Plant-based functional foods for cancer prevention: A naturopathic medicine review

Cancer ranks among the foremost causes of mortality. Health organizations indicate that prevention, through healthy and balanced lifestyles, is the key factor for decreasing cancer risk and, consequently, reducing cancer prevalence and mortality. There is growing interest in discovering dietary patterns and food phytochemicals with potential anticancer effects to support public health strategies. Naturopathy emphasizes cancer prevention primarily through a plant-based diet abundant in functional foods, which enhance the innate defenses of the body against cancer. This article offers an analysis and overview of plant-based functional foods that have demonstrated anticancer properties in scientific studies, focusing on the mechanisms through which phytochemical compounds exert their chemopreventive actions. The plant-based functional foods and their constitution in phytochemicals, scientifically recognized for reducing cancer risk by various actions, are explored—citrus fruit (citrus flavonoids), berries (anthocyanins), pomegranate (ellagic acid), tomato (lycopene), soybeans and soy-based foods (isoflavones), cruciferous vegetables (indole-3-carbinol and sulforaphane), garlic (allicin) and onions (onionin A), green tea (catechins), and turmeric (curcumin). Cancer chemoprevention mechanisms involve antioxidants, anti-inflammatory effects, enhanced detoxification, carcinogen activation blockade, antiangiogenesis, cell proliferation inhibition, apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, hormone-dependent carcinogenesis suppression, and epigenetic regulation. While numerous studies investigate the health-promoting potential of phytochemicals, it is important to emphasize that cancer prevention is multifactorial, influenced by many factors, such as other lifestyle aspects, genetics, and environment. Future perspectives will concentrate on personalized nutrition and nutrigenomics to enhance cancer prevention strategies, integrating scientific evidence-based naturopathic strategies for more effective cancer prevention.