Scientists Prove Certain Foods Stop Cancer

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Misty L. Trepke

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Scientists Prove Certain Foods Stop Cancer - Harvard Letter

 

The following are excerpts from an article from THE HARVARD HEALTH

LETTER. Click the URL at the bottom for the full three pages of

information.

 

The article shows SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT for eating fruits, vegetables,

dairy, flaxseeds, grains, & nuts, with emphasis on fruits and

vegetables. Scientists say there is NO DOUBT that 5 to 9 servings a

day " SLOW, STOP and REVERSE CANCER. " Fill your diet with these

health-supporting foods and ELIMINATE FOODS such as sugar, meats and

butter, trans-fats, processed, & preservative-filled packaged foods

from the supermarket or from fast food restaurants that would

interfere with these health-giving foods.

 

The other thing to accept is that this is a LIFETIME COMMITMENT. When

we are healthier, we can't go back to eating in the old ways that

promote imbalance and disease. A plant-based has been proven to help

reverse heart disease (as shown in my previous post) & cancer.

 

Below are the key parts of this article that I find inspiring and

worth reading. Modern scientists KNOW the value of these

disease-fighting foods. [i have capitalized key words for emphasis.]

------

GREEN REVOLUTION - CANCER-FIGHTING FOODS

Harvard Health Letter, April, 1995 by Kristine Napier

 

No one wants to be one of the 1.2 million Americans diagnosed with

cancer each year. ...the more researchers learn, the more certain

they are that mom was right: we should EAT OUR VEGETABLES, AND LOTS

OF THEM.

 

" There's an explosion of compelling and consistent data associating

diets rich in fruits and vegetables with a lower cancer risk, " said

epidemiologist Tim Byers, who studies the relationship between diet

and chronic disease at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

in Atlanta. One analysis of data from 23 epidemiologic studies found

that a diet rich in vegetables and grains slashed colon cancer risk

by 40%. Another study found that women who ate few vegetables had an

incidence of breast cancer that was about 25% higher than those who

consumed more produce. All in all, at least 200 epidemiologic studies

from around the world have found a link between a plant-rich diet and

a lower risk for many types of tumors.

 

This powerful epidemiological evidence is being bolstered by newer

laboratory studies showing how functional components interfere with

carcinogenesis. " THESE [PLANT]COMPOUNDS SEEM TO INTERACT WITH EVERY

STEP IN THE CANCER PROCESS, MOSTLY SLOWING, STOPPING, or REVERSING

THEM, " Dr. Potter said.

 

" While THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT DIETS RICH IN FRUITS & VEGETABLES ARE

CANCER-PROTECTIVE, much of what we know about individual

phytochemicals is still speculative, " cautioned nutrition researcher

Phyllis Bowen, co-director of the University of Illinois' functional

foods program.

 

.....Isoflavones are prominent in SOY beans and everything that's made

from them. Some scientists believe that differences in soy

consumption explain why the incidence of breast cancer in Asian

women is 5-8 times lower than in American women, as well as why

prostate cancer is lower in Asian men.

 

LIGNANS occur in many foods, but are especially concentrated in

linseed (which are SEEDS FROM FLAX...). Lignans may have an

antioxidant effect and may block or suppress cancerous changes.

" Although flax hasn't been used much in this country, an increasing

number of health food stores...are adding it..., " said Dr. Bowen of

the University of Illinois. This practice started because flax is

also high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are thought to PROTECT

AGAINST COLON CANCER & HEART DISEASE.

 

Organosulfur compounds are found in plants from the genus Allium

which includes GARLIC, ONIONS, LEEKS, and SHALLOTS.

 

Monoterpenes occur naturally in CITRUS FRUITS and in caraway seeds.

Scientists think they act by interfering with the action of

carcinogens.

 

CALCIUM appears to have some preventive value where colon cancer is

concerned. Researchers propose several mechanisms to explain how

calcium acts as an anti-cancer warrior in the colon; these include

inhibiting cell growth and/or disarming potential toxins by binding

them to fatty acids.

 

In the 1970s, Dr. Pariza and his co-workers were investigating

possible carcinogens formed by grilling meat when they stumbled

across a substance that appeared to inhibit cancer instead of

contributing to it. This was conjugated LINOLEIC ACID, a form of an

essential fatty acid which is found...in fat-containing DAIRY

products.

 

When Dr. Pariza tested the substance in animals that spontaneously

develop breast cancer, he found that the conjugated acid slows the

growth of cells that give rise to cancer. There is some laboratory

evidence that it does this by jump-starting the immune system, which

repels cancerous changes. This does not mean that people should 'chow

down on DAIRY FAT, " he emphasized. But it does suggest that MODERATE

CONSUMPTION MAY BE BETTER THAN NONE AT ALL.

 

Recommendations from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) & others

emphasize the importance of eating AT LEAST FIVE TO NINE SERVINGS

OF FRUITS & VEGETABLES EACH DAY, aiming for a wide variety. This

isn't as hard as it seems: try for one or two fruits at breakfast,

one fruit and two vegetables at lunch and dinner, and a snack to

make a total of nine. [Dr. Budwig's diet suggests the same.]

 

....many experts believe that people can best attain a balance of

beneficial substances by making sure that their diet includes foods

from each of the following categories: * CRUCIFEROUS vegetables *

CITRUS fruits * DARK GREEN leafy vegetables * DARK YELLOW/ORANGE/RED

vegetables. [use these vegetables for your lunch salad rather than a

traditional lettuce salad.]

 

A good rule of thumb is to EAT AT LEAST THREE DIFFERENT COLORS OF

FRUITS and VEGETABLES EVERY DAY. " We know, for example, that the red

pigment in TOMATOES has completely different bioactive ingredients

than the orange pigment in CARROTS; the same is true for the

bioactive ingredients in citrus fruits versus those in the

cruciferous vegetables, " said Dr. Hasler.

 

And be sure to eat other plant foods as well, said Dr. Potter.

" GRAINS, NUTS, SEEDS, and LEGUMES also contain a wide variety of

bioactive compounds. "

 

Humans got their start as gatherers, probably eating little bits of

many different fruits and vegetables every day, and we should strive

for such variety and quantity again, said Dr. Potter. Vegetables and

fruits contain the anticarcinogenic cocktail to which we are adapted.

We abandon it at our peril, " he said.

 

There are a lot more CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES than most people realize.

They include: bok choy, collards, broccoli, kale, Brusssel [sprouts],

kohlrabi, sprouts, mustard greens, cabbage, rutabaga, cauliflower,

turnips, [ & more.]

 

Malignancy and Macrobiotics

 

....Cheryl Rock, a University of Michigan expert on nutrition and

cancer. " It's a BIG STRETCH TO CALL THE MACROBIOTIC DIET AN

ANTICANCER DIET. While the diet does call for a lot of vegetables,

it's low in fruit and also low in calcium and vitamin D. " It's also

inadequate in many key nutrients and low in energy and protein, she

noted. " Over time, protein and calorie deficits can harm the immune

system, which may impair the body's ability to fight cancer. "

 

Read the full article at the following URL:

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1585/is_n6_v20/ai_16816262