Anticancer Potentials of Food Phytochemicals

Cancer, the development of abnormal and uncontrolled cells, is still a major cause of ill health and mortality worldwide. Estimates suggest that in 2020, new cases of cancer that were diagnosed were approximately 18 million cases. Some notable cancer therapies include surgery, radiotherapy, cancer vaccination, stem cell transformation, pharmacotherapy, or a combination of two or three of the listed therapies. The World Cancer Research Fund has pointed out that foods rich in phytochemicals, vegetables, legumes, nuts, fruits, herbs, and spices, are protective against cancer development. Food phytochemicals fall into three main categories: polyphenols, terpenoids, and thiols. Other phytochemical groups may share similar properties with the aforementioned but have been categorized into miscellaneous: betaines, capsaicin, and chlorophylls. Current reports suggest that more people are going in for these food phytochemicals for cancer therapy. This is because some of the conventional drugs are exceedingly costly and may possess undesirable side effects. For this reason, it is imperative that these agents derived from natural sources (food phytochemicals) used in the prevention and management of cancers be studied in greater detail.