One of the Easiest Ways to Avoid Cancer

If there were a low-effort, high-impact way to lower your long-term cancer risk, it would be this: stop living in a chronic micronutrient deficit. That means getting enough vitamins and minerals—ideally from real food, and realistically from a smart multivitamin on top.

I used to take a multivitamin every day, but when I had coffee this week with my good friend Mike, I realized that I had stopped.  Over coffee, Mike and I were comparing the supplements we take.  I noted that the multivitamin wasn’t on his list, so I asked him.  Indeed, he was not taking one. 

Most people obsess over macros (protein, carbs, fat) and completely forget about micronutrients—the 40+ vitamins and minerals your cells need to make energy, repair DNA, and keep your immune system scanning for early cancer cells. When those micronutrients are low, your body cuts corners in ways that increase your risk of disease over time.

Why micronutrients matter more than you think

Your body can store some micronutrients, but it can’t make them. If they’re not in your food (or your supplements), your cells simply go without.

We see the extreme version of this in kids with vitamin A deficiency: even a “mild” deficiency dramatically raises mortality and can cause blindness—problems that reversed when children received just two large vitamin A doses per year. That’s how powerful a single nutrient can be.

In adults, deficiencies are usually subtler, but the consequences add up. Biochemist Bruce Ames, PhD (UC Berkeley), proposed the Triage Theory: when micronutrients are limited, your body diverts them to short‑term survival (things like basic energy and staying alive today) and robs long‑term functions like DNA repair, mitochondrial maintenance, and anti‑cancer surveillance.

This means:

• You feel “okay” in the short term.

• But in the background, you’re under‑funding the systems that prevent cancer, heart disease, and neurodegeneration.

Over years and decades, that trade‑off can look like: more DNA damage, more oxidative stress, more chronic inflammation, and less efficient immune surveillance—all core ingredients in cancer development.

Why modern diets set you up for risk

Most modern diets are:

• Macronutrient rich: plenty of calories from refined carbs and processed fats.

• Micronutrient poor: low in organ meats, seafood, colorful vegetables, and mineral‑rich foods.

You can hit your calorie needs and still run a long-term “micronutrient deficit.” You won’t see the problem in a week or a month, but over time it’s like running a complex lab on a bare‑bones budget: things slip, corners are cut, quality control drops.

That’s exactly the environment where precancerous cells are more likely to slip through the cracks.

One of the easiest “anti-cancer” habits: a real multivitamin

A high-quality multivitamin is one of the simplest, most realistic ways to stop starving your long‑term defense systems.

A good multivitamin helps:

• Fill in gaps from even a “healthy” but imperfect diet.

• Support DNA repair enzymes, antioxidant systems, and methylation.

• Provide adequate B‑vitamins, zinc, magnesium, selenium, and fat‑soluble vitamins that many people miss.

• Lays the groundwork for your body to efficiently utilize any other supplements or lifestyle factors you add.

Quality is key:

• Look for formulas built around whole‑food–based nutrients or well‑studied forms (e.g., methylated B‑vitamins, chelated minerals).

• Be cautious with brands that have had labeling or heavy‑metal issues, or rely heavily on cheap synthetic forms without good absorption data.

Examples mentioned in the original story:

• Food‑forward options like Bio‑Avail Multi (designed to be paired with organ‑meat concentrates), or whole‑food–based multis from reputable brands.

• Avoiding products that have faced lawsuits over heavy metals or major label inaccuracies.

The exact brand matters less than this: you consistently get enough micronutrients so your body doesn’t have to choose between “survive today” and “protect me from cancer over the next 30 years.”

The most nutrient-dense “superfoods” to prioritize

A multivitamin is a great backstop, but you can do even more by building your diet around genuinely nutrient-dense foods. These are the foods that deliver the most vitamins, minerals, and protective compounds per bite:

1. Organ meats (especially liver)

• Extremely rich in vitamin A, B‑vitamins (including B12 and folate), iron, copper, and choline.

• Supports detox pathways, methylation, and red blood cell production—all central to cellular health and resilience.

• In a recent podcast I recorded with James Barry, we did a deep dive on beef liver, but let’s face it: beef liver smells bad, tastes horrible, and is not very easy to source. James has created a spice called Pluck that contains freeze-dried organ meats and offers the benefits of high nutrient density without the bad taste associated with most organ meats. If you want to try it, you can use MARA10 to get 10% off your order.

2. Shellfish (oysters, mussels, clams)

• Some of the highest natural sources of zinc, copper, selenium, B12, and iodine.

• These minerals are critical for antioxidant enzymes (like glutathione peroxidase) and thyroid function, both of which influence cancer risk.

3. Fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring)

• Provide omega‑3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA), vitamin D, selenium, and high‑quality protein.

• Omega‑3s help regulate inflammation, while vitamin D and selenium play roles in immune function and DNA protection.

4. Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, cabbage)

• Rich in glucosinolates that can be converted into sulforaphane and related compounds.

• These support Phase II detoxification, Nrf2 activation, and the clearance of carcinogens—all directly linked to cancer risk modification.

5. Colorful plant foods (berries, beets, leafy greens, peppers)

• Dense in polyphenols, carotenoids, vitamin C, and fiber.

• Polyphenols act as signaling molecules that modulate inflammation and oxidative stress; fiber supports a healthy gut microbiome, which influences estrogen metabolism, immune function, and toxin elimination.

6. Pasture-raised eggs

• Provide choline, vitamin A, vitamin D, B‑vitamins, and high‑quality protein.

• Choline is key for methylation and cell membrane integrity, both important for preventing DNA damage and supporting healthy cell division.

7. Fermented foods (yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi)

• Support gut diversity and barrier integrity.

• A healthier gut microbiome helps metabolize potential carcinogens and modulate systemic inflammation.

You don’t need perfection. You need density and consistency: building most of your meals around these foods instead of ultra‑processed calories.

Putting it all together: a realistic anti-cancer foundation

A practical, science‑aligned foundation looks like this:

• Eat nutrient‑dense foods (especially organ meats, shellfish, fatty fish, crucifers, and colorful plants) most days of the week.

• Layer in a high‑quality multivitamin to cover inevitable gaps.

• Remember Bruce Ames’s insight: when micronutrients are low, your body triages away from long‑term cancer protection. Don’t force your body into that corner if you don’t have to.

You can’t control everything about cancer risk. But you can control whether your cells have the raw materials they need to repair damage, clear toxins, and keep early cancer cells from becoming a problem.

And that is one of the easiest, most overlooked ways to avoid cancer.