D, Malats N, Real FX, García-Closas M, Tardón A, Rivas M, Torà M, García-Closas R, Serra C, Carrato A, Pfeiffer R, Fortuny J, Samanic C, Rothman N. Urinary pH, Cigarette Smoking and Bladder Cancer Risk. Carcinogenesis. 2011 Mar 14. [Epub ahead of print]
- Hu J, La Vecchia C, Morrison H, Negri E, Mery L; Canadian Cancer Registries Epidemiology Research Group. Salt, processed meat, and the risk of cancer. Eur J Cancer Prev. 2011 Mar;20(2):132-9.
