Below are a number of articles referring to cancer prevention through lifestyle, diet and nutrition that have appeared in CANCERactives icon magazine. Just click on the title to read the piece.
Prostate cancer reduced by the Rainbow Diet
A new research review (Molecular Nutrition and Food Research Volume 53, Issue 2) by urology experts Allison Hodge, MD, and Catherine Itsiopoulos, MD, outlines a host of evidence that associates a reduced risk of prostate cancer with the traditional Mediterranean diet built around a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, olive oil, fish and herbs. A low intake of red meat and cows dairy, a good dose of sun, an outdoor life, wine and a colourful life. In fact everything I told you about in my book, ’The Rainbow Diet and how it can help you beat cancer’.
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Now, vitamin D’s action against cancer becomes clearer
Research published in the Journal of Cell Biology November 17, 2008; 183(4):697-710 studies the way vitamin Ds genome and non-genome effects use one simultaneous pathway and integrate to regulate cell physiology.
The research used colon cancer cells, and showed that vitamin D can adjust almost everything in the cell from its genetic messaging to its cytoskeleton. It can switch genes on and off, and it can reduce cell division, and it can ’calm’ the colon cells so that they settle rather than spread. One pathway seems to control everything.
Stage III Clinical Trial results on a concentrated form of vitamin D are due shortly.
A second study - a meta-analysis of 18 randomised controlled trials in Alternative Medicine Review, March 2008 - has found that vitamin D supplementation significantly reduces mortality from all causes.
Vitamin Ds final metabolic products target more than 200 human genes in a wide variety of tissues. One concern is that vitamin D deficiency is on the increase as people work indoors and misguided advice warns people to stay out of the sun.
The report recommends treating patients with vitamin D supplements, especially those patients with cancers. If you are not getting your daily dose of sunshine, you should seriously think about vitamin D3 supplementation. We have a lot of up-to-date research information on this web site.
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Cancer Prevention half can be avoided
According to the World Cancer Research Fund, if Governments just promoted healthy foods and exercise just over one third of cancers would be prevented (http://www.wcrf-uk.org).
The research presented showed that exercise and healthy food can prevent 36 per cent of lung cancers, 39 per cent of breast and pancreatic cancers, over 60 per cent of mouth cancers, 25 per cent of kidney cancers and 45 per cent of colorectal cancers.
Of course, if you take icon regularly, you could prevent even more. We have told you how avoiding EMF’s, mammograms, dairy, chemical hormones, pesticides, certain chemicals in the home and toiletries and personal care products, taking melatonin, selenium, fish oils and vitamin D can all add to this prevention figure further. Oh and there’s a lot more easy to do things too. In every issue.
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Can aubergine extract cure skin cancers?
According to Dr William Douglas’ Daily Dose, researchers from the Royal London Hospital conducted a double blind, placebo controlled study using an extract from aubergines (called BEC5). Doctors treated both invasive and non-invasive non-melanoma skin cancers and concluded, "In our view and experience, BEC5 is...safe and effective...it is a cost-effective treatment for both primary and secondary skin cancer."
Even more importantly, follow-up research on patients who used BEC5 shows once their cancer went away, it did not recur. Microscopic analysis consistently shows death of all cancer cells. And better still BEC5 does not kill any healthy human cells.
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Cruciferous vegetables shown to ’work’ at the cellular level
Preventing cancers like breast and prostate by increasing your intake of cruciferous vegetables (for example, broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage) has been known for a while.
Now a group of scientists have published ’how’ they do it in December 2008’s edition of Carcinogenesis. (29; 12; 2360-8)
Leslie Wilson, professor of biochemistry and pharmacology, and Mary Ann Jordan, professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, in UCLA Santa Barbara have now shown how the healing power of these vegetables works at the cellular level.
"These vegetables contain compounds called isothiocyanates, which we believe to be responsible for the cancer-preventive and anti-carcinogenic activities in these vegetables. Broccoli and broccoli sprouts have the highest amount of the isothiocyanates.
The paper focuses on the anti-cancer activity of one of these compounds, called sulforaphane. It has already been shown to reduce the incidence and rate of chemically induced mammary tumours in animals and it inhibits the growth of cultured human breast cancer cells, leading to cell death," according to this new research.
(Ed: Of course you could have read all about it in my book, The Rainbow Diet and how it can help you beat cancer, which came out last summer!)
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FDA finally clears Stevia for general use
As we have told you previously, new research clearing this natural leaf, no-calorie sweetener plus a determined soft drinks industry has led to the approval now of stevia for use as a sweetening food supplement. The FDAs decision applies only to a highly purified form of stevia known as rebaudioside A
But that is just in America the UK is behind the line again.
The FDA faxed approval letters to Cargill Inc. and Merisant Co.s Whole Earth Sweetener unit, which are teaming up with Coke and Pepsi, respectively, to market the sweetener. (Click here to find out about Stevia; Click here to buy the Natural selection ’Product of Choice’)
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Grapeseed extract kills cancer cells
In laboratory studies conducted by the University of Kentucky (Clinical Cancer Research), found that leukaemia cancer cells exposed to grapeseed extract (GSE) were rapidly killed through a process of cell suicide known as "apoptosis."
76 per cent of the leukaemia cells committed suicide within 24 hours thanks to the ability of GSE to activate a protein called JNK, which regulates apoptosis.
The researchers concluded that the GSE helped the cells systems recognise in some way that the cell was ’flawed’. Although this is not the first time such an effect has been noted, the study will next need to be replicated in humans before any real conclusions can be made.
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An apple a day keeps breast cancer away
Dr Rui Hai Liu, Cornell associate professor of food science and a member of Cornells Institute for Comparative and Environmental Toxicology, has shown yet again that apples fight cancer. (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry)
Dr. Liu found fresh apple extracts significantly inhibited the size of mammary tumours in rats and the more extracts they gave, the better the outcome.
A highly malignant type of breast cancer called an adenocarcinoma developed in 81 percent in the control animals. However, it developed only in 57 per cent, 50 per cent and 23 per cent of the animals that received a diet supplemented by low, middle and high doses of apple extracts (the equivalent of one, three and six apples a day in humans), respectively, during a 6 month study.
Dr. Liu also announced a variety of new phenolic compounds he has discovered in apple peelings that also have "potent antioxidant and anti-proliferative activities" on tumours. Some appear to have a great effect at modifying cell cycles and controlling inflammation. We have covered research on polyphenols before for example German research that shows casein in cow’s milk binds to them in tea and prevents their benefits. They are more than antioxidants and more than free radical neutralisers. They seem to have many heart protective and anti-cancer benefits are we are really only just starting to learn about these natural compounds. (http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories)
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HER-2 Breast cancer and olive oil
Researchers from the University of Granada in Spain and the Catalonian Institute of Oncology (ICO) in Girona have discovered that the phenolic compounds in extra virgin olive oil appear to be a significant weapon against breast cancer. (BMC Cancer).
The researchers showed how phenolic compounds directly extracted from extra virgin olive oil were effective against both HER2-positive and HER2-negative breast cancers cells, in vitro experiments. The research, conducted by Javier A. Menendez, coordinator of the Translational Research Unit of the ICO and doctors Alberto Fernandez Gutierrez and Antonio Segura Carretero, confirms that polyphenols (especially those known as secoiridoids and lignans) found in extra virgin olive oil not only inhibited the activity of cancer-promoting HER-2 proteins but also promoted its degradation.
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