Eat your greens and keep cancer at bay!

[Guest guest]

Misty

Tue, 11 May 2004 23:46:49 +1200

Eat your greens and keep cancer at bay!

 

Eat your greens and keep cancer at bay!

London May 11, 2004 4:09:05 PM IST

http://www.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=37859 & cat=Health

 

 

The next time you exclude your greens from your food, think twice. For a

chemical found in cooked Brussels sprouts and cabbage can destroy tumour

cells.

In a new study, Professor Johnson of the Institute of Food Research in

Norwich discovered that wonder chemical allyl-isothiocyanate (AITC) targeted

and wiped out colon tumour cells.

 

AITC is present in swede, cauliflower, kale, mustard, horseradish and

Japanese relation wasabi. It is produced when the vegetables from the

brassica family are chopped and lightly cooked in a little water.

 

According to The Sun, Professor Ian Johnson, who led the British research

team, said eating these veggies three times a week could slash cancer rates.

They also protects against cancers of the stomach, pancreas, oesophagus and

lung.

 

" It shows preventative dietary measures can be exploited the same as drugs.

People are more aware of foods that may cause cancer than those that have a

protective effect. We hope to show the importance of diet in the anti-cancer

armoury, " he said.

 

Professor Johnson warned that stewing the vegetables would kill the chemical

and recommended servings of 80g, pre-cooked weight equal to a large handful

of cabbage or small handful of sprouts. (ANI)

 

 

The bitter truth – why greens are good for us

By Nigel Hawkes, Health Editor

 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8122-1106219,00.html

 

BRITISH scientists have discovered why a diet high in green vegetables helps

to stave off cancer.

Chemicals released when vegetables such as cabbage or Brussels sprouts are

chopped, processed, cooked, chewed and digested make cancer cells mortal,

stopping them from proliferating indefinitely. The protection is provided by

the chemical that gives the vegetables their slightly bitter taste.

 

 

 

The anti-cancer mechanism is the same as that of some modern cancer drugs,

according to Ian Johnson, head of the team at the Institute of Food Research

responsible for the discovery.

 

The study, published in Carcinogenesis, shows that sinigrin, a chemical

compound found in brassicas, is converted by processing or eating into

allyl-isothiocyanate (AITC).

 

“We found in laboratory experiments that AITC interrupts the division of

colon cancer cells,” Professor Johnson said. “Instead of going on dividing

indefinitely, the cells float free and then go into apoptosis — the process

of cell suicide.”

 

Normal cells commit suicide at the end of their life cycles. But when this

process goes wrong and cells continue dividing unchecked, the result is a

tumour. One of the targets of drug scientists is to devise ways of restoring

normal behaviour, and it appears that AITC can do this.

 

That a diet high in fruit and vegetables can reduce the risk of cancer has

been known from studies that show eating plenty of greens can halve the

risk. But exactly how it worked has, until now, been unclear.

 

“This is not a miracle cancer cure, but it does show that preventive dietary

measures can be discovered and exploited in the same way as drugs,”

Professor Johnson said.

 

“We have known for many years that sinigrin breakdown products kill cancer

cells. But by uncovering a previously unknown part of the process working in

a similar way to some anti-cancer drugs, we hope to show how important diet

can be in your personal anti-cancer armoury.” The shorter the cooking time

and the less water used to prepare the vegetables, the greater the

preventive effect, he said. He recommended two to three helpings of

brassicas a week to get the benefit.

 

He added that the findings would help to give details on how much of certain

vegetables should be eaten, and might also be used to develop vegetables

high in cancer prevention factors. One worry is that in trying to develop

more palatable versions of vegetables such as broccoli, plant breeders could

be removing sinigrin, developed by plants to fight off insect attack.

 

The research was published at the start of Cancer Prevention Week, run by

the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF). The fund yesterday announced plans

for worldwide review of the impact of diet on cancer.

 

The last time it published such a report, in 1997, it sparked controversy

because it claimed that consumption of red meat increased the risk of colon

cancer. This claim has never been accepted by most cancer specialists, who

say the data are confused because meat eaters tend not to eat so many green

vegetables, so it is not so much the meat they eat but the vegetables they

do not that increase their risk.

 

Elaine Stone, of the WCRF, said yesterday that she stood by the

recommendation in the 1997 report that people should eat less red meat. But

the new study would take a fresh look at the issue, examining data from all

types of study.

 

This “portfolio” approach will enable data from more than 10,000 studies of

diet, cancer and exercise to be collated, then reviewed by a panel, for

publication in 2006.

 

Martin Wiseman, project director and WCRF medical and scientific adviser,

said: “The goal is to cut through the confusion about diet’s relation to

cancer risk by producing a comprehensive report that offers simple,

science-based recommendations for individuals and policymakers.”

 

 

 

 

 

Movies - Buy advance tickets for 'Shrek 2'

 

 

[Guest guest]

Frank,

 

I believe about a decade or more ago, I saw a study which showed that

even people unfortunate or stupid enough to smoke cigarettes, but who

regularly ate cabbage and sweet potatoes, had significantly lower

rates of cancer than even the non-smoking population.

 

Elliot