Note: The contents of this blog are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice or substitute for professional care. For medical emergencies, dial 911!
It's pretty well known that many natural foods make for great defenses against cancer, regardless of the opposition to this by the medical community. If you're into spicy foods like I am, it may be neat to hear that curry could be added to that battle list.
Indian foods are, in many cases, spicy (and delicious), and that curry powder's curcumin has been found to kill and stops the growth of melanoma skin cancer cells. Although these results were only found in the lab, they are still encouraging.
Cancer prevention foods are incredibly neat to learn about, and with the Internet, the effort is simple and easy. Even if curry is not your thing, there are plenty of other cancer-fighting foods.
Meg Wolff survived cancer -- twice. First she had bone cancer and lost her leg to the disease. Then she had breast cancer and was given little hope from doctors who thought traditional treatment could not save her. Maybe it couldn't. But Wolff found something that did save her -- a macrobiotic diet.
Life is all about balance, says Wolff who authors a website rich in content about the connection between diet and a healthy lifestyle. She offers up-to-date information on her blog, links to recipes and resources, a calendar of events, and a look at her very own book, titled, Becoming Whole, The Story of My Complete Recovery from Breast Cancer.
Wolff says that by changing her diet, she has changed her destiny. She is alive and well and thriving. Give her a visit and see for yourself.
A pilot study from the Mayo clinic, led by Dr. Pruthi, finds that adding flaxseed to the diet can reduce hot flashes in postmenopausal women who do not take estrogen replacements. The findings were published in the Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology.
Hormone replacement therapy was commonly prescribed for hot flashes, but side effects and health concerns, including increased risk of cancer, have reduced their use. The researchers involved in this study looked at variety of herbal and dietary supplements including vitamin E, black cohosh and soy, but none decreased the frequency or severity of hot flashes other than the flaxseed.
The 29 participants did not want to take HRT due to a perceived increased risk of breast cancer. Most of them completed the six-week flaxseed trial, which involved eating 40 g of crushed flaxseed daily.
The frequency of hot flashes among the women decreased 50 percent over six weeks. Flaxseed contains lignans and omega-3 fatty acids. Lignans have weak estrogen characteristics. Dr. Pruthi cautions that this was a pilot study and further study in a large, randomized placebo-controlled study may not turn out such results.
Now I advise everyone to take all food-related recommendations with a grain of salt, because what first may appear healthy may not be in the long run -- and what is once deemed unhealthy may one day turn into a health food, like coffee.
Now, here's something new to think about:
It turns out the average mushroom may have healing powers. A new study out of Tufts University found that white button mushrooms help boost the body's natural immunity against tumors and viruses.
David L. Katz, MD, responds to a reader in the September 2007 issue of The Oprah Magazine about the merits of eating soy in relation to preventing cancer. His response causes me to pause even more about jumping on any diet bandwagon.
Katz says we should eat soy foods -- just not too much because the evidence linking soy to breast cancer, for example, is mixed.
In comparing soy-eating Japanese women with American women who eat very little soy, researchers find lower rates of breast cancer in the Japanese women. But in a test tube, soy's plant estrogens can speed cancer cell growth. Maybe soy behaves differently in the body than it does in a tube. Or maybe soy has both negative and positive effects on breast cancer. Perhaps it's not soy at all. It could be that the populations eating soy are benefiting from not eating something else, like meat -- the saturated fat found in red meat has been linked to higher cancer rates. Replacing steak with something else may be the protective key.
Since I started writing for The Cancer Blog, I am amazed at the number of studies out there pointing to the benefits of green tea. Here is the NCI's official page on tea. Then there is all this information out there about green tea's benefits like this one and this one and this one.
I remember a few years ago I tried to switch my coffee habit (a half a cup a day in the morning and another in the afternoon) to green tea, at least once a day.
So I bought a box of green tea, from a major tea manufacturer that I won't name, and let's just say, I didn't like the taste all that much. I don't even really like black tea all that much, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised.
If you are a green tea drinker, either for the possible health benefits, or just because you like it, what is a good type to start with (bags, loose)? Is there a brand out there that tastes better than others?
Back in 2002, photographs of a somewhat plump Jamie Lee Curtis appeared in many popular magazines. At the time, Curtis was just two years into pursuing sobriety and had gained upwards of 20 pounds. It appeared Curtis was flaunting her new look, perhaps even giving the public permission to be happy in their own skin. Not a bad thing, right?
It was a bad idea, says Curtis who now regrets communicating to the masses that letting yourself go is OK. Because it's not. Now fit and trim -- not skinny, just trim -- Curtis says in the July 2007 issue of Ladies Home Journal, "So I think what some people took from those photos was: Love yourself, no matter what. And the problem with this is: What if what you're doing is unhealthy?"
"And the problem is that how many of us are killing ourselves every day? Who here has high blood pressure and is still eating salt and French fries? Who has been told that her liver is enlarged and unless she stops drinking she's gonna end up with liver disease and/or need a liver transplant? We create senseless acts of violence against ourselves every day. And we live in this amnesia that we're not."
I was recently at the grocery store with my fiance, doing a quick shopping run. As we traversed through the grocery section of our local Stop & Shop, I kept reminding her that we needed to buy more tomatoes. After about the fourth reminder, she finally turned to me and asked what the big deal was about tomatoes, and why it was so important that we buy them. I told her it was because of their known cancer-fighting properties, due in large part to their richness in lycopene. After offering the quip, "You're lyc-o-pain in the ass," she ultimately did acquiesce and we did end up purchasing this antioxidant rich vegetable. Or fruit. Whatever it is.
Anecdotes aside, I just yesterday came across research (from a 2007 Ohio State study) involving a certain variety of orange tomato called a Tangerine Tomato. Evidently, people are able to better absorb the antioxidant lycopene from this particular type of tomato than from the more typical red tomatoes.
If you have trouble finding Tangerine Tomatoes at your grocery store, try other kinds of orange tomatoes or gold heirloom varieties. But, whatever kind, color, brand, or type of tomato you choose, always be sure to cook your tomatoes in order to receive the greatest absorption of lycopene.
Lyc-o-pain in the ass...I'll admit it, that was a pretty good one.
In the study, which consisted of 42 people, the green tea concentrate boosted production of enzymes in the glutathione S-transferase (GST) family by as much as 80 percent in some individuals. The concentrate contained a component of green tea, catechins, equal to that of 8-16 cups of tea.
GST enzymes are believed to change cancer-causing molecules to inert molecules that cannot react with DNA.
Previous studies have shown that populations that consume green tea, such as the Chinese and the Japanese, have lower rates of cancer. The National Cancer Institute is sponsoring a series of scientific studies involving green tea, including this one.
Seattle Times columnist, Dr. Astrid Pujari, answers an inquiry related to green tea and cancer in her most recent column. Pujari is a physician and a medical herbalist. A readers asks if green tea is helpful for breast cancer and it is ok to use decaffeinated green tea, or should she stick with regular.
Pujari answers:
Green tea has beneficial compounds called polyphenols, or catechins. Most of the research on green tea for breast cancer has been done in Asia because people there drink a lot of green tea. Green tea may help prevent breast cancer, based on one study in Asian women ...
Pujari cautions that these studies are population studies, meaning that although there may be an association between green tea and breast cancer prevention, it doesn't mean that the green tea is the cause.
Dr. Richard Wender, president of the American Cancer Society, took questions from readers as part of the New York Times feature on cancer last week.
Here is an interesting question from a reader about the role of antioxidants. Leanne asks about the use of antioxidants and other supplements during cancer treatment, specifically whether they are harmful and whether they can reduce the effectiveness of some chemotherapies.
Dr. Wender responds that "the same steps that help to prevent diabetes and heart disease also help to reduce your risk of cancer. First, maintain a healthy body weight and engage in regular exercise. Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is a good idea, but it is not as effective in preventing cancer as having a normal weight. Avoid tobacco and excess sun exposure."
"Although studies of supplements have hinted at some value for certain cancers, the overall value appears to be much smaller than the lifestyle steps I have listed."
In a study, The US National Cancer Institute and Cancer Care Ontario in Toronto found that while regularly eating fruits and vegetables didn't necessarily reduce one's risk of prostate cancer, eating lots of leafy greens--particularly broccoli--was associated with a reduced risk of aggressive prostate cancer. Another healthy food that showed promising results? Cauliflower. So eat next time you're tempted to eat the meat and leave the veggies, don't--for your health's sake.
Are we living in a toxic environment? The experts atCanyon Ranch ask us to consider these facts:
The EPA estimates that 4.7 billion pounds of toxic chemicals are released into the environment annually.
It's likely that 25 percent of the U.S. population suffers from some level of heavy metal poisoning.
Fourteen pounds of food colorings, additives, preservatives, emulsifiers, and flavorings are consumed per person each year.
Toxic? Maybe. At minimum, though, we are living in a world filled with chemicals, pesticides, additives, preservatives, antibiotic and hormone residues, and heavy metals. Whether consumed, inhaled, or absorbed, our bodies soak this stuff up. In order to reduce the load, and the toll it takes it takes on our health, there's something we can do. We can eat clean. Here's how:
I'm always skeptical about the connection between certain foods and cancer. There's just so much back and forth -- the lycopene found in tomatoes prevents cancer and then it doesn't, for example -- that I don't base any life decisions solely on so-called cancer prevention foods. I simply do what is best for my health. If it happens to keep cancer at bay, then I consider it a bonus.
I eat fruits and vegetables because I know they're good for me. It was nice, while it lasted, to think I was also cutting my risk of cancer recurrence but when it comes down to it, fruits and veggies are better than sweets and candies and junky carbohydrates. So they'll remain a staple in my life -- even though a large, seven-year study published in today's Journal of American Medical Association dashes all hopes that a diet low in fat and jam-packed with fruits and vegetables prevents the return of breast cancer.
Five daily servings of fruits and veggies are recommended in the United States. This is more than most Americans get yet still doesn't make a difference for those trying to minimize their chances of breast cancer recurrence.
Eating certain foods while undergoing cancer treatment can have a sharp effect on that treatment, according to research released by U.S. medical scientists this week.
Is this any surprise? It shouldn't be, really -- and the silver lining here is that eating the correct diet could lead to a lessening of cancer drug prices patients are responsible for, according to the same research.
For example, GSK's cancer drug Tykerb, used to treat breast cancer, could see an effectiveness gain of 167% if it was taken right after a full meal instead of on an empty stomach like GSK suggests. How about after a high-fat meal? A gain of 325% was noted. It's interesting to see that to gain effectiveness of a cancer drug can be enhanced by a high-fat meal.
It's pretty well known that many natural foods make for great defenses against cancer, regardless of the opposition to this by the medical community. If you're into spicy foods like I am, it may be neat to hear that curry could be added to that battle list.
Meg Wolff survived cancer -- twice. First she had bone cancer and lost her leg to the disease. Then she had breast cancer and was given little hope from doctors who thought traditional treatment could not save her. Maybe it couldn't. But Wolff found something that did save her -- a macrobiotic diet.
A pilot 
Now I advise everyone to take all food-related recommendations with a grain of salt, because what first may appear healthy may not be in the long run -- and what is once deemed unhealthy may one day turn into a health food, like coffee.
David L. Katz, MD, responds to a reader in the September 2007 issue of The Oprah Magazine about the merits of eating soy in relation to preventing cancer. His response causes me to pause even more about jumping on any diet bandwagon.
Since I started writing for 
Back in 2002, photographs of a somewhat plump Jamie Lee Curtis appeared in many popular magazines. At the time, Curtis was just two years into pursuing sobriety and had gained upwards of 20 pounds. It appeared Curtis was flaunting her new look, perhaps even giving the public permission to be happy in their own skin. Not a bad thing, right? 
y section of our local Stop & Shop, I kept reminding her that we needed to buy more tomatoes. After about the fourth reminder, she finally turned to me and asked what the big deal was about tomatoes, and why it was so important that we buy them. I told her it was because of their known cancer-fighting properties, due in large part to their richness in lycopene. After offering the quip, "You're lyc-o-pain in the ass," she ultimately did acquiesce and we did end up purchasing this antioxidant rich vegetable. Or fruit. Whatever it is.
Seattle Times columnist, Dr. Astrid Pujari, answers an 
Dr. Richard Wender, president of the American Cancer Society, took questions from readers as part of the New York Times feature on cancer last week.
Hey guys, here's a great reason to put your distaste for broccoli aside and scarf some down at dinner tonight -- 
Are we living in a toxic environment? The experts at
I'm always skeptical about the connection between certain foods and cancer. There's just so much back and forth -- the lycopene found in tomatoes 
Eating certain foods while undergoing cancer treatment can have a sharp effect on that treatment, according to research released by U.S. medical scientists this week.
