The current webpage is designed to make additional research available concerning how nuts, seeds, beans (if any) and grains or their major bioactive components can act as radiosensitizers or protect against the adverse side effects of radiotherapy. At the bottom of this webpage are links to studies relating to the beneficial nuts, seeds and grains listed in Foods to eat and avoid during radiation treatment.
Nuts, seeds and grains heighten the treatment effects of radiotherapy or protect against its adverse side effects (without reducing its efficacy) through the actions of certain polyphenols, the hormone melatonin, or the trace mineral selenium:
Please read the applicable food webpages when making your own food lists since these pages contain important advice, food rankings (e.g., highly recommended, recommended in moderation), consumption limits, and other pertinent information.
The beneficial compounds listed above should be obtained by eating the applicable nuts, seeds or grains rather than taking supplements. When a beneficial micronutrient is administered at low doses by consuming food, it is likely to have subtle chemopreventive effects, whereas the same compound administered at high doses is more likely to have pharmacological effects, with possible unwanted outcomes. For example, relatively high levels of ellagic acid supplementation have been demonstrated to induce kidney, lung, and heart damage in laboratory rats.