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Foods Which Have Potential as Protection From Cancers

In the world, the Indian and Thai peoples have the lowest overall rates of cancer. Okinawa, as part of Japan also has a very low cancer rate, placing this island much lower than the Japanese people in terms of cancer occurrence.

To determine which foods these populations are using in common, I'm preparing these charts. There are many tropical fruits used by all of these people, some spices, and vegetables. I hope to find more information for Okinawa as data about them is more scarce. I have included in these lists the foods and spices which are common to only Thailand and India as well, as there may be real potential for cancer protection from them, even if the foods are not used in Okinawa, in view of the cancer rates of these two countries.

Fruits Common to these Low Cancer Rate Countries
Common Name Scientific Name Thailand India Okinawa
Banana Musa X paradisiaca L. Yes, popular here; about 20 varieties grown Yes, common usage Yes, commercially grown here
Carambola, or Starfruit Averrhoa carambola Yes, not a native but grown throughout the country Yes --- No Data ---
Cashew apple Anacardium occidentale Yes. Husk of the cashew nut, eaten fresh or juiced Yes, cashew trees grown here since the 1600's --- No Data ---
Citron Citrus spp. Yes, dark green fruit, peel often used for flavoring Yes, lemon type widely used in India --- No Data ---
Coconut Cocos nucifera Yes, both ripe and immature coconuts are used Yes, used for coconut milk, in curries, and immature coconut liquid to treat hepatitis Grows wild on the island, do they make use of it in their diets?
Custard apple Annona squamosa L. Yes, not Cherimoya variety grown here Yes, cultivated thoughout the country Different variety mentioned, Cherimoya grown here.
Dragon fruit Hylocereus undatus Yes. aka Pitahaya, Strawberry pear Yes, use a lot of it Yes, cultivated here
Durian Durio zibethinus Yes Yes, grown to a limited extent in the south --- No Data ---
Guava Psidium guajava L. Yes. Not native to Thailand, brought in in the 17th century. Popular as a snack fruit. Yes, common usage Yes, large producer of guava
Jackfruit Artocarpus heterophyllus Yes Yes. Used in curries and preserves Yes, commercially grown here
Jujube Ziziphus mauritiana Yes, usually eaten fresh, also processed for juice or dried Yes, same variety as that used in Thailand. Different from the Chinese jujube which grows in colder climates --- No Data ---
Langsat or Longkong Lansium domesticum Yes, fruit very popular, grows wild and is cultivated Yes, in south India, and humid areas there --- No Data ---
Longan Dimocarpus longan Yes, eaten fresh or cooked Yes, either native plant to India, or introduced there in the 1700's --- No Data ---
Mango Mangifera indica Use a 'Thai Mango', different variety, light colored skin, delicate flavor, a dozen kinds grown here Yes, very important fruit in the diet Yes, grown commercially here
Mangosteen Garcinia spp. Yes, variety grown here is Garcinia mangostana, eaten fresh Yes, variety grown here is Garcinia indica, used fresh or dried, in curries, or commercially --- No Data ---
Papaya Carica papaya Yes, year-round, widely used as a fresh fruit and in cooked dishes Yes, much used, both ripe and unripe fruits Yes, a major producer of papaya. They even eat the young fruits as a vegetable.
Passionfruit Passiflora edulis Yes, a newer crop introduced into Thailand Yes, they favor a purple variety of passionfruit Yes, they grow it commercially
Pineapple Ananas comosus Yes, two distinct varieties grown - extremely sweet, or a crunchy type Yes Yes, a major producer of these
Pomegranate Punica granatum Yes Yes, used as a garnish and in chutneys Grows here, is it used in the diet?
Pomelo or Pummelo Citrus grandis Osb. Yes, native to SE Asia Yes, grown throughout region --- No Data ---
Rambutan Nephelium lappaceum Yes, two varieties grown - cling and free. Used fresh or canned Yes, limited plantings in India though --- No Data ---
Tamarind Tamarindus indica Yes, one of two varieties used here Yes, used as a condiment and in cookng Yes
Herbs Common to these Low Cancer Countries
Common Name Scientific Name Thailand India Okinawa
Basil Ocimium spp. Yes, several varieties used here. Holy basil, O.tenuiflorum; Sacred basil, O. sanctum, Sweet Thai basil and Lemon basil. Yes, Ocimum basilicum, but used as a garnish and medicinally, not too much used in S. India --- No Data ---
Coriander, Cilantro Coriandrum sativum Yes, whole plant is used, root, stem, leaves, seeds Yes, leaf used extensively in Indian cooking --- No Data ---
Curry Leaf Murraya koenigii Yes, cultivated in northern part of Thailand Yes, used fresh or dried, many dishes, used for flavoring and usually removed from food before eating --- No Data ---
Dill Anethum graveolens Yes, leaves eaten raw or used in soups or curries Yes, leaves used fresh to flavor many S. Indian dishes --- No Data ---
Lemon Grass Cymbopogan citratus, C. flexuensus and C. nardus Yes, one of the most used herbs here Yes --- No Data ---
Mint Menthae haplocalycis Yes, used as a flavoring or eaten raw Yes, used as a flavoring or garnish for meat dishes, salads --- No Data ---
Spices Common to these Low Cancer Countries
Common Name Scientific Name Thailand India Okinawa
Anise, Star Illicium spp. Yes, variety used is Illicium verum, cooking and medicinal uses Yes, variety used is Illicium anisatum and Illicium verum. Yes, variety used is Illicium anisatum
Cardamom Elettaria cardamomum Yes Yes, they use both green and black cardamom, intrinsic to their spice mixtures --- No Data ---
Cinnamon Cinamomum zeylanicum Yes, they use bark from various other trees for cinnamon too, one type comes from Cassia spp Yes --- No Data ---
Cloves Syzgium aromaticum Yes, used only in a curry paste here, and for chewing with betel nuts Yes, used extensively in most Indian masala mixes --- No Data ---
Coriander seed Coriandrum sativum Yes, used in almost every curry powder or spice mix in Thailand Yes, used extensively in Indian cooking --- No Data ---
Cumin Cuminum cyminum Yes, used in Thai curry pastes Yes, used in curry and chili powders, rice dishes, masalas --- No Data ---
Fenugreek Trigonella foenum-graecum Yes, used in curries Yes, used extensively --- No Data ---
Garlic Allium sativum Yes, many varieties grown here, used in almost all dishes Yes, used extensively in cooking and also medicinally ?
Gingerroot Zingiber officinale Yes, frequently used. They also use another variety, Languas galanga which is more lemony and peppery Yes, very popular in cooking Yes, used extensively
Nutmeg Myristica fragrans Yes, used in chili pastes and with boiled meats Yes --- No Data ---
Peppers, Chile Capsicum spp. Yes, many hot varieties used extensively in Thai cuisine Yes, many varieties used in Indian cuisine Yes, a local variety they call 'koregusu' used as a univeral condiment with most of their dishes
Peppercorn Piper spp. Yes, Piper nigrum used as black, green or white peppercorns Yes, Piper nigrum used in spice mixes Yes, variety used is Piper retrofractum
Sesame Seed Sesamum indicum Yes, used for flavoring and also for the oil in the seeds for cooking Yes, used in cooking Yes, they put it in one of their spice mixtures, 7 spice powder, put on everything they eat
Turmeric Curcuma longa Yes, used dried and ground, or fresh Yes, used in almost every dish Yes, a favorite spice, used in curries, soups, meat and fish dishes and added to oolong tea as a drink
Vegetables Common to these Low Cancer Countries
Common Name Scientific Name Thailand India Okinawa
Pepper, Bell Capsicum frutescens Yes, light green and mild, they call it "bell chilli" Yes --- No Data ---
Eggplant Solanum Melongena Yes Yes, also known here as 'brinjal' --- No Data ---
Melon, Bitter Momordica charantia Yes, used in soups, curries, salads Yes, also known as 'bitter gourd', used as a vegetable and medicinally Yes, most popular vegetable here
Okra Abelmoschus esculentus Yes, deep fried, cooked in curries, even eaten raw Yes --- No Data ---
Potato, Sweet Ipomoea batatas Yes, has always been a minor crop, now growing more Yes Yes, used extensively for centuries. 2 varieties-light yellow inside/brown-purple skin(satsuma-imo) or purple inside/light brown skin (beni-imo)
Potatoes, Yam Discorea genus Yes, this species is not grown or available in the US, very large, different from what are called 'yams' in US. Yes --- No Data ---
Taro Colocasia esculenta Yes Yes, this plant originated in India Yes
Tomato Lycopersicon esculentum Yes, favorites are their original grape tomatoes, which are a cross between Roma and cherry tomatoes Yes Yes, and grown commercially there


Are specific foods and spices missing from Western diets the key to prevention of cancers?

Scientific and medical studies on some of these foods