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!
Posts with tag antioxidants
Posted Aug 25th 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Skin Cancer, Research, Daily news
Mixing antioxidants and sun exposure can be dangerous to your health. A new study, published in the September issue of The Journal of Nutrition, details a French study revealing that antioxidant supplements won't protect women against skin cancer -- and they may actually increase the risk of developing the disease.
A team of French researchers assigned almost 7,900 women and more than 5,100 men to take either an oral daily capsule of antioxidant or a placebo that looked the same. The antioxidants included low levels of vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, selenium, and zinc. What they found: the incidence of all skin cancers was higher in the group of women who took the antioxidant.
While there is one limitation to this study -- it did not take into account sunscreen use and its effect on the use of both antioxidants and the sun -- it does serve as another reason to stay out of the sun.
Posted Aug 23rd 2007 11:08AM by Patricia Mayville-Cox
Filed under: Research
A group of Clemson chemists have found a new mechanism for antioxidant activity according to a recent
presentation at the 234th American Chemical Society national meeting. According to the researchers, antioxidant bind naturally to iron and copper in the body, preventing the formation of reactive compounds that can damage DNA.
The group is now testing its findings in bacterial cells and will move to human cells next.
Previous studies have found that antioxidants that are found naturally in fruits, vegetables, green tea, garlic and onions can neutralize the activity of reactive molecules and prevent DNA damage.
Posted Aug 17th 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Prevention, Nutrition
If you're in the mood for upping your antioxidant levels -- antioxidants can cancel out the cell-damaging effects of free radicals, thus lowering the risk of cancer -- here's one quick and easy tip for you: keep your watermelons warm.
Research shows that watermelons stored at room temperatures have much higher levels of antioxidants (beta-carotene and lycopene) than those kept chilled in the fridge. Warm watermelons are even better than fresh-picked melons.
One caution: once cut, watermelons must refrigerated. So try to enjoy your watermelons as soon as you slice and dice them. Then keep your leftovers cool.
Source:
Good Housekeeping, July 2007
Posted Aug 12th 2007 8:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Prevention, Diets, Exercise, Nutrition, Vitamins and nutrients, Smoking, Sunday Seven
There are countless methods we can use for optimizing our health. Each of us can surely rattle off a bunch right now. Give it a try. Quick. Name three actions you can take to improve your body, your mind, your soul. Good. Now remember what you picked -- and make each one happen.
In a recent newspaper article, one journalist listed 25 ways to live a healthy life. They're all super ideas. But I only have space today for seven. Here they are. Stop back in two weeks, and I'll give you another seven.
Keep your weight in check Make sure your weight is appropriate for your height, age, sex, and body frame. The
American Institute for Cancer Research reports that having an ideal body mass, eating properly, and exercising can reduce the risk of cancer by 30 to 40 percent.
Continue reading Sunday Seven: Seven ways to fine-tune your health
Posted Aug 7th 2007 7:22PM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: Skin Cancer, Diets, Nutrition
One in five Americans will get skin cancer. Those are scary statistics, but the first step in fighting any condition is knowing about it and how to prevent it. Obviously, one of the main things you need to do when you have skin cancer is protect yourself from the sun, but your diet also plays a key role.
Here are some suggestions for avoiding skin cancer through eating:
- Cut back on alcohol -- heavy drinkers are 65% more likely to get skin cancer
- Polyunsaturated fats are considered a good fat, but they can also weaken your immune system so don't assume you can go crazy on the vegetable oil
- Antioxidants are consistently linked to a decreased chance of cancer. To up your antioxidant intake, try to eat lots of the following: berries, oranges, spinach, grapes, kale, broccoli, beats, red peppers, carrots and much more. If you already have a healthy diet full of fruits and veggies, you probably won't need to make any changes.
Posted Aug 4th 2007 2:16PM by Patricia Mayville-Cox
Filed under: All Cancers, Diets, Nutrition, Cancer prevention foods, Vitamins and nutrients
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."
For more Q&As with Dr. Wender, please see
here.
Posted Jul 27th 2007 6:00AM by Brian White
Filed under: Thought for the Day
One of the finer things each and every morning that tastes so good are nature's own blueberries. These delicious and plump berries are one of the most potent antioxidants known, and a decent side effect of eating them is something many naturopaths have known for quite some time: blueberries are excellent anti-cancer food.
Cancer can be a combination of genetic predisposition combined with the results of countless lifestyle choices, which explains why some smokers never develop lung cancer while non-smokers develop it in their teens. One side is a result of the cards you're dealt; the other, as a result of choices.
This sounds simplified, but taking out the lifestyle choices by beating it with excellent nutrition as much as possible can't be a bad thing for almost anyone. Try a start in the next few days by having a cup of fresh blueberries and make your morning just that much more enjoyable.
Posted Jun 30th 2007 5:40PM by Vicki Blankenship
Filed under: Alternative Therapies, Prevention, All Cancers, Cancer prevention foods, Vitamins and nutrients, Recipe Healthy Living
Peppermint is an excellent source of manganese, vitamin C and vitamin A, carotenoids, and beta-carotene. Vitamin C, the main water-soluble antioxidant in the body is needed to decrease levels of free radicals that can cause damage to cells and decrease the risk of cancer. Peppermint is probably most famous for its use in our favorite white and red candy at Christmas time but it is gaining popularity to drink in teas to help decrease nausea.
A cup of fresh mint tea can help to soothe your stomach. If you are nauseous from cancer treatments try drinking peppermint tea. Another useful thing I found to work is to keep a small bottle of peppermint oil in your pocket and rub it on your wrist for smelling when you feel the queasy stomach coming on.
Whenever possible, choose fresh mint over the dried form of the herb since it is superior in flavor. The leaves of fresh mint should look vibrant and be a rich green color. They should be free from dark spots or yellowing. To store fresh mint leaves, carefully wrap them in a damp paper towel and place inside of a loosely closed plastic bag. Store in the refrigerator, where it should keep fresh for several days.
Recipe for a perfect cup of peppermint tea.
1 ounce fresh peppermint leaves
1 pint boiling water
Honey
Place the peppermint leaves in a cup and pour in boiling water. Cover the cup with a saucer and let it stand for 10 minutes. Scoop out the leaves with a spoon and add a little honey if you like it sweet.
Posted Jun 21st 2007 2:20PM by Vicki Blankenship
Filed under: Prevention, All Cancers, Liver Cancer, Research, Cancer prevention foods
Can coffee reduce the risk of liver cancer? According to findings published in the medical journal Gastroenterology it can. "Data on potential beneficial effects of coffee on liver function and liver diseases have accrued over the last two decades," states Drs. Susanna C. Larsson and Alicja Wolk, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm.
11 studies involving 2,260 liver cancer patients and 239,146 individuals without liver cancer showed that for every 2 cups of coffee per day, the investigators observed a 43 percent reduced risk of liver cancer. Coffee contains large amounts of antioxidants, such as chlorogenic acids that have an inhibitory effect on liver cancer.
Posted Jun 9th 2007 8:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Diets, Worthy Wisdom
In today's world, we worry about carbohydrates. We monitor them, count them, obsess about them, and pare them down to just about nothing in order to lose weight. Yet, quality carbs have a fierce power in the fight against disease. They are packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. They absorb slowly and stabilize blood sugar, appetite, even mood. Carbs don't have to be avoided. In fact, they should be embraced -- in their most healthy forms.
While at the
Canyon Ranch resort in Tucson this past April, I observed that all meals are balanced with small-to-moderate portion sizes of carbohydrate foods. Canyon Ranch is all about health and healing. If the experts here say carbs can be good for us, I believe them.
The key to carb management is knowing which ones keep cancer and other disease at bay. It's simple, really. Just think whole fruit, vegetables, beans, and modest amounts of whole grains.
Continue reading Worthy Wisdom: Carbs against cancer
Posted Jun 7th 2007 6:06PM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: Cancer prevention foods
Apricots are one of my favorite fruits, mainly because they are so perfectly sized for a small snack. Plus they're so tasty. I've heard so much lately about
how good they are for you and I thought I'd share. They're good at helping you prevent cataracts, heart disease and even cancer. Apricots -- especially dried ones -- have a good supply of lycopene, a cancer-preventing nutrient often found in tomatoes. Apricots are also high in beta carotene, an antioxidant.
Have them fresh, dried, in a dessert -- simply put, just get them in to your diet somehow.
How do you like your apricots?
Posted Jun 3rd 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Prostate Cancer, Research, Cancer prevention foods, Daily news
First, it seemed eating lycopene-rich tomatoes offered protection against prostate cancer. Now it seems this is not so true. In fact, researchers have found an association between an increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer and beta carotene, an antioxidant related to lycopene.
Lycopene seemed for a short time to be a quick and easy fix for men trying to lower their prostate cancer risk. Yet studies are failing to show any significant differences in blood lycopene levels between men who develop the disease and those who do not.
The largest study to yield these results investigated the role of blood levels of lycopene and other antioxidants in the prevention of prostate cancer. It was an unexpected turn of events that led researchers to the link between the most aggressive cancers and antioxidants found in many vegetables. While the observation may be due to chance, beta carotene is known to increase risk of lung cancer and
heart disease in smokers and may be worth a bit more study.
Continue reading Tomatoes not an easy fix for cancer
Posted May 28th 2007 10:30AM by Martha Edwards
Filed under: Colon and Rectal Cancer, Diets, Nutrition, Cancer prevention foods
There are a number of benefits to a vegetarian diet and here's another one:
Lifelong vegetarians have a reduced risk of developing colorectal cancer. The reason why is not made clear in the article but rather just that there's a link. So I wonder: What is it about a vegetarian diet that makes it healthier? Is it that vegetarians consumer more nutrients and antioxidants and less saturated fat? Does it have something to do with how non-meat food is digested? Is it because vegetarian diets are overall lower in calories and therefore less metabolizing means less harmful free agents in the body?
I don't think this one study is a reason to quit eating meat, and although I'm not a big meat eater myself, I think that it can be part of a healthy diet if consumed in moderation and balanced out with lots of fruits, veggies and whole grains. What do you think? To eat meat or not to eat meat?
Posted May 25th 2007 6:00AM by Brian White
Filed under: Thought for the Day
When you go grocery shopping, do you mainly buy frozen and processed foods? While I've studied the effects of modern (western) nutrition on various types of cancer, I'm a big believer in consuming fresh fruits every day just based on all the cancer-fighting nutrients many fruits possess inside. Plus, fruits taste so darn good.
Think about this:
Resveratrol (in grapes) and vitamins and minerals (in most fruits) are great for human health and from an antioxidant perspective, they assist in getting certain potential maladies wiped out inside the body -- before cancer can get a grip.Although vegetables are every bit as good as fruits from this point of view, many people are not heavy vegetable eaters due to the lack of taste. One thing is for sure, though: there is rarely a lack of taste from almost every fruit I can think of. The best way to eat those fruits? Raw or after having been blended (as a smoothie).
Posted Apr 22nd 2007 1:13PM by Vicki Blankenship
Filed under: All Cancers, Non-toxic alternatives, Nutrition, Cancer prevention foods, Vitamins and nutrients, Recipe Healthy Living
The most healthy thing that I have added to my daily menu to fight cancer right now is this simple drink that helps give me energy and gives me antioxidants and vitamins. It helps boost the immune system. It detoxifies and cleanses the body. It gives a quota of daily veggies. It has a high alkalinity that helps balance acid PH levels in the body. It is simple and it tastes good too.
Vicki's Twice Daily Wheat Grass Cocktail4 ounces of organic tangerine juice
4 ounces of organic carrot juice
1 organic banana
1 8 grams packet of Organic Wheat Grass (I prefer Amazing Grass brand)
Mix together well in a blender until smooth and pour into a large glass.
You can find Wheat Grass in your local health food store.
Next Page >
