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Dr Rangan ChatterjeeDr Rangan Chatterjee

This ONE Food Combo Starves Cancer Cells (Doctors Won’t Tell You This) | Dr. William Li

Download my FREE Nutrition Guide HERE: https://bit.ly/3Jeg9yL Order MAKE CHANGE THAT LASTS. US & Canada version https://amzn.to/3RyO3SL, UK version https://amzn.to/3Kt5rUK Dr William Li is an internationally renowned physician, food scientist and bestselling author of two books, including his latest ‘Eat to Beat Your Diet: Burn Fat, Heal Your Metabolism & Live Longer’. Dr Li’s ground-breaking work has led to the development of more than 30 new medical treatments and has impacted the care of more than 70 different diseases, including cancer, type II diabetes, blindness, heart disease and obesity. And, his TED Talk, ‘Can We Eat to Starve Cancer?’ has had more than 11 million views. WATCH THE FULL EPISODE: The TOP FOODS You Absolutely SHOULD NOT EAT! (Avoid These Foods) | Dr. William Li https://youtu.be/8KqnaecZ8_M #feelbetterlivemore #feelbetterlivemorepodcast ------- Order MAKE CHANGE THAT LASTS. US & Canada version https://amzn.to/3RyO3SL, UK version https://amzn.to/3Kt5rUK ----- Follow Dr Chatterjee at: Website: https://drchatterjee.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drchatterjee Twitter: https://twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Newsletter: https://drchatterjee.com/subscription DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

Dr. Rangan Chatterjeehost
Aug 21, 202516mWatch on YouTube ↗

At a glance

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Food pairings that boost nutrient absorption and blunt benefits

  1. Heating tomatoes and cooking them with fat (like olive oil) converts lycopene into a more absorbable form and improves uptake dramatically.
  2. Pairing fat-soluble plant compounds with healthy fats (e.g., avocado with cooked tomatoes) increases nutrient absorption and may amplify health effects tied to those compounds.
  3. Some combinations can reduce benefits, such as adding cow’s milk to tea, where dairy fat micelles can trap tea polyphenols (catechins) and lower absorption.
  4. Black pepper (piperine) paired with turmeric increases the body’s retention/absorption of curcumin, enhancing turmeric’s potential effects.
  5. Supplements are framed as add-ons rather than replacements for whole foods, with omega-3s and vitamin D3 highlighted as practical, high-value examples for many people.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Cooked tomatoes deliver far more usable lycopene than raw.

Li states raw tomato lycopene is poorly absorbed (~20%), but heating changes its chemical structure so absorption can rise to ~80%.

Add a little healthy fat to access fat-soluble plant compounds.

Because lycopene is fat-soluble, sautéing tomatoes in olive oil helps carry lycopene into the body more efficiently than cooking in water.

Common snacks can be “functional” nutrient pairings.

He uses salsa (cooked tomatoes) plus guacamole (avocado fats) as an example of a real-world combo that boosts lycopene uptake.

Turmeric works better when paired with black pepper.

Curcumin has many touted benefits but is poorly retained; piperine from fresh cracked black pepper helps the body “hang on” to curcumin for greater absorption.

Milk in tea may reduce polyphenol benefits even if it tastes great.

Cow dairy fat can form micelles that trap tea catechins (like EGCG), lowering their absorption and potentially reducing desired effects (stress-lowering, anti-inflammatory, metabolic and anticancer-related properties mentioned).

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

I've studied lycopene in a laboratory, and it actually can help starve cancers by cutting off the blood supply.

— Dr. William Li

If you wanted to convert that chemical structure of lycopene into a form that you can absorb better, your body can avidly absorb, what you wanna do is you wanna heat the tomato, like in a pan.

— Dr. William Li

So if you have fresh cracked black pepper with your turmeric, uh, you a- you're actually creating a one-two punch that allows you to absorb more of the curcumin.

— Dr. William Li

When milk or cream is put into tea, the fat molecules in the cow dairy form little soap bubbles. These are microscopic soap bubbles. They're called micelles.

— Dr. William Li

Those soap bubbles trap the polyphenols from tea. It traps the catechin.

— Dr. William Li

Lycopene bioavailability in tomatoesHeat-induced chemical conversion of nutrientsFat-soluble compounds and olive oil/avocado pairingTurmeric curcumin and black pepper piperine synergyTea catechins (EGCG) and health effectsMilk-in-tea micelles reducing polyphenol absorptionWhole foods vs targeted supplementation (omega-3, vitamin D3)UV-exposed mushrooms increasing vitamin D content

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