Cancer-Fighting Foods You Should Eat Often

People’s diet plays important role in preventing cancer. In fact, only 10% of all cancers are due to genetics; the remaining 90% are directly related to diet, lifestyle, and environment factors. Therefore, the easiest way to keep cancers away from your life is to eat cancer fighting-foods.

In general, cancer fighting foods are those contain large amount of phytochemicals, substances that actually can inhibit the cellular damage that leads to cancer. Foods providing vitamins, minerals, and fiber are protective as well.

The effective approach to cancer-fighting diet is to consume these food regularly and eat variety of them. The following foods are proven to be very effective in cancer-fighting. Read more

August 19, 2008 · Filed Under Natural Cure

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Polyphenol-Rich Foods for Heart Health

Natural foods packed with a form of antioxidant called polyphenols provide protection for our heart. Scientific studies have found that consumption of polyphenol-rich foods, such as berries, red wine, tea and cocoa, increase cardiovascular health. A recent study from Europe has investigated whether berries have a significant effect on improving heart health. Read more

July 30, 2008 · Filed Under Natural Cure

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Natural Antioxidants from 20 Food Sources

I don’t need to say more on the importance of antioxidants to our health. While all kinds of antioxidant supplements are available with resonable prices, many people feel hesitate to take them as they consider these factory-made supplements are not natural thus more or less causing side effects. It is true that supplements do add burden to liver and kidney when processing. For those who have this concern, the following foods can provide you with the better, all natural antioxidants:

Rank Food item Serving size Total antioxidant capacity
per serving size
1 Small Red Bean (dried) Half cup 13727
2 Wild blueberry 1 cup 13427
3 Red kidney bean (dried) Half cup 13259
4 Pinto bean Half cup 11864
5 Blueberry (cultivated) 1 cup 9019
6 Cranberry 1 cup (whole) 8983
7 Artichoke (cooked) 1 cup (hearts) 7904
8 Blackberry 1 cup 7701
9 Prune Half cup 7291
10 Raspberry 1 cup 6058
11 Strawberry 1 cup 5938
12 Red Delicious apple One 5900
13 Granny Smith apple One 5381
14 Pecan 1 ounce 5095
15 Sweet cherry 1 cup 4873
16 Black plum One 4844
17 Russet potato (cooked) One 4649
18 Black bean (dried) Half cup 4181
19 Plum One 4118
20 Gala apple One 3903

As you see, they are delicious fruits, vegetables and nuts. Take often, take more, you’ll trouble free for life.

July 29, 2008 · Filed Under Holistic Health

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Multiple Antioxidants to Reduce Toxication from Chemo-Therapy

For many cancer patients, chemo-therapy is the must-go pathway to cure. When the therapy kills as many cancer cells as possible, it also toxicates blood and body to make patients very weak. This is always the serious side effect to concern. The good news is, according to recent studies, several antioxidant supplements can help reduce the chemo-therapy toxication effectively.

In the July 2008 edition of the International Journal of Cancer, researchers did an exhaustive review of the medical literature over the last 41 years regarding use of antioxidants to potentially reduce toxic side effects of chemo-therapy. There were a total of 33 studies that were randomized and placebo-controlled that they felt should be included in this review.

Multiple antioxidants were tested including glutathione, melatonin, vitamin A, an antioxidant mixture, N-acetyl cysteine, vitamin E, selenium, L-carnitine, coenzyme Q10 and ellagic acid. 24 of the 33 studies reviewed reported decreased toxicity from the concurrent use of antioxidants with chemo-therapy. Nine studies reported no difference in toxicity. In only one study using vitamin A was there a report of significant increase in toxicity in the antioxidant group.

The authors noted this analysis provides systemically reviewed evidence that antioxidant supplementation during chemo-therapy holds potential for reducing dose limiting toxicity. They caution, however, that well designed studies evaluating larger populations of patients given specific antioxidants are warranted.

There was another terrific study that was recently published in the June 2008 edition of Cancer Epidemiology, BioMarkers and Prevention. A total of over 1,900 patients participated in this four-year randomized, multi-center study. Individuals were given high fiber diets (18 grams of fiber per 1000 calories), high fruit and high vegetable (five servings per day) and low fat (no more than 20% of total calories) to determine if this can inhibit the growth of polyps in the colon.

Researchers found that total flavonoid intake did not significantly reduce the risk of developing a recurrence of colon/rectal adenomas, although there was a 36% reduced rate of developing an advanced recurrence of colonic adenomas in those individuals with the highest flavonoid intake (over 106 mg a day) compared to those with the lowest flavonoid intake (less than 51 mg a day).

When the researchers looked at the specific flavonoids, those consuming higher amounts of flavonols and isoflavonoids, reduced their risk of developing colon polyps by 76% and 54% respectively. Products such as apples, beans, broccoli and onions are high in flavonols while isoflavonoids are typically found in higher concentrations in soy products and beans.

References

Block KI, Koch AC, Mead MN, Tothy PK, Newman RA, Gyllenhaal C, Impact of antioxidant supplementation on chemotherapeutic toxicity: A systematic review of the evidence from randomized controlled trials, International Journal of Cancer, Volume 123 Issue 6, Pages 1227 – 1239, Published Online: July 11, 2008.

Bobe G, Sansbury LB, Albert PS, Cross AJ, Kahle L, et.al, Dietary Flavonoids and Colorectal Adenoma Recurrence in the Polyp Prevention Trial, Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, June 1, 2008, 1344-1353.

July 29, 2008 · Filed Under Supplement Remedy

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