Can Cancer be Prevented? Part 3. Eat Flavonoids
Most of us grew up hearing that we should eat our vegetables because they are good for us. However, it wasn't until the last decade that we realized how important these are in our fight against cancer. We don't need to eat the exotic vegetables, everyday vegetables such as cabbage, carrots, and broccoli contain substances that are more powerful in inhibiting cancer than all the radiation, chemotherapy or cancer surgery together.
According to Doctor Colgan, indoles, coumarins, phenols, aromatic isothiocyanates and isoflavones are some of the flavonoids in produce that have been identified to inhibit cancer cell proliferation. The following information is taken from You Can Prevent Cancer by Michael Colgan, PhD
Indoles
Indoles can be found in vegetables such as cauliflowers, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, and cabbage. The most known is indole-3-carbinol.
60 women at increased risk for breast cancer were participating in placebo-controlled, double-blind doseranging chemo prevention study. Indole-3-carbinol showed to be a promising preventative agent against cancer.
It is important to when to use indole-3-carbinol. Animals that were pretreated with indole-3-carbinol prior to being exposed to carcinogen and continued to take it during exposure to carcinogen, were protected from developing cancerous lesions. The study shows how important to maintain these substances in the body. You see, the animals who didn't receive indole-3-carbinol prior to exposure to the carcinogen did not show any protective effect.
Isothiocyanates
Isothiocyanates are mostly found in cruciferous vegetables. According to Colgan's book, You Can Prevent Cancer, they can block the cancer process by inhibiting carcinogen activation and by accelerating the inactivation of carcinogens.
Coumarins
Turmeric is the most studied herb with coumarins. A study evaluated the chemopreventative effects of curcumin, the most active coumarin, on radiation- induced tumors in rat mammary glands. One control group was fed a basic diet while the other control group was fed a diet containing 1% curcumin. The control group fed curcumin had 28% reduction in tumors while 84% of the other group developed mammary tumors. Other studies also show that curcumin inhibits chemically-induced carcinogenesis of the skin, colon, and stomach.
Phenols
Phenols can be found in edible plants. Black and green tea contains one class of phenols.
If you haven't tried green tea yet I suggest that you try it, it is especially effective against cancer according to Dr. Colgan. Consumption of green tea reduced the lymph node metastases among pre-menopausal women diagnosed with stage 1 and stage II breast cancer. The researchers of this study of 472 patients also reported that an increased consumption of green tea also reduced the recurrence of breast cancer.
Green and black tea both reduced the incidence of tumors in rats diagnosed with esophagus tumors. The group that drank both green and black tea before the exposure to the carcinogen had a 70% reduction of the tumors while the group that was given the tea after the tumor growth had 55% reduction in tumors. As you can see, prevention pays off.
Tea is not just for women, men should drink it to take advantage of its benefits. Research shows that green tea inhibits tumor formation by controlling the ornithine decarboxylase, an enzyme which is high in men with prostate cancer. This enzyme stimulates the growth of normal and tumorigenic prostate cells.
Another class phenols is proanthocyanidins found in pine bark, bilberry leaves, and grape seeds. Not only are they important antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, they also seem to be promising anti-tumor substances according to recent research.
Colgan's book also covers isoflavones found in soy. I am not confident in promoting soy since I don't want to eat it myself, but I just wanted to mention that evidence show that soy isoflavones may inhibit or reduce certain cancers.
There are plenty of flavonoids found in fruit and vegetables. Citrus fruits contain flavonoids for example. Bottom line is, include plenty of fruit and vegetables in your diet.
Related posts:
Source: You Can Prevent Cancer, Michael Colgan, PhD
This post is linked to:
Fight Back Friday, Fat Tuesday
Monday Mania
2:23 PM |
Read more...
Can Cancer be Prevented? Part 2. Eat Carotenoids
We all know that fruit and vegetables are nutritious and contain many nutrients. They play an important role in cancer prevention.
The following information is taken from You Can Prevent Cancer by Michael Colgan, PhD
The 600 identified pigmented compounds responsible for hundreds or red, orange, and yellow leaves in the autumn, were until recently not considered very important to us. Six of these carotenoids have been identified as major players to our health and are considered along with vitamin E as our main fat-soluble antioxidants. These are beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, alpha-carotene, cryptoxhantin, and zeaxanthin.
Animal and human research shows that carotenoids enhance the immune response as well as protect the skin from UV Radiation damage.
Lower cancer risk with a diet high in carotenoids
According to Dr.Colgan in his book, You Can Prevent Cancer, resent research shows that carotenoids have an important anti-cancer function. By increasing the flow of regulatory signals, carotenoids can enhance the communication between cells. Normal cells can use this enhanced communication to talk to cells damaged by carcinogens, this will prevent the damaged cells from turning malignant. This communication also inhibits proliferation of already malignant cells. Our bodies produce malignant cells daily that can proliferate into cancer. According to Colgan's book, carotenoids provide strong protective mechanism to keep these cell under control.
Studies
Cancer research confirms the power of carotenoids. According to 60 recent studies, cancer patients have very low level of carotenoids. It is interesting to note that the lowest risk for numerous types of cancer are the people with the highest blood levels of carotenoids due to high intake of carotenoid-rich vegetables and fruit. For example, the breast cancer risk in women with a family history of breast cancer was dramatically reduced by high levels of beta-carotene and/or lutein and zeaxanthin. High serum levels of total carotenoids in women shows that cervical cancer risk is reduced. Patients with stomach and digestive tract cancers have low beta-carotene levels.
Where to find the carotenoids
Colgan writes that a diet that includes carrots, tomato juice, water melon, pink grapefruit and broccoli provides about 11,000 IU per day of beta-carotene and over 20,000 mcg of other carotenoids. You would only consume 1,000 IU if beta-carotene and 50 mcg of alpha-carotene per day if you eat ice berg lettuce, cabbage, white potato, a pear, and an apple instead. This would not be enough for protection.
Orange juice is not a good choice, but raw fresh oranges are great. Red bell peppers are a lot better than yellow. Pears, plums, and raspberries are low in carotenoids but tomatoes are loaded. Carrots are a good choice while cabbage is not. Romaine lettuce is a good choice while ice berg lettuce is not.
Fruits high in total carotenoids. (mcg/100 grams)
Apricot - 6,665
Grapefruit, Pink - 2,129
Papaya - 1110
Tomato Juice - 9,688
Tomato, cooked - 4,850
Tomato - 3,660
Watermelon - 5,315
Orange - 375
Vegetables high in total carotenoids. (mcg/100 grams)
Broccoli, steamed - 3,265
Spinach - 12,600
Spinach, cooked, - 12,250
Squash, butternut - 5,700
Squash, Zucchini - 2,535
Carrot - 13,500
Kale, steamed - 22,000
Lettuce, Romaine - 3,925
Peppers, red - 2,660
Pumpkin, baked, 7,400
Sweet Potato, baked - 9,500
Colgan says in order to inhibit cancer, research shows that you need higher intake of carotenoids than what can be consumed in a diet. He recommends to include plenty of carotenoids from fruit and vegetables in your diet, and supplement with 20,00-30,000 mcg of mixed carotenoids.
Source: You Can Prevent Cancer, Michael Colgan, PhD
This post is linked to:
Simple Lives Thursday
Fight Back Friday
Fat Tuesday
Real Food Wednesday
Monday Mania
Traditional Tuesdays
6:11 PM |
Read more...
Can Cancer be Prevented? Part 1.
I ordered Michael Colgan's book, You Can Prevent Cancer a couple of years ago and I decided to read it again the other day. Cancer is a hot topic and if affects a lot of people.
The following information is taken from this book, You Can Prevent Cancer by Michael Colgan, PhD
The following information is taken from this book, You Can Prevent Cancer by Michael Colgan, PhD
In 2000, a major study of 44,788 twins performed by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm showed that heredity was a minor cause of cancer. Prostate, breast, colorectal and lung cancer were the cancers with a heredity component. 42% of the prostate cancer was genetically influenced while the other three cancers mentioned were 33% genetically influenced. The researchers concluded that the environment is the major cause of cancer. In 2001 the Karolinska Institute after more research was done, stated that most cancers are caused by lifestyle and environmental factors that we have the power to modify. If we have the power influence it, than we can prevent it. European cancer specialists also agreed with the Karolinska Institute.
Robert Hoover of the Us National Cancer also stated:
" From this work has come the widely accepted estimate that 80-90% of human cancer is due to environmental factors"
Even though all these experts agree that many cancers are caused by environmental and lifestyle factors, only 1% of the cancer dollars are spent on prevention. European Cancer Journal compared the large reduction in cancer deaths from cancer prevention programs that targeted environmental causes, with reductions in death from advances in cancer treatments. There was no questions about it, prevention is superior!
It is crazy that so little is spent on prevention when the specialists predict that effective application of prevention could reduce cancer deaths by 29% by 2020. Advances in treatments would only achieve 4%! Simple prevention strategies reduced the cancer deaths by 13%, while screenings, early diagnosis etc only reduced the cancer deaths by 6%.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Johanna is an aromatherapist and she is passionate about educating people about health, essential oils, real food, natural remedies, and nutrition so they make healthier choices in their lives.
Follow Johanna on twitter and facebook for more health tips and information.
This post is linked to:
Fat Tuesday
5:29 PM |
Read more...
Paleo - An Anti-Cancer Diet?
Paleo is more than a diet, it is a lifestyle that means a more
natural and minimalist approach to living. People eating the Paleo way
clean up their diet by removing grains, sugar, legumes, and dairy and
replace them with meat, fruit, and vegetables. The absence of packaged
food means less exposure to toxins linked to cancer. This way of eating
seems extreme by many, especially by people still promoting a high
carbohydrate diet low in fat.
Loren Cordain states in his latest book, The Paleo Answer, that The Paleo Diet can greatly reduce your risk of getting cancer due to the many nutritional elements that it contains. With the focus in the media about breast cancer it is interesting to note that lung cancer is responsible for almost twice as many deaths as breast cancer and prostate cancer. Lung cancer is highly preventable in most cases since almost all lung cancer is caused by smoking. Doctors such as Dr.Urquhart and Dr. Samuel Hutton both treated non westernized people and they discovered that cancer was non existent. Other well known European diseases were also absent, they noted. The natives immunity to cancer disappeared the more westernized they became over the years. Dr. Schweitzer discovered the same thing when he arrived in Gabon in 1913, that he didn’t encounter any cases of cancer . He credited the absence of cancer to the difference in nutrition of the natives compared to the Europeans. He also noticed that cases of cancer occurred the more the natives lived like the whites.
Loren Cordain agrees in his book that the absence of breast, colorectal, prostate and other cancers had everything to do with the natives’ diet in Gabon.
According to Cordain, the Paleo Diet is a low glycemic index, low-glycemic load diet. I learned in Cordain’s book that a very recent meta analysis of ten studies and more than 575,000 subjects performed by Drs. Qin and Dong show that a high glycemic diet increases the risk for developing breast cancer. Anther meta analysis showed similar results. As Robb Wolfe mentions in his book, The Paleo Solution, whole grains and refined grains both turn into sugar in the body.
Apart from the Paleo Diet’s low glycemic load, it is also rich in omega 3 fatty acids and low in omega 6 vegetable oils. Studies of animal models and tissues of breast cancer show that omega 6 fatty acids stimulate cancer growth while omega 3 fatty acids inhibit it.
The Paleo Diet is milk and dairy free. As mentioned early on in the book, drinking milk boosts blood concentrations of female hormones. Milk drinking will elevate blood estrogen levels and increase the risk for breast and ovarian cancer in women and increase the risk for prostate and testicular cancer in men. ( I will cover milk more in detail in a future post.)
The Paleo Diet is extremely high in fresh vegetables and fruit. These are Mother Nature’s best medicine. Meta analysis of population studies have shown that fresh vegetables and fruits indeed protect women from many cancers.
As you can see there are many benefits of eating the Paleo way.
6:31 PM |
Read more...
