I heard something recently that cancer cells have a much harder time outsmarting natural compounds than it does medication, so I looked into it and found some research suggesting that it could be due to circulating stem cells (CSCs).
Abnormal stem cells use several mechanisms to survive which may explain why they can become resistant to cancer meds whereas “natural compounds are a rich source of biologically active compounds that are able to interact with a large number of cellular targets while limiting painful side effects.”
That info can be found in a 2017 study called The use of natural products to target cancer stem cells - PMC if you want to check it out.
One example of these natural compounds (most often found in plant foods) is called Resveratrol and it has been widely studied in the cancer world, and for good reason.
Resveratrol has been found to have cytotoxic effects (toxic to cells) on CSCs.
This 2017 study (above) also says that resveratrol can induce apoptosis (cancer cell death) in breast cancer stem cells and that there is sufficient evidence that it can disrupt tumour formation by targeting these CSCs.
So which foods contain Resveratrol?
You may have already heard about red wine, but alcohol is also toxic to the liver, but fresh red grapes (especially the skins and seeds) are a great place to start...but not the only!
You can also try:
Blueberries
Strawberries
Mulberries
Natural peanut butter
Dark chocolate (raw cocoa powder is better)
Pistachios
Cranberries
Mix it up as well as opposed to just having one thing; you’ll get more in that way!