In recent years, nutrition has been shown to be a powerful opponent of all kinds of cancer. According to T. Colin Campbell, PhD, author of "The China Study," a diet of carefully selected foods, chosen for their particular set of nutrients, can slow the growth of cancer cells. If you already have liver cancer, your doctor will likely have developed a treatment program for you, along with specific guidelines for nutrition. You may choose to speak with your doctor about the inclusion of foods which are known to have cancer-fighting effects.
Grapefruits, oranges and lemons can be powerful foods when it comes to fighting liver cancer. All of them are high in Vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps reverse free-radical damage. But even more powerful are the ingredients limonene and citric acid. According to the A.P. John Institute for Cancer Research, limonene assists in shutting down the Ras cancer gene, which has shown to be overactive in nine out of 10 cancers. Citric acid may be helpful in turning off glycolosis, which will help starve and kill off cancer cells.
Onions, the stronger the flavor the better, contain a polyphenol called quercetin, which research shows may have a powerful effect of slowing the growth of liver cancer cells. The Cornell University study tested a range of onions from the sweet and mild vidalia to the strongly flavored shallot and found that the strongly flavored onions were more effective at inhibiting the growth of cancer cells.
Green and black tea are rich in certain nutrients that the A.P. John Cancer Institute says help shut down glycolosis and starve cancer cells, and green tea contains nutrients that help to block the cancer-stimulating effects of some hormones. Green teas that are supplemented with sulphorane, an antioxidant found in broccoli that inhibits cancer growth, are also powerful cancer-fighters.
Eating eight to 10 black or green olives with a meal could be helpful in fighting liver cancer, according to the A.P. John Institute. Olives contain squalene and oleic acid, which have been shown to slow or stop the growth of cancer cells. The vinegar that most olives are fermented in contains acetic and citric acids, both of which help shut down the process of glycolysis off of which cancer cells feed.