In this segment we’ll cover two more types of antioxidants that occur in food and are showing they can be helpful in preventing sun damage to the skin, which in turn can help guard against cause skin cancer.
More sun protection and anticancer benefits are found in the antioxidants of flavonols. These can be found in green, white or black tea, dark-chocolate, and cocoa. These make great places to start for a snack! Research suggests that the risk for one particular type of skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, may be lowered by 30 percent by simply drinking a cup or more of tea each day. And you may decrease your sun sensitivity by about 25 percent with cocoa. Drinking 2-5 cups of coffee may lower non-melanomas by up to 17 percent.
We’ve heard how good omega-3 fatty acids are for us as inflammation fighters, but the International Journal of Epidemiology reports that when they are combined with polyphenols you may cut the risk of melanoma in half. The antioxidant properties of polyphenols search the body for cells that are potentially cancerous, and can help reverse some DNA defects early.
Good sources of omega-3 fatty acids are salmon, albacore tuna, sardines, walnuts, flax seed, soybeans, raspberries and strawberries, broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, and romaine lettuce, to name a few.
Polyphenol rich foods can be found in many dark, richly colored fruits, vegetables and grains. Unsweetened fruit juices made from pomegranates, blueberries and red grapes are also excellent sources, which is one of the reasons that red wines are rich in polyphenols.
One last segment next.
