ABSTRACT
Cancer stem cells (CSCs), unlike other stem cells, have the property of uncontrolled self-propagation and making a tumor. For prevention of the occurrence of cancer, it is important to target CSCs. First of all, understanding has to be made about changes what makes a cell divide without any purpose, and then there should be screening of natural ingredients in our diet that can help stop CSCs from dividing. There are some food products or ingredients that have medicinal and therapeutic properties. Research has been going on to find out such food items, which are also called nutraceuticals, superfoods, or functional foods, to be used for the prevention of cancer or treatment of cancer. Apart from that, spices like curcumin and cinnamon have been known for their anticancer properties. Also, some vegetables, such as carrots, beans, and broccoli, have been found to contain some content that has been promising in preventing cancers. In this chapter, mechanisms of action of different types of food products are discussed, which are investigated to find out their anticancer properties, specifically targeting CSCs utilizing different cell signaling pathways.
