Striving4Zen

No other fruit says summer like the subtly crunchy, thirst quenching watermelon. Although watermelons can now be found in the markets throughout the year, the season for watermelon is in the summer when they are sweet and of the best quality.

But watermelon is not only great on a hot summer day, this delectable thirst-quencher may also help quench the inflammation that contributes to conditions like asthma, atherosclerosis, diabetes, colon cancer, and arthritis.

Sweet, juicy watermelon is actually packed with some of the most important antioxidants in nature. Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamin C, rich in the B vitamins necessary for energy production and a very good source of vitamin A, notably through its concentration of beta-carotene. Watermelon is also a source of the potent carotenoid antioxidant, lycopene. These powerful antioxidants travel through the body neutralizing free radicals.

In contrast to many other food phytonutrients, whose effects have only been studied in animals, lycopene has been repeatedly studied in humans and found to be protective against a growing list of cancers. These cancers now include prostate cancer, breast cancer, endometrial cancer, lung cancer and colorectal cancers.

Yummy Watermelon!

Labels: anti-inflammatory, Anti-oxidant, b-vitamins, cancer, carotenoids, fruit, healthy food, lycopene, phytonutrients, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, watermelon

Did you know that along with its wealth of vitamins and minerals, cauliflower, like the other cruciferous vegetables, contains powerful sulfur compounds that have repeatedly been found to help prevent cancer?

Since 1993, the National Cancer Institute has been demonstrating that prevention, rather than cure, is the way to decrease deaths related to cancer. And they have found the way to prevention is eating the proper foods!

Research on the prevention of cancer as well as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, all point strongly to the food we eat as a factor that has the potential to cut back dramatically on the rates of these chronic diseases. And some of the best foods for prevention are the sulfur-containing cruciferous vegetables, such as cauliflower. These vegetables contain compounds, including sulforaphane and isothyiocyanates, that help the liver to neutralize potentially harmful cancer-causing compounds and to suppress tumor cell growth and the movement of cancer to other parts of the body (metastasis).

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Labels: cancer, cauliflower, cruciferous vegetables, eating healthy, healthy diet, prevention

White, green and black tea all come from the same plant (Camellia sinensis), but white tea is made from the unopened leaf buds of the plant, whereas green tea is made from the more mature, opened leaves. (Black tea is also made from mature, opened leaves, but undergoes a controlled fermentation process that results in its darker color.)

Both white and green tea contain a phytonutrient that has been high up on the radar screen in health research. This phytonutrient is a polyphenol called epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). EGCG is the primary polyphenol in both white and green tea, and it's a key reason why researchers have been interested in the properties of white tea with respect to prevention of cancer development (tumorigenesis). At this point we only have preliminary animal studies and in vivo laboratory studies in this area. These studies not only fail to look at everyday intake of white tea as part of a daily diet but also often involve specialized extracts made from white tea.

White tea is not necessarily "better" or "worse" for you than green tea. Both teas have health benefits as they are different in their composition.

As always, quality is important when you are purchasing white or green tea, consider organic teas as they are produced by companies that have a reputation for high standards.

Source

Labels: cancer, EGCG, green tea, healthy diet, polyphenols, tea, white tea

It’s no surprise that the Mediterranean diet is linked to good health. Small reliance on meat and scant use of butter limit the saturated fat that raises blood cholesterol and possibly promotes development of some cancers.

The Mediterranean diet includes a large proportion of fish, which is rich in omega-3 fats that reduce inflammation, which seems to raise both heart and cancer risks. An abundance of fruits, vegetables and beans provides the many different phytochemicals that protect blood vessels and guard cells against cancer-causing substances. Now, studies show that olive oil may bolster each one of these benefits.

Originally, scientists thought olive oil’s primary benefit was its monounsaturated fat.

Because 75% of the fatty acid “building blocks” that make up olive oil come from monounsaturated fat, and only 13% from saturated fat, it’s easy to see why blood cholesterol goes down when olive oil replaces butter and high-fat meat as the main source of fat. Analysis relates olive oil to the Mediterranean diet’s link with lower blood pressure, as well.

Olive oil also offers several health advantages over more polyunsaturated vegetable oils. Monounsaturated oils seem to cause less production of the bile acids in the digestive tract that promote colon cancer development.

Because monounsaturated fat is more stable than polyunsaturated fat, it is less likely to generate the free radicals that create harmful blood cholesterol (“LDL”). LDL damages blood vessels and can create changes in genes that may lead to cancer. Finally, although olive oil does not provide the healthful omega-3 fat found in seafood, it does strengthen omega-3’s anti-inflammatory effects.

Research now shows that many of olive oil’s health benefits may actually come from the more than 30 plant compounds it contains. These compounds’ antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects promote heart health and protect against cancer.

Choose least processed
Olive oil compounds also increase enzymes that block activation of carcinogens and improve their removal from the body. These compounds appear to slow development of cancer cells and increase their self-destruction. While many of these benefits have been seen in laboratory studies rather than controlled human intervention trials, they are supported by what we see in population studies of the Mediterranean diet.

All types of olive oil provide the monounsaturated fat linked with health benefits, but to get the highest levels of the protective plant compounds, choose “extra virgin” or “virgin” oil, the least processed forms. Store it away from light and heat to maintain phytochemical content.

“Pure” olive oil is still high in monounsaturated fat, but has lost protective plant compounds in refining. “Light” olive oil is lighter in flavor and color, not fat or calorie content.

Some people may choose light olive oil for baking or recipes where an olive oil flavor is undesirable, but so many of the protective phytochemicals have been removed in refining those versions that canola oil may be a healthier alternative. (Canola oil also provides some omega-3 fat and more vitamin E.)

From a cook’s perspective, olive oil may not be the best choice for cooking at a high temperature. The sediment naturally found in extra virgin olive oil can make it more likely to burn or smoke. Canola and peanut oils have a higher smoke point.

No single oil is the best choice in all situations, but research now shows that olive oil is a major component of the Mediterranean diet’s healthy reputation.

Nutrition Notes is provided by the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C.© 2006 MSNBC Interactive

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Labels: cancer, eating healthy, extra-virgin olive oil, healthy diet, Mediterranean Diet, olive oil, Omega-3s, phytochemicals, study

Studies show that many berries, including these Olallie blackberries, are packed with nutrients and may be a weapon against cancer.

Several studies show that people who eat diets high in fruits and vegetables have lower cancer rates. Now a large body of research suggests that berries may be among the most potent cancer-fighting fruits.

In numerous laboratory studies, researchers at Ohio State University have found that black raspberries inhibit the development of oral, esophageal and colon cancers in rats. Some human studies have also suggested a benefit from berry consumption. In one small study of patients with familial adenomatous polyposis, a genetic condition that raises risk for colon cancer, patients given black raspberry extract had up to 59% fewer rectal polyps than those taking a placebo; the findings were published in November’s Cancer Prevention Research journal. Another study showed black raspberry powder reduced symptoms for patients with Barrett’s esophagus, a precancerous condition.

The main berries being researched include black and red raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and elderberries. Although blueberries have numerous health benefits, they don’t appear to have the same cancer-fighting properties as other berries, researchers say. Berries contain a number of healthful compounds including vitamins A, C, E and folic acid; selenium; calcium; polyphenols; and compounds called anthocyanins, which give berries their color.

While berries, particularly raspberries, look like a promising super food, many people may not find it practical to eat them on a regular basis. A human would have to eat about a pound of berries a day to ingest the equivalent doses used in the rodent studies. Another concern is whether variations in climate and growing techniques may alter the concentration of the beneficial compounds found in the fruit. Although frozen berries can substitute for fresh when they are out of season, the fruits are expensive and may be too costly for most people to eat daily.

As a result, researchers are trying to identify the key ingredients that make berries cancer fighters. In a study published this month in Cancer Prevention Research, scientists compared rats who ingested a diet of whole black raspberries or a concentrated powder of black raspberry anthocyanins to rodents who ate a regular diet. The study found that the anthocyanin powder worked just as well as whole raspberries for slowing tumor growth. Both groups of rats consuming either whole berries or anthocyanin powder developed 50% fewer esophageal tumors compared to untreated rats.

Although the verdict on berries as cancer fighters is still out, Dr. Stoner says more people could benefit by eating them. Studies already show people with diets high in fruits and vegetables are healthier, and berries are a particularly tasty fruit. Dr. Stoner says frozen berries are a good option, because they won’t spoil, can be eaten year round and often are cheaper than fresh berries. Concentrated berry powders are also available at health food stores.

Dr. Stoner says he starts every morning with a shake made with strawberries, blackberries and blueberries mixed with yogurt and milk.

“We think for the average American, probably the consumption of three to four helpings of berries every week is a good thing,” he said. “We know berries have so many effects on processes related to cancer development. They are one of the food stuffs you probably should consider consuming every day, or at least a few times a week.”

Source

Labels: berries, cancer, fruits, healthy diet, study

Before you get ready to throw your next steak on the barbie, consider adding in an extra step that'll flavor your meat — and possibly improve your health.

According to a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, marinating steak in beer or red wine reduces the number of cancer-causing compounds in the meat. Cooking food of any kind, and especially frying and grilling meats, increases the level of compounds known as heterocyclic amines (HAs) that cause cancer.

Following the University of Porto study, marinating steak in red wine slashed levels of two types of HAs by up to 90 percent compared to unmarinated steak, and marinating steak in beer reduces levels even more.

Thanks for the Tip!!

Labels: beer, cancer, healthy cooking, marinated steak, red wine, study

In addition to having less omega-3s than non-smoked fish, smoked fish may contain toxic substances called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Many of these compounds have been shown to increase risk of cancer. When wood or coal is used for smoking, the hotter the wood or coal burns, the more PAHs are created. I don't recommend regular consumption of smoked foods for this reason.

Smoking fish has been a traditional way to preserve fish for many different cultures. Fish that are smoked in high heat for longer periods of time are less likely to require the addition of preservatives to extend their shelf life; however, they may also have a higher PAH content. "Cold-smoked" fish avoid some of the negative consequences of high heat exposure but still contain PAHs and may have been preserved with nitrates or nitrites depending on the manufacturer. While "cold-smoking" doesn't have a legal definition, it generally involves temperatures between 70°-100°F (21°-38°C) and a time period of at least 12 hours in length, and sometimes as long as three weeks.

"Lox" is a word used to describe salmon that has been cured in brine that typically includes salt and sugar. This type of salmon may or may not be smoked. When it is smoked, however, it is usually "cold-smoked." Nitrates or nitrites are sometimes added to lox as a preservative, but many high-quality manufacturers omit this additive. The lack of nitrates and nitrites is desirable from my perspective even though lox that is nitrate-free and exposed to minimal heat will have a shorter shelf life than salmon smoked in high heat and preserved with nitrates or nitrites.

Many factors would be important in determining whether to include or avoid smoked salmon in a Healthiest Way of Eating. Most individuals in a relatively good state of health with fully nourishing diets would be able to include smoked salmon and benefit from its consumption. These individuals would have plenty of additional omega-3 food sources in their weekly meals, and they would also have healthy detoxification systems that could readily process and eliminate the PAHs or preservatives found in the smoked fish. For other individuals, non-smoked salmon would be a much better choice.

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Labels: cancer, fish, lox, nitrates, nitrites, Omega-3s, salmon, smoked salmon

Like going a couple of rounds with Tyson, high blood sugar can do a number on your vital organs. But eating this may give it a one-two punch right back: broccoli.

The tasty green florets are ripped with sulforaphane, a compound that seems to help keep high blood sugar goons on their best behavior, so they do less damage.

Pass the Antioxidants, Please

When your blood sugar is chronically high, it can damage the cells of your heart, eyes, kidneys, and nerves. But in a recent petri-dish study, adding sulforaphane to a mix of blood vessel cells and glucose cut oxidation (read damage) by as much as 73%. More research is needed to see if sulforaphane in the diet is as protective. But we already know that the compound is a super cancer fighter.

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Labels: Anti-oxidant, blood sugar, broccoli, cancer, healthy food, sulforaphane

As if dealing with cancer isn't difficult enough, now there's some unsettling news about moisturizers. Recently, researchers from Breastlink, a breast cancer treatment center in Southern California, presented the results of a study in which they tested 16 easily accessible moisturizers for estrogen.

While none of the samples listed estrogen as an ingredient, six actually contained some type of the hormone — which is terrible news for women with a type of breast cancer that is driven by estrogen.

What's up with the absence of such an important detail? Since the skin absorbs topical products quite readily, applying a nourishing alternative specifically formulated for people with cancer seems like the safest bet to me — not to mention anyone worried about the repeated exposure they may have unknowingly received from any unlabeled creams.

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Labels: breast cancer, cancer, estrogen, moisturizer, skin care, study, toxic

Certain breast-cancer survivors who load up on fruits and vegetables, eating far more than current US guidelines, can slash their risk the tumors will come back by nearly a third, according to a study released yesterday.

The finding held only for women who did not have hot flashes after their cancer therapy, the researchers said - a finding that suggests fruits and vegetables act on estrogen.

Their analysis suggests an explanation for why some studies have shown that eating more fruits and vegetables lowers the risk that breast cancer will come back, while others do not. It may depend on the individual patient, they report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

"Women with early-stage breast cancer who have hot flashes have better survival and lower recurrence rates than women who don't," said Ellen Gold of the University of California, Davis, who helped lead the study.

As estrogen drives the most common type of breast cancer, this suggests that eating extra servings of fruits and vegetables - above the five a day recommended by the federal government - may lower harmful estrogen levels in cancer survivors, the researchers said.

"It appears that a dietary pattern high in fruits, vegetables and fiber . . . may only be important among women with circulating estrogen levels above a certain threshold," said John Pierce of the University of California, San Diego.

The researchers took a second look at data from 3,000 breast-cancer patients in a study aimed at seeing if a diet low in fat and high in fruits and vegetables would keep their cancer from coming back.

Such a diet has been shown to lower overall risk of ever getting breast cancer in the first place.

The women were on average 53, and half were told to double their fruit and vegetable intake to 10 servings a day, eat more fiber and lower fat intake.

About 30% of the original 3,000 breast-cancer survivors said they did not have hot flashes.

The researchers looked at the data on these women and found that only 16% of those who doubled up on fruits and vegetables saw their tumors come back after seven years, compared to 23% of those merely given advice on food guidelines.

SOURCE

Labels: breast cancer, cancer, fruits and veggies, healthy diet, study

Snack-sized quantities of walnuts slow cancer growth in mice, reports a Marshall University pilot study published in the current issue of the peer-reviewed journal Nutrition and Cancer.

Researcher W. Elaine Hardman, Ph.D., of Marshall's Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine said the study was designed to determine whether mice that got part of their calories by eating walnuts had slower breast cancer growth than a group eating a diet more typical of the American diet.

"When we fed the mice the walnuts, the growth rate of the tumors they had was dramatically suppressed," Hardman said.

The mice ate a diet in which 18.5% of the daily calories -- the equivalent of two servings for humans -- came from walnuts. Tumors in the walnut-fed group took twice as long to double in size as tumors in the control group, the article reports. The study is believed to be the first to look at the impact of walnut consumption on cancer growth.

"It's always very good to find something that will slow the growth of tumors without being toxic chemotherapy," said Hardman, who has spent 15 years studying the role of diet in cancer.

Walnuts have at least three components that could account for their cancer-slowing effect, Hardman said. They are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to slow cancer growth. They also include antioxidants and components called phytosterols, both of which have shown cancer-slowing effects in other studies.

While the pilot study was only designed to determine whether -- not why -- walnuts had a tumor-suppressing effect, Hardman said research as a whole is suggesting that Americans need to get more of their fat calories from fats rich in omega-3 fatty acids and fewer fat calories from saturated fat or foods high in omega-6 fatty acids.

In addition to walnuts, other good sources of omega-3 fatty acids are fish and canola and flaxseed oils, she said.

Medicine is increasingly looking at dietary changes as a way to reduce cancer, Hardman said.

"We're beginning to understand that your diet probably contributes to one-third to two-thirds of all cancers that develop, and making dietary changes to prevent cancer could do more to reduce the deaths from cancer than chemotherapy to treat cancer," she said.

"Changing our habits to reduce our risk not only of cancer but also of other chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes, could reduce our health costs that are eating us up and provide better lives for a lot of people," she said. "I think in the future -- and probably the near future -- our diet, and making dietary changes, is going to become the biggest weapon for fighting cancer."

The project was funded through grants from the American Institute for Cancer Research and the California Walnut Commission, neither of which had input on the interpretation or reporting of the findings.

Source

Labels: cancer, diet, eating healthy, healing with food, study, Walnuts

Cabbage is the featured Food of the Week and is available and affordable year-round. Although there are hundreds of varieties of cabbage, we primarily feature red, green, napa cabbage and bok choy. They are all great additions to your Healthiest Way of Eating however they do provide different nutritional benefits.
Comparing green and red cabbage: While both are comparable in folate, fiber and vitamin A, red cabbage has twice the amount of vitamin C while green cabbage has ten times more calcium and three times more beta-carotene.

Did you know that cabbage is great for losing weight? One cup of cooked cabbage contains only 33 calories while supplying you with a wealth of health-promoting nutrients. Like its other cruciferous cousins, broccoli, kale and mustard greens, cabbage is not only an excellent source of vitamin C and dietary fiber, but also contains many unique sulfur-containing phytonutrients, such as indole-3-carbinol (I3C) and sulforaphane. I3C and sulforaphane help activate and stabilize the body's antioxidant and detoxification mechanisms. Other sulfur compounds, which are produced as a result of cutting, chewing or digesting cabbage, increase the liver's ability to produce enzymes that neutralize potentially toxic substances.

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Labels: cabbage, cancer, cruciferous vegetables, detox, eating healthy, Green veggies

Food	May prevent	Nutrients	Notables
Beans (i.e., chickpeas, lentils, black beans, lima beans)	Colorectal cancer	Fiber and phytochemicals (saponins, protease inhibitors, and phytic acid)	Phytochemicals have been shown to slow the growth of tumors, and researchers have identified probable evidence that fiber protects against cancer. Beans are also a great source of vegetable protein, which is helpful if you are limiting red meat intake.
Berries	Skin, bladder, lung, esophageal, colorectal, and breast cancers	Vitamin C, fiber, and phytochemicals like ellagic acid, flavonoids, and antioxidants	Blueberries contain anthocyanosides, possibly the food kingdom's most potent antioxidants, which attack cell-damaging free radicals.
Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, bok choy)	Many cancers, including colorectal, breast, oral, gastrointestinal, endometrial, lung, liver, and cervical cancers	Fiber, folate, glucosinolates, crambene, indole-3-carbinol, and isothiocyanates	Studies suggest these veggies fight cancer by regulating enzymes in the body.
Dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, collard greens, Romaine lettuce)	Mouth, pharynx, larynx, stomach, breast, skin, and lung cancers	Fiber, folate, carotenoids, saponins, and flavonoids	Research suggests the carotenoids act as antioxidants, eliminating possible cancer-causing free radicals from the body.
Flaxseed	Colon, breast, skin, and lung cancers	Omega-3 fatty acids, lignans (plant estrogens), alphalinolenic acid	Flaxseed contains more lignans than any other known food. These phytoestrogens seem to mimic the hormone estrogen. Note that flaxseed oil does not naturally contain lignans.
Garlic (also allium vegetables such as onions, scallions, leeks, chives)	Stomach, colon, prostate, bladder, skin, lung, esophageal, and breast cancers	Allicin, allixin, allyl sulfides, quercetin, and organosulfur compounds	Research shows a “dose-response relationship” with garlic. That is, the more you eat, the higher the protective benefits.
Green tea	Colon, liver, breast, prostate, lung, skin, bladder, stomach, pancreas, and esophageal cancers	Catechins, a type of flavonoid, which are potent antioxidants	A 2007 study by Japan's National Cancer Center showed that men who drank five or more cups a day may reduce the risk of advanced prostate cancer by 48%.
Pomegranates	Prostate, lung, skin, and colon cancers	Antioxidants, polyphenolic flavonoids	Researchers say pomegranates, which have high levels of antioxidants, have more anti-inflammatory properties than green tea or red wine.
Red and purple grapes	Lymph, liver, stomach, skin, breast, and leukemia cancers	Resveratrol, a type of polyphenol	Resveratrol has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Although wine contains resveratrol, research also shows a link between alcohol and other types of cancer, so it's not the best choice. Jam and raisins don't contain much; eat fresh dark-colored grapes.
Soybeans (also soy milk, soy yogurt, tofu, edamame, soynuts)	Breast and prostate cancers	Phytoestrogens called isoflavones, saponins, phenolic acids, phytic acid, and protein kinase inhibitors	Researchers believe soy isoflavones mimic hormones in the body, which may translate to cancer-fighting capabilities. Researchers also recommend that because of possible hormone mimicking, women taking anti-estrogen medicines should limit or avoid soy until more is known.
Tomatoes	Most notably, prostate cancer; also breast, lung, and endometrial cancers	Lycopene, an antioxidant	It appears the red fruit's cancer-fighting potential is higher when the tomato is in sauce, juice, or paste form.
Whole grains (such as brown rice, whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, popcorn)	Colorectal cancer	Fiber, antioxidants, phenols, lignans, phytoestrogens, and saponins	The phytochemicals from whole grains appear to protect cells from the damage that can lead to cancer. The disease-fighting nutrients and fiber found in the bran and germ of grains are stripped out in the milling of refined grains like white flour, white rice, and pasta.

Labels: anthocyanins, cancer, healthy diet, Holistic Health, lycopene, phytonutrients

The graviola, a tree growing in the Amazon River basin, has shown great promise as a cancer treatment, as its extracts are extremely effective at finding and killing cancer cells up to 10,000 better than regular chemotherapy. As well, its bark, fruit, and leaves are used as antidepressants, painkillers, antiparasitics, antifungals, and a host of other uses. Research, however, is very slow due to the fact that drug companies cannot patent natural products.

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Just putting it out there....as usual, do your own research.

Labels: cancer, graviola, miracle fruit, miracle?, research

The U.S. war on cancer has been fought for almost four decades now, since it was officially launched in 1971. It may be time to admit that the effort has often targeted the wrong enemies and used the wrong weapons.

Throughout the industrial world, the war on cancer remains focused on commercially fueled efforts to develop drugs and technologies that can find and treat the disease. But this struggle essentially ignores most of the things known to cause cancer, such as tobacco, radiation, benzene, asbestos, solvents, and some drugs and hormones. Many modern cancer-causing agents, such as gasoline exhaust, pesticides and other air pollutants, are simply deemed the inevitable price of progress.

Most cancer is not born, but made. Both public health and social justice demand a greater focus on the causes of cancer, rather than treatment. But the FDA and EPA often lack the authority and resources to monitor and control tobacco smoke, asbestos, and the cancer-causing agents in food, water and everyday products. Under antiquated laws, chemical and radiation hazards are examined one at a time, if at all. Of the nearly 80,000 chemicals regularly bought and sold today, fewer than 10% have been tested for their capacity to cause cancer or do other damage.

No matter how much efforts to treat cancer may advance, the best way to reduce cancer's toll is to keep people from getting it in the first place -- something that is being largely ignored by the modern cancer-fighting enterprise.

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Labels: cancer, eating healthy, healthy living, toxic, toxins

Gyms and fitness centers have begun stepping in to meet a small but growing demand for programs designed to not only hasten recovery but to address the fatigue of chemotherapy, the swelling of lymphedema and the loss of muscle tone.

Sponsored by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, this class for cancer patients has been around for some time, mostly in a league by itself. But in recent years, following studies that found exercise to be beneficial in combating the effects of cancer, the class has gained some company.

There have always been athletically inclined patients who stayed active, even competitive, in the wake of a diagnosis. A recent high-profile example is Eric Shanteau, an American Olympic swimmer who decided to put off testicular-cancer surgery until he had competed in Beijing.

But most of the roughly 10 million cancer survivors in the US are not amateur Lance Armstrongs. Many, though, are inspired by celebrities like Mr. Armstrong, seeing them as models for how to come out on the other side of often-debilitating treatment regimens.

A new program from the Y.M.C.A., in partnership with the Lance Armstrong Foundation, offers cancer fitness classes at more than a dozen Y’s in 10 states. At the women’s gym Curves International, researchers from Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia are looking at whether overweight breast-cancer patients can keep to a five-day-a-week Curves routine for six months. And survivors are organizing their own classes.

In some cases, oncologists are prescribing exercise, gently prodding patients to tackle whatever activity they can manage: light walking, simple stretches, exercise with resistance bands.

“The effects — what we call effect sizes in statistical research — were enormous,” she said, “and I was like ‘How come no one is talking about this?’ ” She had given up exercise a decade earlier, but the study inspired her to go back to the gym.

“I started feeling so much better,” she said. “And it struck me that if I’m feeling this good, then every cancer survivor should.”

Scientists also took notice of studies showing that those who were physically active and eating well were less likely to develop cancer. They then asked what impact exercise and diet would have on those with the disease, said Dr. Charles Fuchs, an oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston who studies cancer and exercise.

In the last eight years, a dearth of research has become a flood of studies. Among them is one sponsored by the National Cancer Institute in 2006 that looked at the effects of moderate exercise on groups of breast and prostate cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy for six weeks.

Those assigned to a daily program — taking walks of increasing distance and doing exercises with a resistance band — had less fatigue, greater strength and better aerobic capacity than those who were not instructed to exercise. This finding, and similar ones, has been replicated many times.

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Labels: cancer, exercise, Holistic Health, study

Broccoli (as compared to other cruciferous vegetables) has a particularly powerful type of sulforaphane, which the researchers believe gives broccoli its particular cancer-fighting properties. It appears that broccoli contains the necessary ingredients to switch ON genes that prevent cancer development, and switch OFF other ones that help it spread.

There is plenty of evidence linking a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables to reduced cancer risk. But the study published in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS One is the first human trial investigating the potential biological mechanism at work, Mithen added in a telephone interview.

The power of food in normalizing chronic disease and helping you achieve optimal health is quite profound....

Source & Source

Labels: broccoli, cancer, cruciferous vegetables, eating healthy, healing with food, Holistic Health

From your personal care products, to household cleaning agents, to plastic food containers and baby bottles… Many of them contain ingredients that are known to be toxic or cancer-causing.

Top Cancer-Causing Products in the average home, as compiled by the National Cancer Prevention Coalition, which includes:

• Johnson & Johnson Baby Powder with talc
• Crest Tartar Control toothpaste
• VO5 Hair Conditioner
• Clairol Nice-n-Easy Hair Color
• Cover Girl Replenishing Natural Finish Make Up
• Ajax cleanser
• Lysol disinfectant
• Zud Heavy Duty Cleanser

Read more....

Labels: baby powder, cancer, Mercola, personal care, toxic

Seeds are densely packed with many nutrients in order to survive. For example, they are high in fat because fat is the most efficient way for energy to be stored. Seeds are not, however, metabolically active, and they wait until sprouting to begin most of their metabolic activities.

Important antioxidant nutrients, for example, are usually more concentrated at this point in the plant's development than at any other time. Vitamin C, for example, is commonly higher during this sprouting stage than at any later time in the plant's growth processes. Antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD) also become more plentiful during this time, although there remains a large debate about the value of this enzyme inside our digestive tract when raw sprouts are eaten.

There has recently been considerable media coverage on the benefits of broccoli sprouts. According to Dr. Paul Talalay, M.D., J.J. Abel Distinguished Service Professor of Pharmacology at John Hopkins University, three-day-old broccoli sprouts consistently contain 20 to 50 times the amount of chemoprotective compounds found in mature broccoli heads, and may offer a simple, dietary means of chemically reducing cancer risk.

However, not all sprouts are such nutritional superstars. In fact, according to the University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter (School of Public Health) V 12, N 1, 10/95:

"Bean sprouts are a good low-calorie way to liven up your salad or sandwich but they're no nutritional giants, particularly since portions are typically small. Even if you eat half a cup of mung bean sprouts, you'll get only 7 mg of Vit C, about one-tenth the daily RDA, plus small amounts of iron and B vitamins. Alfalfa sprouts are the least nutritious."

One benefit of sprouts is that they may be easier to digest. This may be because of some of the conversion of some starch into simple sugars that occurs with the sprouting process.

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Labels: cancer, chia seeds, eating healthy, sprouts

Looking for a food pairing that does more than just intensifies taste and nutrition? Researchers out of the U.K. are suggesting that combining two food components called sulforaphane and selenium — two naturally occurring cancer fighting components found in foods — make them up to 13 times more powerful in attacking cancer together than if they are alone.

OK, so what foods contain these components? Well, foods high in sulforaphane are broccoli, sprouts, cabbage, watercress, and salad rocket (aka arugula). Foods high in selenium include nuts, poultry, fish, eggs, sunflower seeds, and mushrooms. So while we wait for the scientists to learn more, why not sprinkle some mushrooms and/or sunflower seeds onto your arugula? Not only will it be tasty, but the benefits may be hefty in terms of cancer prevention.

Thank you!

Labels: cancer, food as medicine, healthy diet, nutrition, selenium, sulforaphane