Does drinking a mixture of carrots, onions and garlic in lime juice cure "any form of cancer" between stages one and three? No, that's not true: The vice president of research from the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) told Lead Stories that there is no evidence to support this claim and to claim that this mixture can cure all cancers is "beyond fantasy." An oncology nutrition therapist told Lead Stories that the AICR recommends eating mostly plant-based foods to prevent cancer, but there is no singular food that can cure cancer.
The claim appeared on Facebook (archived here) where it was published on November 9, 2023. It opened:
Hi everyone. I am Dr. Roots and I greet all the elders. Do you have cancer? Is it breast cancer or colon cancer?
This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Wed Nov 29 18:26:45 2023 UTC)
"Dr. Roots" -- who did not otherwise identify himself in the video or cite any medical credentials -- continued asking the viewer if they have a variety of cancers and then proceeded to detail an "effective remedy" to supposedly cure it if their cancer is in stage one through three. He listed ingredients: "enough carrots," "enough onions" and "enough garlic." No measurements of the ingredients was given, only "enough." He told viewers to wash the vegetables, pound them in a mortar and put the result in a bottle with freshly extracted lime juice. After letting it sit for 24 hours, the mixture was to be taken it as "a shot twice daily until you see improvement." The video did not give any evidence of the mixture curing anything.
Nigel Brockton (archived here), the vice president of research at the American Institute of Cancer Research, spoke to Lead Stories in a December 1, 2023, email. We asked if this claim was true and he responded saying the claim was not true and there is no evidence to support this claim:
Very short answer is...no. There is no evidence to support this claim and the presenter does not even pretend to provide any. There has been Research conducted on potential anti-cancer properties carrots, onions, garlic and citrus fruits but none have shown efficacy in treating actual cancers in humans ... And to claim that such a mixture can cure all cancers stage I-III is beyond fantasy ... Unfortunately, cancer patients are often desperate for effective treatments and charlatans like this prey on that desperation.
Rebecca Beaudoin (archived here), an oncology nutrition therapist from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, told Lead Stories in a December 1, 2023, email that the American Institute for Cancer Research recommended a plant-based diet to prevent cancer, but no one singular food can cure cancer. She wrote that The American Institute of Cancer Research:
...notes that "scientific evidence shows that eating mostly plant-based foods- whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and beans- plays a big role in preventing cancer and contributing to a healthier lifestyle. That's because plant-based foods are high in fiber, nutrients and phytochemicals that may help to prevent cancer."
While a mixture of carrots, onion, garlic, and lime juice would certainly fit in with increasing your plant-based foods, and in an overall healthy eating pattern, which is beneficial during cancer treatment, studies have not shown that one (or 4) single foods can cure cancer.
A Google News search of keywords, "carrots AND onions AND garlic AND cure AND cancer AND stage one AND stage three" (archived here) did not yield a news article or peer-reviewed study that would back up the claim made in the Facebook post.
An April 2023 Lead Stories article titled, "Fact Check: Soursop, Beans, Tomatoes, Onions Will NOT Cure Cancer" debunked a similar claim. In it, a dietician and an expert in oncology told Lead Stories this combination of foods does not cure cancer.
The New York Times published a November 27, 2023, article titled, "Can Certain Foods Really Reduce Your Cancer Risk?" (archived here) In it, Johanna Lampe (archived here), a cancer prevention researcher at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center said, "Many nutrition studies rely on people to accurately remember what they consumed up to a year ago ... And it's tricky to understand how single foods may influence your health when they're part of a larger diet ... your diet lifestyle, environment, hormones and genes also play a role." Brockton was also quoted in this article saying, "No single food can prevent cancer on its own ... But following a healthy diet does seem to reduce the risk."
More Lead Stories articles debunking other cancer claims are here.
