Spotlight On: Here Phyto - Phytonutrients

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Spotlight On: Here Phyto - Phytonutrients

JoAnn Guest

Sep 09, 2004 18:39 PDT

 

Spotlight On: Here Phyto - Phytonutrients

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Cancer, heart disease, alzheimer's, osteoporosis, macular

degeneration, multiple sclerosis, arthritis and more degenerative

dis-eases may plague the middle-aged and elderly only because the so

called " Experts " did not recognize the value of phytonutrients.

 

So the " Establishment " aka " Traditional " aka " Allopathic "

aka " Western style " health professionals did not believe there was

any benefit to them, and pooh-poohed them to their patients, and in

modern medical texts and publications.

 

Though they have been around since the dawn of mankind, scientific

research did not start on them until around two decades ago

(1980's). Of course they were not always called phytonutrients, but

the word does have it's origins from a long, long, long time ago.

 

In fact it can be traced back to early Greek Civilization. You see

the word phyto comes from the Greek phyton for " plant " , we all know

what a nutrient is. " Phytonutrient " simply means a " nutrient from a

plant. "

 

This is interesting because The Mediterranean diet has a lot of

phytonutrients in it. Items like olive oil, garlic, tomatoes,

onions, fruits, whole grains, olive oil, bulgur, rice vegetables,

legumes such as chick peas, yogurt, and nuts.

 

Once upon (a time a short while ago), it was thought by many so

called nutrition experts that fats, proteins, carbohydrates,

vitamins, and minerals were the only nutrients necessary for growth

and health.

 

Now, we know there's another group of nutrients necessary for our

optimal health, well being, quality of life, longevity and reduction

of risks of diseases related to aging.

 

These nutrients are of course called, say it with me now - Phyto -

Nutrients. With enough understanding of how they work, and the

optimum amount necessary, hopefully some day cancers, heart disease,

alzheimer's, cataracts, macular degeneration and many more dis-eases

will be relegated to the dustbin of history like scurvy and

pellagra.

 

Today, researchers are more busy than ever performing scientific

studies uncovering a host of beneficial compounds in plant foods.

 

So, What Are PhytoNutrients?

 

Basically, the phytonutrients are what gives fruits and vegetables

their color. This means you want to eat as many different colored

fruits and vegetables as you can. Ah, a veritable rainbow of color.

 

Some phytonutrients are also found in beans, seeds, and nuts. For

example, it has been shown that the isoflavones in soy products may

reduce the risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, and several types of

cancer.

 

Certain flavonoids in blueberries may actually reverse nerve cell

aging. And a wide array of compounds in fruits and vegetables may

protect cells against oxidative damage as well as vitamins C or E.

 

Some of the common classes of phytonutrients include:

 

Carotenoids

 

Flavonoids (Polyphenols) including Isoflavones (Phytoestrogens)

 

Inositol Phosphates (Phytates)

 

Lignans (Phytoestrogens)

 

Isothiocyanates and Indoles

 

Phenols and Cyclic Compounds

 

Saponins

 

Sulfides and Thiols

 

Terpenes

 

I know, you are thinking " It all sounds Greek to me. " Here come the

explanations.

 

Fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts and teas are rich sources

of phytonutrients.

 

Some examples include:

 

Carotenoids - the red, orange and yellow pigments in fruits and

vegetables.

 

They are things like:

 

alpha-carotene (found in carrots)

 

beta-carotene ( found in leafy green and yellow vegetables )

 

beta-cryptoxanthin (found in citrus, peaches, apricots )

 

lutein (leafy greens such as kale, spinach, turnip greens )

 

lycopene (tomato products, pink grapefruit, watermelon, guava)

 

zeaxanthin (green vegetables, eggs, citrus )

 

 

Polyphenols

 

Food sources rich in polyphenols include onion, apple, tea, red

wine, red grapes, grape juice, strawberries, raspberries,

blueberries, cranberries, and certain nuts.

 

Why Are Phytonutrients Important?

 

Phytonutrients protect against disease in the following way's

Phytonutrients are believed to:

 

serve as antioxidants

 

enhance immune response

 

enhance cell-to-cell communication

 

alter " estrogen " metabolism

 

convert to vitamin A (beta-carotene is metabolized to vitamin A)

 

cause cancer cells to die (apoptosis)

 

repair DNA damage caused by smoking and other toxic exposures

 

'detoxify' carcinogens through the activation of the cytocrome P450

and Phase II enzyme systems

 

 

Carotenoids are Protective

 

Fruit and vegetable consumption has been linked to decreased risk of

stroke -- both hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke. Each increment of

three daily servings of fruits and vegetables equated to a 22%

decrease in risk of stroke, including transient ischemic attack

 

There was a study of elderly men. In that study, elderly men whose

intake of dark green and deep yellow vegetables was in the top group

had about a 46% decrease in risk of heart disease relative to men

who ranked in the lowest consumption. Additionally, men in the

highest consumption group had about a 70% lower risk of cancer than

did their counterparts in the lowest consumption group.

 

Consumption of organic tomato products has been linked to decreased

risk

ofprostate cancer.

 

In a study (Seddon et al. Journal of the American Medical

Association. 1994;272:1413)., People in the highest fifth for

consumption of spinach or collard greens, plants high in the

carotenoid lutein, had a 46% decrease in risk of age-related macular

degeneration compared to those in the lowest fifth who consumed

these vegetables less than once per month.

 

Polyphenols are Protective

 

Flavonoid consumption has been linked to lower risk of heart disease

in scientific studies.

 

In a study, elderly Dutch men in the highest percentage of flavonoid

intake had a risk of heart disease that was about 58% lower than

those in the lowest percentage of intake.

 

Those in the lowest percentage consumed 19 mg or less of flavonoids

per

day, while those in the highest percentage consumed approximately 30

mg

per day or more.

 

In yet another study a group of adults in Finland was divided into

four groups. Finnish subjects in the top 25% of flavonoid intake had

a risk of mortality from heart disease that was about 27% (for

women) and 33% (for men) lower than that of those in the lowest 25%.

 

Almost daily now there is new scientific evidence reported that

eating fruits and vegetables protects human health. It is

accumulating from large population (epidemiological) studies, human

feeding studies, and cell culture studies.

 

Population studies have linked fruit and vegetable consumption with

lowering the risk for chronic diseases including specific cancers

and heart disease.

 

So if you really want to reduce your risk of cancer and heart

disease is to increase consumption of phytonutrient-rich foods

including fruits, vegetables, grains and teas.Add to that

supplements.

 

To sum up, Phytonutrients protect your body, fight disease, and

fight aging. They help the cells repair themselves. They will help

to defend your body against degenerative diseases like: multiple

sclerosis and arthritis as well as diseases like cancer and

cardiovascular disease, and many more. Eat your fruits and veges.

 

It's for your own good.

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Resource Box

By Allen Weber Copyright July 23, 2003 newsletter Emperor's

Herbologist Live Healthy! bi-weekly guide to living healthy in

modern times. Featuring articles on alternative medicine, diet,

herbs, supplements, foods, traditional cures and techniques you can

use to give you more control over your health and well being.

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JoAnn Guest

mrsjo-

DietaryTi-

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest