The Healing Grocery- When Food is Your Best Medicine

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The Healing Grocery JoAnn Guest Jul 09, 2003 16:29 PDT

 

The Healing Grocery

When Food Is Your Best Medicine

 

 

By Jonathan Kauffman

--

 

Cancer-fighting foods

Let the nutrients in plant-based foods go to battle for your health.

 

Right now, as you read this, your body is warding off cancer. It is

estimated that one out of every million new cells you produce is a

cancer cell that is, a cell with damaged or mutated DNA. It's up to your

own natural defenses to repair the damaged DNA and to destroy such

precancerous cells.

 

One in two men and one in three women in the United States develop

cancer at some point in their lives. But the World Cancer Research Fund

now estimates that proper diet can eliminate 40% of all cancers. And

that's a conservative figure. Other researchers believe that 80% is more

accurate.

 

 

 

People who eat more fruits and vegetables have a lower risk for specific

kinds of cancer. The evidence is overwhelming, says Gladys Block,

professor of epidemiology and public health nutrition at the University

of California at Berkeley. Much of Block's recent research is on

antioxidants and cancer prevention.

 

Though we don't have proof yet, she adds, I suspect that diet is more

important than genetics. While single-gene causes of cancer have been

identified, they are infrequent. On the other hand, Gene-nutrient

interactions are probably very important. If there's a genetic factor

that imbues a greater susceptibility to cancer, that doesn't mean that

everyone with the gene will get cancer. People who have the genetic

factor and a poor diet, however, will be at risk.

 

 

 

The average life expectancy in Japan, where a high-fiber diet low in red

meat and saturated fat is the norm, is 80 years (compared to an average

of 70 to 75 in the United States). According to environmental

toxicologist J. Robert Hatherill, author of Eat to Beat Cancer, the

Japanese have some of the lowest lung cancer rates in the world (as well

as low rates of prostate and colon cancer). Yet the per capita smoking

rate in Japan is among the world's highest.

 

In The Breast Cancer Prevention Diet, doctor-journalist Bob Arnot quotes

a case-controlled study of Uruguayan women, which found that high

consumption of red meat was associated with a 230% to 770% increase in

breast cancer. Studies with similar results have been conducted in

Japan, Italy and the United States. Diets high in saturated fat

particularly from animal products are also associated with higher risk

for colon, prostate, ovarian, endometrial and lung cancer.

 

 

 

There are several possible explanations for this. As your body

metabolizes fat molecules it produces free radicals, which cause

oxidization (a process like rusting) in the cells, crippling them and

altering the DNA within. The digestion of charred, cured and processed

meat produces carcinogenic substances in the colon. And consumption of

animal products affects the hormones, causing men to produce more

testosterone and inhibiting women's ability to dispose of extra estrogen

in the bloodstream linked respectively to prostate cancer and breast

cancer.

 

Phytochemicals

Cancer-preventing diets center around vegetables and fruits. According

to nutritionists Laura Pensiero and Susan Oliveria in The Strang

Cookbook for Cancer Prevention, More than 200 studies have shown that

people who consume a diet high in fruits and vegetables reduce their

risk for cancer, specifically, cancer of the esophagus, stomach, mouth,

lung, bladder, colon, rectum, larynx and cervix. The evidence is strong.

 

 

Professor Block notes that there are hundreds of different components in

plants and we evolved on them. All of our biochemistry is based on a

diet that's plant-based.

 

Many of these studies focus on specific phytochemicals (phyto means

plant) found in fruits, vegetables, teas and other plant matter. Some

phytochemicals have been shown to counteract or prevent cell mutation.

Some augment the body's natural defense system. And some attack tumors,

blocking their blood supply or reducing their size.

 

In most cases, trying to isolate the specific phytochemicals in a

vitamin or pill form has not been proven to be as effective as simply

ingesting these potent nutrients in their natural forms: fresh,

unprocessed foods. This doesn't mean one should eat nothing but raw

vegetables. Many phytochemicals are not heat-sensitive. In fact, cooking

makes some more readily available to the body. This is particularly true

with the lycopene in tomatoes and the beta-carotene in carrots. However,

you should buy organic produce as often as you can. If you're trying to

clear your system of toxic substances from the environment, don't

reintroduce them by eating plants sprayed with pesticides, herbicides,

fungicides and chemical fertilizers.

 

Here are some phytochemicals shown to have cancer-preventive properties.

 

 

Antioxidants, now a household word, perform a specific, potent

anticancer function in the body: They capture free radicals and prevent

harmful oxidization in the cells. Most of us know that vitamins A, C and

E are antioxidants. But researchers have identified far more powerful

antioxidants in many vegetables and fruits.

 

The allium family of vegetables onions, shallots, leeks and garlic

contain large amounts of the flavonoid quercetin, a powerful

antioxidant, as well as sulfides thought to reduce the risk of stomach

cancer and strengthen the immune system. Garlic in particular has long

been considered a potent herb with antibacterial and blood-cleansing

properties. Now studies are under way to confirm its anti-tumor

abilities.

 

 

 

Another much-hyped group of antioxidants, catechins, are found in green

tea. Some researchers have speculated that green tea consumption, along

with a soy-rich diet, is partially responsible for the low rates of lung

cancer in Japan. Black tea also contains cancer-fighting theaflavins.

 

A recent, prominent study conducted by Seattle's Fred Hutchinson Cancer

Research Center reported that fruits showed little effect on preventing

prostate cancer.

 

However, many fruits are high in vitamin C and other

antioxidants, and can play an important role in clearing the body of

free radicals.

 

Peppers are among the foods highest in vitamin C.

Antioxidant-rich fruits include strawberries, raspberries, plums, citrus

fruits, kiwi, and red and white grapes. And berries contain large

amounts of ellagic acid, a tannin thought to deactivate cancer-causing

chemicals by binding to them.

 

Sulforophane, a phytochemical found in cruciferous vegetables (cabbage,

kale, broccoli, and their relatives) helps the body manufacture its own

antioxidants.

 

Looking for a potent source? Eat the sprouts of

cruciferous vegetables, which contain 10 times to 100 times the

sulforaphane-precursor glucoraphanin of mature plants.

 

Supplements as

well as whole foods can provide other antioxidants. Selenium has been

shown to help prevent cancers in many parts of the body. It can be found

in nuts (especially Brazil nuts), legumes, sunflower seeds, and

shellfish.

 

Men should consider eating more vitamin E, which can be found in whole

grains and green leafy vegetables.

 

A Finnish study showed that vitamin E

reduced risk of prostate cancer by 30% in smokers, no less. Toxicity can

be a problem for both these antioxidants, so more is not necessarily

better. Researchers recommend 70 to 200 micrograms of selenium and 400

IUs of vitamin E a day.

 

The last major group of antioxidants are the carotenoids. Eating lots of

carotenoids has been linked to a decrease in cancer risk. The most

famous carotenoid is beta-carotene, but over 600 others have been

identified.

 

Carotenoids are found in brightly colored foods, imparting

red and gold colors to fruits and vegetables. But they are also found in

dark green plants, where the chlorophyll covers the carotenoid's color.

 

 

To increase your carotenoid intake, look for fruits such as cantaloupe,

mango, papaya and peaches; root vegetables such as beets and carrots;

squashes; and lettuces and greens of all kinds.

 

Lycopene, an increasingly prominent carotenoid, is found in tomatoes and

is being investigated for its ability to prevent prostate cancer. A

study conducted at Harvard and published in the Journal of the National

Cancer Institute in 1993 with a follow-up in 1999 sent waves throughout

the research community. Edward Giovannucci and colleagues found that men

who ate 10 or more servings a week of tomatoes and tomato products

(tomato juice, tomato sauce) had a 35% lower risk of

prostate cancer than men who ate one-fifth that amount. However, it is advisable

 

to eat only organic tomatoes as the majority of tomatoes have undergone genetic

engineering, a process by which foreign genes are inserted in the fruit or

vegetables.

 

Soy: super cancer fighter

Why is everyone talking about soy? In preventing cancer, soy seems to be

a major player. First, soy foods of all kinds from soybeans and soy

flour to tofu and miso can be an important source of protein, without

the saturated fat of animal products. By cutting down on meat, not only

can you reduce your saturated fat intake, but you can also avoid

ingesting the antibiotics, hormones and other chemicals that most

commercially raised livestock are given.

 

Second, organic soy foods are the preeminent source for isoflavones, a type of

phytoestrogen. Women who consume large amounts of phytoestrogens

significantly reduce their risk of breast cancer. Why?

 

Because

plant-based estrogens mimic human estrogens in the body, causing it to

produce less. Lower estrogen levels are strongly associated with lower

incidence of breast cancer in women. In men, phytoestrogens may lower

the amount of testosterone the body produces, reducing the risk for

prostate cancer.

 

(Soy has its detractors, though. Some researchers argue

that unfermented soy products block mineral absorption and that the

phytoestrogens in soy protein do not lower estrogen levels in humans but

in fact increase them. So far, the latter claim is supported by isolated

studies but not by population-based research. Still, you may want to opt

for tempeh, a form of fermented soy, or miso, the fermented soybean

paste used in soups and sauces.)

 

Third, soy products (along with other beans and seeds) contain protease

inhibitors the same type of chemicals being used to lower viral load in

HIV-positive people.

 

Protease inhibitors slow cell division in cancerous

cells and block the spread of tumors. And fourth, plant sterols,

phytochemicals found in soy as well as in other beans, seeds and nuts,

also inhibit estrogen promotion and suppress the growth of tumors,

particularly colon and prostate tumors.

 

Fiber

Fiber has been linked to decreased risk of breast, colon and pancreatic

cancer. It is not completely clear whether high fiber intake is the

cause or simply indicates that a person eats a healthful diet filled

with cancer-preventing fruits and vegetables.

 

However, researchers

hypothesize that insoluble fiber speeds waste through the digestive

system, removing carcinogens, heavy metals and estrogen before they can

be absorbed into the walls of the intestines. Beans, whole grains,

berries and cruciferous vegetables all contain high amounts of insoluble

fiber.

 

A word to the wise

No single phytochemical can be isolated and turned into the miracle

cancer cure. The best defense against cancer is to eat a wide variety of

organic fruits and vegetables and to adopt a cancer-preventive diet,

such as the ones outlined in any of the books mentioned above. The major

side effects? Weight loss, energy gain and reduced risk for heart

disease.

 

Eating plant-based foods also shifts the body's acid-alkaline balance.

 

 

An alkaline environment is the bio-terrain in which cancerous cells are

less likely to thrive.

 

Once again, that means upping your intake of

fruits and vegetables and reducing consumption of such acid-forming

foods as red meat, alcohol, sugar and refined flour.

 

Your body fights cancer every day. Feed it right, and it will have the

weapons and the power to be successful for the rest of your life.

 

Jonathan Kauffman is a food writer and freelance editor based in the San

Francisco Bay Area. He has been a restaurant critic for the East Bay

Express for the past three years. Jonathan likes his fruits and

vegetables prepared by Chez Panisse as often as possible.

 

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