Every hour, there are 800 incidents of DNA damage in our bodies. Which foods help us patch back up: apples, broccoli, celery, choy sum, lemons, lettuce, oranges, persimmons, or strawberries?
Which Fruits and Vegetables Boost DNA Repair?
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In light of strikingly consistent observations from many population-based studies, there can be little doubt that the habitual consumption of diets high in fruits and vegetables helps to reduce the risk of development of degenerative diseases, including many types of cancers. Not satisfied with just telling people to eat their fruits and veggies, scientists want to know the mechanism.
Fruits and vegetables are not just vehicles for antioxidants; they contain innumerable phytonutrients that can boost our detoxification enzymes, modulate gene expression, and even repair DNA.
Until fairly recently, it was generally assumed that functions as important as DNA repair were unlikely to be readily affected by nutrition. But if you compare identical twins to fraternal twins, only about a half to three quarters of DNA repair function is genetically determined; the rest we may be able to control.
It is estimated that, on average, there are 800 incidents of DNA damage in our bodies per hour. That’s 19,000 hits to our DNA every day. And that DNA damage can cause mutations that can give rise to cancer—if not repaired.
Thankfully, the regulation of DNA repair may be added to the list of biological processes that are influenced by what we eat—and, specifically, that this might constitute part of the explanation for the cancer-preventive effects of many plant-based foods.
Any plants in particular? Nine fruits and vegetables were tested to see which was better able to boost DNA repair: lemons, persimmons, strawberries, oranges, choy sum (which is like skinny bok choy), broccoli, celery, lettuce, and apples. Which ones made the cut? Lemons, persimmons, strawberries, apples, broccoli, and celery each conferred DNA protection at very low doses.
Here’s what lemons could do, for example. Cut DNA damage by about a third. Was it the vitamin C? No, removing the vitamin C from the lemon extract did not remove the protective effect. However, if you boiled the lemon first for 30 minutes, the effect was lost.
To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- M M Vilenchik, A G Knudson Jr. Inverse radiation dose-rate effects on somatic and germ-line mutations and DNA damage rates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000 May 9;97(10):5381-6.
- Y T Szeto, T L To, S C Pak, W Kalle. A study of DNA protective effect of orange juice supplementation. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2013 May;38(5):533-6.
- J Slyskova, Y Lorenzo, A Karlsen, M H Carlsen, V Novosadova, R Blomhoff, P Vodicka, A R Collins. Both genetic and dietary factors underlie individual differences in DNA damage levels and DNA repair capacity. DNA Repair (Amst). 2014 Apr;16:66-73.
- A R Collins, A Azqueta, S A Langie. Effects of micronutrients on DNA repair. Eur J Nutr. 2012 Apr;51(3):261-79.
- S B Astley, R M Elliott, D B Archer, S Southon. Evidence that dietary supplementation with carotenoids and carotenoid-rich foods modulates the DNA damage: repair balance in human lymphocytes. Br J Nutr. 2004 Jan;91(1):63-72.
- Y T Szeto, W K Chu, I F Benzie. Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables: a study of cellular availability and direct effects on human DNA. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2006 Oct;70(10):2551-5.
- X Wu, M R Spitz, C L Amos, J Lin, L Shao, J Gu, M de Andrade, N L Benowitz, P G Shields, G E Swan. Mutagen sensitivity has high heritability: evidence from a twin study. Cancer Res. 2006 Jun 15;66(12):5993-6.
Images thanks to lightwise / 123rf, PublicDomainPictures / Pixabay, Evan-Amos / Wikimedia Commons, Olegivvit / Wikimedia Commons, Donnawetta / Pixabay, PublicDomainPictures / Pixabay, kattebelletje / Flickr, Fir0002 / Wikimedia Commons, Popolon / Wikimedia Commons, Selena / Wikimedia Commons and Silberfuchs / Pixabay
In light of strikingly consistent observations from many population-based studies, there can be little doubt that the habitual consumption of diets high in fruits and vegetables helps to reduce the risk of development of degenerative diseases, including many types of cancers. Not satisfied with just telling people to eat their fruits and veggies, scientists want to know the mechanism.
Fruits and vegetables are not just vehicles for antioxidants; they contain innumerable phytonutrients that can boost our detoxification enzymes, modulate gene expression, and even repair DNA.
Until fairly recently, it was generally assumed that functions as important as DNA repair were unlikely to be readily affected by nutrition. But if you compare identical twins to fraternal twins, only about a half to three quarters of DNA repair function is genetically determined; the rest we may be able to control.
It is estimated that, on average, there are 800 incidents of DNA damage in our bodies per hour. That’s 19,000 hits to our DNA every day. And that DNA damage can cause mutations that can give rise to cancer—if not repaired.
Thankfully, the regulation of DNA repair may be added to the list of biological processes that are influenced by what we eat—and, specifically, that this might constitute part of the explanation for the cancer-preventive effects of many plant-based foods.
Any plants in particular? Nine fruits and vegetables were tested to see which was better able to boost DNA repair: lemons, persimmons, strawberries, oranges, choy sum (which is like skinny bok choy), broccoli, celery, lettuce, and apples. Which ones made the cut? Lemons, persimmons, strawberries, apples, broccoli, and celery each conferred DNA protection at very low doses.
Here’s what lemons could do, for example. Cut DNA damage by about a third. Was it the vitamin C? No, removing the vitamin C from the lemon extract did not remove the protective effect. However, if you boiled the lemon first for 30 minutes, the effect was lost.
To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by Katie Schloer.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- M M Vilenchik, A G Knudson Jr. Inverse radiation dose-rate effects on somatic and germ-line mutations and DNA damage rates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2000 May 9;97(10):5381-6.
- Y T Szeto, T L To, S C Pak, W Kalle. A study of DNA protective effect of orange juice supplementation. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2013 May;38(5):533-6.
- J Slyskova, Y Lorenzo, A Karlsen, M H Carlsen, V Novosadova, R Blomhoff, P Vodicka, A R Collins. Both genetic and dietary factors underlie individual differences in DNA damage levels and DNA repair capacity. DNA Repair (Amst). 2014 Apr;16:66-73.
- A R Collins, A Azqueta, S A Langie. Effects of micronutrients on DNA repair. Eur J Nutr. 2012 Apr;51(3):261-79.
- S B Astley, R M Elliott, D B Archer, S Southon. Evidence that dietary supplementation with carotenoids and carotenoid-rich foods modulates the DNA damage: repair balance in human lymphocytes. Br J Nutr. 2004 Jan;91(1):63-72.
- Y T Szeto, W K Chu, I F Benzie. Antioxidants in fruits and vegetables: a study of cellular availability and direct effects on human DNA. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2006 Oct;70(10):2551-5.
- X Wu, M R Spitz, C L Amos, J Lin, L Shao, J Gu, M de Andrade, N L Benowitz, P G Shields, G E Swan. Mutagen sensitivity has high heritability: evidence from a twin study. Cancer Res. 2006 Jun 15;66(12):5993-6.
Images thanks to lightwise / 123rf, PublicDomainPictures / Pixabay, Evan-Amos / Wikimedia Commons, Olegivvit / Wikimedia Commons, Donnawetta / Pixabay, PublicDomainPictures / Pixabay, kattebelletje / Flickr, Fir0002 / Wikimedia Commons, Popolon / Wikimedia Commons, Selena / Wikimedia Commons and Silberfuchs / Pixabay
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Which Fruits and Vegetables Boost DNA Repair?
LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Content URLDoctor's Note
If it’s not the vitamin C, what might it be? That’s the subject of my video Citrus Peels and Cancer: Zest for Life?.
Surprised that the lemon benefit was abolished by cooking? Find out which vegetables it may be best to eat raw in Best Cooking Method.
What about cooked versus raw garlic? See my video Inhibiting Platelet Activation with Garlic and Onions.
For more on DNA protection and repair, see:
- Spicing Up DNA Protection
- Cancer, Interrupted: Garlic and Flavonoids
- Benefits of Turmeric for Arsenic Exposure
- Carcinogen-Blocking Effects of Turmeric
- Eating Green to Prevent Cancer
- Can Green Tea Help Prevent Cancer?
For all our videos on the latest research on vegetables, visit our Vegetables topic page.
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