Can Polyphenols Reduce Your Risk of Cancer?

If I were to tell you that there are certain foods that have antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic, hepatoprotective, antiviral, antiallergic, antidiarrheal, AND antimicrobial properties, what would you say?

I know that when I first learned of the health benefits of polyphenols, I made sure my family got enough of them on a regular basis.

What are Polyphenols?

Polyphenols are micronutrients from plant-based foods, such as:

• Cloves
• Cocoa powder and dark chocolate
• Berries – blueberries, blackberries, red raspberries, and strawberries
• Other fruit – black currants, plums, cherries, and apples
• Beans – black and white
• Nuts – hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, and pecans
• Vegetables – olives, artichokes, chicory, red onions, and spinach
• Tea – black and green
• Flaxseed meal
• Red wine

Keep in mind when you’re purchasing these foods that increased use of pesticides and herbicides in agriculture has diminished polyphenol concentrations in plants. That’s why I recommend buying organic produce.

The Health Benefits of Polyphenols

Since polyphenols are packed with antioxidants, they provide numerous health benefits, including:

• Balance gut health and aid in digestion
• Help manage weight
• Treat type 2 diabetes
• Reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease
• Delay the onset of dementia
• Reduce your risk for Alzheimer’s
• Reduce your risk of osteoporosis
• Reduce your risk of cancer

Polyphenols and Cancer

It’s no secret that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is going to keep you healthy. But how?

It’s important to know how cancer grows and spreads. Cancer cells have to resist cell death and evade anything that tries to suppress their growth. That’s where polyphenols come in (source).

Polyphenols alter cellular signaling pathways. This affects the initiation, promotion, and progression of cancer cells. Specifically, polyphenols seem to induce apoptosis (death) in cancer cells.

Polyphenols also reverse epigenetic markers in the DNA and are believed to reduce tumor growth (source).

Bottom Line

It’s important to have a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, especially the ones that contain polyphenols. There are a variety of health benefits, including prevention of major illnesses.

I believe the best source of polyphenols is from organic produce, but most people don’t eat enough to get the nutrients they need.  To make sure my family gets their daily polyphenols, we take dōTERRA’s Deep Blue Polyphenol. 

Wanna talk more about it? Just schedule a complimentary phone consult here.

Leann Forst, MBA, CHC, CEOC — Holistic Health Practitioner

Leann is a Board Certified Holistic Health Practitioner and Certified Essential Oils Coach, holding a Master’s degree from Drake University and a Bachelor of Science from Upper Iowa University. Leann is accredited by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. And she is an award winning author of 2 books “How to Get Your Kids to Beg for Veggies” and “100 Ways to Lose Weight”.

Born and raised as an Iowa farm girl, she moved to Texas in 1998 where she lives with her husband and 2 kids.

As a wife of a brain cancer survivor, Leann has a special interest in anti-cancer nutrition and detoxification. She works with individuals and groups, and speaks regularly at hospitals, schools and organizations to teach people how to attain optimal health by getting to the root cause of chronic and inflammatory conditions, while using healing modalities such as essential oils. Click here to get Leann’s free report, “37 Cancer Facts You Should Know…But Probably Don’t”

Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links.

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