cancerous
Tomatoes can Help Reduce the Risk of Prostate Cancer
What’s the second most common cancer in men worldwide? Prostate cancer… and it’s much more prevalent in developed countries. Experts believe that higher rates of prostate cancer in industrialized nations are partially due to the Western diet and lifestyle. Researchers from the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge, and Oxford recently identified three dietary components that may help slash your risk for prostate cancer.
Lycopene, an antioxidant found in tomatoes, stood out as the all-star prostate cancer-fighting nutrient.
10 Tomatoes a Week Keep the Doctor Away!
The study, published in Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, is the first “dietary index” to track dietary components and their effects on prostate cancer. Researchers compared the diets and lifestyle behaviors of 1,806 prostate cancer patients between the ages of 50 and 69 with 12,005 cancer-free men. They discovered that selenium, calcium, and lycopene effectively reduced prostate cancer risk, with lycopene showing the most influence.
| FACT: Men who consumed 10 portions a week of tomatoes or tomato products (like baked beans or tomato juice) had an 18% reduced risk for developing prostate cancer! |
Lead researcher Vanessa Er, from the School of Social and Community Medicine at the University of Bristol and Bristol Nutrition BRU, explains: “Our findings suggest that tomatoes may be important in prostate cancer prevention. However, further studies need to be conducted to confirm our findings, especially through human trials. Men should still eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, maintain a healthy weight and stay active.”
Researchers also analyzed lifestyle factors, particularly the anti-cancer lifestyle recommendations for diet, physical activity, and body weight set forth by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR). While the suggestions of these two organizations are pertinent to overall cancer prevention, they aren’t targeted at prostate cancer prevention, and researchers determined that only dietary recommendations lowered prostate cancer risk. This study confirms that a high intake of fruits, vegetables, and fiber helps lower your odds of a prostate cancer diagnosis.
The Anti-Cancer Effects of Lycopene
Lycopene is a carotenoid found in fruits such as the tomato, apricot, guava, and watermelon. It has been shown to shield against toxins that damage DNA and cells. Previous studies have shown that lycopene suppresses androgen receptor expression in prostate cancer cells in vitro, and decreases prostate cancer cell proliferation. Lycopene has also been shown to protect against cardiovascular disease and macular degeneration (the primary cause of vision loss in people over 60).
To increase your lycopene consumption, add some tomatoes, grapefruit, asparagus, parsley, and carrots to your diet. You’ll notice the results from the inside out, as lycopene also helps your skin maintain a radiant, healthy glow.
How Turmeric Fights Pancreatic Caner
Find out how turmeric—one of the world’s most healthiest botanicals—may even help fight advanced pancreatic cancer?
You’ve probably heard of the remarkable health benefits associated with the culinary spice turmeric and its antioxidant constituent curcumin. Now, the
latest headlines suggest it may even have potential as a cure for pancreatic cancer.
Who’s the Deadliest of Them All?
Pancreatic cancer is the 4th leading cause of cancer death in the United States, and with it come extremely dismal survival rates. Stage IA pancreatic cancer has a mere 14% five-year survival rate, and Stage IV exhibits a horrendous 1% five-year survival rate.
Pancreatic cancer takes an estimated 38,000 American lives each year, and is infamous for not responding to conventional cancer treatments. Those who do survive often have a recurrence due to conventional treatments that have left them with damaged immune systems and a treatment-resistant tumorigenic cancer stem cell population.
Several studies offer a glimpse of hope in the form of curcumin, the polyphenol that coats turmeric in a yellow/orange pigment… and also the source of the spice’s anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antimicrobial, and anticancer properties. Recent research suggests that curcumin may help prevent, slow, and possibly reverse pancreatic tumors in even the most advanced stages of the disease.
Three Groundbreaking Studies
Clinical Cancer Research published a study showing that an eight-gram oral dose of curcumin taken daily can both halt tumor growth and shrink tumor size. Out
of 15 patients, two experienced no significant tumor growth (one patient for 8 months and another for 2.5 years!)… and one patient experienced a 73% reduction in tumor size. The only time patients saw an increase in cancer markers was during a three-week period in which curcumin treatment ceased. Unfortunately, the effects were not long term, as a curcumin-resistant tumor appeared in one of the patients.
The aforementioned study was conducted on patients treated with curcumin alone. A 2013 study published in Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology showed that when patients were treated with a bioavailable form of curcumin alongside chemotherapy they reported significant improvements in fatigue, overall function, and appetite, which suggests that curcumin may help enhance quality of life when undergoing conventional cancer therapies.
Another 2013 study published in the journal Anticancer Research showed that a turmeric extract of liposomal curcumin (an extremely bioavailable form of the spice) taken three times a week for four weeks imparts antitumor effects on human pancreatic cells, both in vitro (taking place in a test tube) and in mice. In fact, tumor growth slowed by 42% in the animal models!
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Prevent with Turmeric When interviewed by Newsmax Health, Dr. Robert Wascher, a surgical oncologist from California, explained that 65% of all cancers could be prevented with minor changes to diet and lifestyle, one of which includes increased consumption of turmeric. Spice your curries and risottos with turmeric, and safeguard your health by taking a high quality, bioavailable curcumin supplement daily. |
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