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Cancer Decisions

THE MOSS REPORTS Newsletter (01/04/04)

 

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Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D. Weekly CancerDecisions.com

Newsletter #114 01/04/04

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NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION

 

High up on my list of New Year's Resolutions is a

pledge to eat in a healthful manner in the coming year.

I believe that a major key to preventing cancer, heart

disease and other catastrophic illnesses is an abundant

intake of nutrients, including antioxidants. While

supplements sometimes have their place, as I wrote in

Antioxidants Against Cancer (2000), it is preferable to

get most of our necessary nutrients directly from food.

Even the National Cancer Institute urges everyone to

eat at least five half-cup portions of fruit and

vegetables per day.

 

But two studies published late last year suggest that

many people may be eating fruits and vegetables that

are seriously lacking in vitamins and antioxidants. A

test done at one of Spain's major research centers

measured the levels of flavonoids (a kind of

antioxidant) that remained in fresh broccoli after it

was cooked by four popular methods--steaming, pressure

cooking, boiling or microwaving.

 

The authors looked at both the total flavonoid content

as well as several derivatives in the edible portion of

freshly harvested broccoli. The results, they said,

" showed large differences among the four treatments in

their influence on flavonoid…content in broccoli. "

Conventional boiling led to a 66 percent loss of

flavonoids compared to fresh raw broccoli. And pressure

cooking was not much better, with 47 percent of one of

the major antioxidants left after cooking (the majority

of it was found in the cooking water, which is usually

tossed down the drain.) There was a major disadvantage

detected when broccoli was microwaved. The loss of

flavonoids with that method was an incredible 97

percent!

 

" On the other hand, " the Spanish authors wrote,

" steaming had minimal effects, in terms of loss " of

antioxidants. In fact, there was almost no difference

in antioxidants between raw and steamed. " Therefore we

can conclude that a greater quantity of phenolic

compounds [i.e. compounds with antioxidant activity -

ed.] will be provided by consumption of steamed

broccoli as compared with broccoli prepared by other

cooking processes. "

 

Blanching and Storing

 

Many people, pressed for time, resort to frozen foods

instead of fresh. But what are the effects of blanching

foods, i.e., soaking them in hot water, which is

commonly done before commercial freezing? In a separate

study, Finnish scientists found that blanching and

long-term freezing of 20 commonly used vegetables also

affected the level of various beneficial compounds in

different ways. Blanching, they discovered, destroyed

up to one-third of the vitamin C content of vegetables,

and this was followed by a further slight loss during

storage. Folic acid turned out to be particularly

sensitive to blanching, with more than half of this

important B vitamin being lost, although levels

remained stable during freezer storage. Carotenoids and

sterols (also common antioxidant compounds) were not

affected by either blanching or freezer storage.

Dietary fiber was not adversely affected and minerals

in general were stable. But phenolic antioxidants and

vitamins were much more sensitive. There was a 20-30

percent loss of antioxidant activity detected in many

vegetables.

 

Total Effect

 

From this pair of studies we can see that if you buy a

package of frozen broccoli in the supermarket and then

microwave it according to instructions you will be

getting almost NONE of the antioxidants and vitamins

you expected from this food. The same is probably true

of other vegetables. Blanching and freezing will take

away some nutrients, and then harmful (albeit very

common) ways of cooking will take away the rest. This

has profound implications for the National Cancer

Institute's five-a-day fruit and vegetable program. It

is clearly not just the QUANTITY of fruits and

vegetables that matters but the QUALITY as well.

 

 

After reading these articles I dusted off my steamer

insert and reacquainted myself with the fresh clean

taste of food prepared in this way. The best idea is to

buy fresh organic produce at the health food store or

food coop, and then to steam it until it reaches a

degree of " done-ness " that agrees with your digestion

and taste. While some cooking is usually desirable,

less is better. Try steaming baby bok choi with Asian

mushrooms, or broccoli rabe, collard greens, and

endive. You can add tofu, cooked brown rice, and some

seafood (avoiding those varieties with high mercury

content). Season with saffron, sesame oil or tamari

sauce and you have a wonderful and easily prepared

dish. You will also lose undesired weight, save money

on antioxidant pills, and decrease your chances of

getting sick. Not a bad payoff from one easy-to-keep

New Year's Resolution!

 

--Ralph W. Moss, PhD

 

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References:

 

 

Vallejo F, Tomás-Barberán FA, García-Viguera C, et al.

Phenolic compound contents in edible parts of broccoli

inflorescences after domestic cooking. Journal of the

Science of Food and Agriculture Volume 83, Issue 14 , Pages

1511 - 1516. Published Online: 15 Oct 2003

 

Puupponen-Pimiä R, Häkkinen ST, Aarni M, et al. Blanching

and long-term freezing affect various bioactive compounds of

vegetables in different ways. Journal of the Science of Food and

Agriculture. Volume 83, Issue 14 , Pages 1389 - 1402

Published Online: 15 Oct 2003

 

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IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER

 

The news and other items in this newsletter are

intended for informational purposes only. Nothing in

this newsletter is intended to be a substitute for

professional medical advice.

 

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