Hummus May Cut Cancer Risk by 50% for Breast, Prostate and Colon Cancer: How can hummus provide such major health benefits? It’s from the chickpeas and sesame seeds—the main ingredients of hummus. Chickpeas (and other legumes) contain unique compounds recently discovered to drastically slow the growth of both breast and prostate cancer cells in vitro, and also eradicate 64% of precancerous colon growths in mice. And yes, these health benefits carry over to people. Large population studies confirm that people eating the most legumes have 32% less risk of cancer in general, including 57% less colon and 45% less prostate cancer. For breast cancer, chickpeas and sesame deliver a special bonus: they are both superfood sources of cancer-fighting lignans. We need at least 5mg daily of lignans to lower cancer risk, and most Western adults get only 1 mg. But a single 100 gram serving of hummus delivers an impressive 35 mg of lignans. In recent studies, women consuming the most lignans had 50% less breast cancer, while breast cancer patients eating the most lignans had an amazing 71% reduced risk of dying. Hummus may truly be a superfood for these three major cancers, and should be considered as part of a healthy diet centered on vegetables, fruit and whole foods.