Ovarian Cancer

Topic summary contributed by volunteer(s): Aaron

Foods that appear to be protective against ovarian cancer include: soy foods, tea, apples, cranberries, Indian gooseberries, sweet potatoes, and carrots. As an epithelial cancer, sometimes prevention and treatment are the same thing. Foods thought to increase ovarian cancer risk include: smoking, acrylamide, dairy products, and meat. A 3% increase in meat intake may increase bladder cancer by 15%. This may be due to foreign proteins from animals such as  Neu5G which can accumulate in the cancer cells, including ovarian tissue. Women at risk for ovarian cancer might also consider limiting milk consumption, especially milk from pregnant cows that is particularly high in estrogens, as it contains many endogenous sex hormones that may disrupt the body’s natural cycle. Beta-carotene is also an important antioxidant found in high concentrations in the cervical region that may inhibit ovarian cancer.

The information on this page has been compiled from the research presented in the videos listed. Sources for each video can be found by going to the video’s page and clicking on the Sources Cited tab.