A nutrition expert has revealed a specific type of food that could help protect the body against cancer. The food not only benefits the gut microbiome and immune system but could also aid recovery from deadly diseases.
According to Professor Tim Spector, the founder of Zoe Health, fermented foods could act as a “secret weapon” for the body. These are any foods or drinks that have undergone a controlled process of microbial growth and include yoghurt, kimchi and kombucha.
Speaking on a new episode of the Liz Moody Podcast, he explained more about the benefits of fermented foods. He referenced a study he started in 1992 with King’s College London.
This revealed that people with healthier gut microbiomes were more likely to recover from cancer. “I studied twins for 30 years, identical twins, and very often one would get one of these cancers, and the other one wouldn’t,” he said.
“Their gut microbes, even in identical twins, are very different. So that made me think that the gut microbes are really the key to a lot of these problems.
“People with end-stage melanoma, skin cancer, whether they lived or died, the main difference between them was the state of their gut microbes when they started treatment.” Podcast host Liz then asked: “Is there like a crash course we can do in rebuilding our gut microbiome?”
In response, Tim said: “Fermented foods for me are the secret weapon for many people. So, whichever ones you like, you know, there are at least a dozen of them and get as many different probiotic microbes into your system, which we know helps the immune system.”
Some examples of fermented foods available in most supermarkets include:
While many scientific studies say that more research is needed into the connection between fermented foods and cancer, there is research that suggests it could be anti-carcinogenic. A study, published in the Journal of Functional Foods in 2020, explained: “Natural foods have gained popularity both in cancer treatment and prevention.
“Some nutrient components in fermented foods are called ‘naturally fortified functional nutrients’ because they reduce cancer risk, help maintain a healthy gut microbiome that protects against physiological homeostasis and various diseases. Bacteria used during fermentation, which is a natural process in the formation of fermented foods; it synthesize vitamins and minerals, produce proteinase, peptidase enzymes, bioactive peptides, and remove some non-nutrient elements, the acids formed during fermentation show anti-carcinogenic effects.”
Study authors concluded: “Traditional fermented foods containing probiotic microorganisms have expressed beneficial health effects.” However, they said: “While the results are promising, the most significant evidence for the anticancer effects of fermented foods is obtained from more animal studies, with evidence from human studies are still limited in numbers. There have not been enough human trials to test these products.”
A separate study, published in Frontiers in Oncology in 2022, found that fermented dairy food could lower the risk of bowel cancer, one of the most deadly forms of cancer in the UK. It said: “In conclusion, our meta-analysis suggests that fermented dairy food intake may have an impact on the incidence of colorectal cancer.
“Besides, the economic approach applied to convey health benefits by way of modifying the gut microbiota has been used to ferment dairy foods, which could markedly prevent colorectal cancer in the near future. It may thus be an effective strategy to integrate fermented dairy foods into eating habits for the early prevention of colorectal cancer.”
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