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Can Cancer be Prevented? Part 3. Eat Flavonoids

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. 


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Source: You Can Prevent Cancer, Michael Colgan, PhD 



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Blueberries- Yummy Superfood that Children Love

Blueberries- Yummy Superfood that Children Love



Feeding children both healthy and tasty food can be a challenge. Over the years I have become quite skillful in hiding nutritious ingredients in the food when I cook. Luckily my children are older and it is easier to give them healthy foods. 

There are plenty of so called superfoods that are very tasty at the same time as they provide a wide array of nourishing nutrients. I like to include many of these as often as I can. Smoothies, protein shakes or fresh juices are just some ways which they can used in. Some are yummy enough to enjoy on the own. There are plenty of them but I will focus on some that are easy to give children. 

Blueberries
These berries were neglected for the longest time by scientists because they didn't have a high enough amount of vitamin C. Today we know that blueberries are truly a superfood with many nutrients. They are very small, but they contain more disease fighting antioxidants than any other fruit or vegetable. They have been called "brain berries", and "youth berries". One serving of blue berries contain just as many antioxidants as five servings of apples, broccoli, squash and carrots. 2/3 of a cup of blue berries provide 1,733 IU of vitamin E, and more protection that 1,200 mg of vitamin C.


Blue berries have  very high levels of antioxidant phytonutrients, especially the flavonoid family "anthocyanin". Anthocyanin is responsible for the intense blue-purple color, and the darker the berry, the more anthocyanin content.
Blue berries have at least five different anthocyanins, especially in the wild berries, and they are located in the skin like in other fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants are concentrated to the skin so that they can protect fruit from the sun and other harmful assaults. Anthocyanins are the key players in neutralizing free radical damage. They also possess anti-inflammatory properties. Antioxidants play a big role in preventing diabetes, cardivascular disease, cancer and many other conditions.

Anthocyanins work in synergy with other antioxidants like vitamin C. They strengthen the capillary system by promoting the production of collagen, which are the building blocks of tissues. 

A study was performed at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. Aging rats were given the equivalent of 1/2 to 1 cup of blueberries, a pint of strawberries, or one large spinach salad. The blueberry group performed better than the other groups on brain teasers. They also showed improvements in balance and coordination. A promising result since it previously was not thought that degeneration due to aging was reversible. The brain cells seemed to communicate better, their brains seemed to have fewer damaged proteins, and their brains developed new brain cells.

Other studies on humans have showed that people who eat a cup of blueberries a day performed 5-6 % better on motor skill tests. Positive results have been seen on people with multiple sclerosis as well. Blueberries have an affinity for the areas of the brain that controls movement. It seems to me that growing children can benefit as well by eating blueberries in order to nourish the brain.

I like to add blueberries to our protein shake, or use them in my own syrup I make, and my children also like to eat them the way the are. When it is colder outside I like to make a blueberry soup, which is a Swedish tradition.

Nutrients in blueberries are:
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