cancer is the second deadliest disease in the world and accounted for 1 out of every 6 deaths in 2018 the common perception about this disease is that it is mostly caused by smoking tobacco and consumption of alcohol however there is a need to raise awareness that one of the top five causes of cancer is nutrition more specifically an unhealthy diet the growing reliance on technology and lack of physical activity has pushed people towards sedentary lifestyles and made them ignore natural foods that contain immunityboosting nutrients some of which help fight conditions like cancer for instance consuming the right diet can reduce a persons risk of acquiring cancer especially some of the complex ones such as that of the brain the brain is an intricate and important yet highly vulnerable organ in the human body the spongy brain tissues control all our movements and cognitive abilities like speech thought and emotions the growth of a cancerous cell can impact the healthy brain tissues and cause a cancertumor over time however it is possible to prevent this risk by eating healthy food and a balanced diet right from an early age foods that are rich in antioxidants and other vital nutrients can boost the immune system and brain function as well the gastrointestinal tract is considered our second brain given that it has more than 500 million neurons the gut is also teeming with about 300 to 600 species of different bacteria that perform a whole host of beneficial functions including boosting the immune system aiding in metabolism and digestion and helping in neurotransmission and signaling in the brain any significant alterations in the type or number of these bacterial colonies may lead to inflammation in the body a process that can contribute to many diseases including cancer while there is no specific food item that can be called as the best in preventing cancer a healthy diet does help control infections and associated complications in fact research suggests that some foods help in blocking cancerous blood vessels in the body through the process of antiangiogenesis a major boost to immunity against cancer is provided by green leafy vegetables turmeric ginger basil thyme etc all of these have strong cancer fighting abilities they also provide the brain with antioxidants which limit cell damage by hunting down free radicals further they bring down inflammation and prevent cancer according to an international study by the national cancer institute those who eat six servings of fruits and vegetables per 1000 calories have a 29 decreased risk relative to those who have 15 servings in the study researchers found that those who consumed the most fruits and vegetables had the lowest risk for head and neck cancers vegetables appeared to offer more cancer prevention than fruits alone vegetables like broccoli cauliflower cabbage tomatoes and carrots are known to be highly effective in reducing cancer risk similarly citrus fruits contain antioxidants and phytochemicals that can avert the disease other foods