OzTennis

This is a serious thread and I am passing on the following which appeared in the UK press over the weekend:

"A handful of Brazil nuts a day can reduce the risk of eight types of cancer by up to 76%, scientists said yesterday.

They are packed with the mineral selenium, which can help prevent cancer of the liver, lung, stomach, prostate, pancreas, brain, kidney and oesophagus by blocking the formation of tumours.

Selenium also fights tumours once they appear, improving the chances of survival. Dr Margaret Rayman of the University of Surrey told the British Association Festival of Science in Exeter that people should aim for a daily intake of around 200 micrograms (mcg) of the mineral.

That cuts risk by between 46% in the case of lung cancer, and 76% for prostate cancer, studies have found.

A HANDFUL OF BRAZIL NUTS A DAY IS ENOUGH. OTHER SOURCES ARE LIVER, KIDNEY AND SHELLFISH.

She warned that taking more than 450 mcg of selenium a day can cause some toxic effects."

The report also said that selenium comes from the soil and is present in crops such as wheat but Britons get on average only 30 mcg in their diet today, half the level of the early 1970's (apparently due to a change from selenium rich Canadian wheat to European sources where the soil contains less selenium).

Obviously if you have a nut allergy this is not an option but there is the liver, kidney, shellfish and tablet sources of selenium.

OzTennis

bundy

Very interesting OzT - I'd heard that before.

As you know, my mum is fighting cancer at the moment and has read every book and article going. She has been making a near-miraculous recovery and she attributes a lot of it to the changes she has made in her diet and the discovery of various 'superfoods'.

Another interesting food stuff in relation to cancer is pomegranate. I read something about it the week before my mum was diagnosed and have since read up about it. My mum takes pomegranate capsules daily and has done since the day cancer was suspected. She also drinks gallons of the stuff. It is supposed to stop tumours acting within 48 hours and although it is non-cancer specific, it seems to be particulary effective on skin cancers (as well as breast cancers) so a lot of the research is being done in Oz.

bundy

Pomegranate seed may cause breast cancer cells to self-destruct



20/08/2001 - Israeli researchers have found that pomegranates could have important implications for breast cancer treatment and the safety of oestrogen replacement therapy.

Technion-Israel Institute of Technology found that pomegranate seed oil triggers apoptosis, a self-destruct mechanism, in breast cancer cells. In addition, pomegranate juice can be toxic to most oestrogen-dependent breast cancer cells, while leaving normal breast cells largely unaffected.

Oestrogen is a hormone prescribed to protect postmenopausal women against heart disease and osteoporosis.

"Pomegranates seem to replace the oestrogen often prescribed to protect postmenopausal women against heart disease and osteoporosis, while selectively destroying dependent-dependent cancer cells," explains Dr. Ephraim Lansky, who headed the studies.

In the first study, laboratory-grown breast cancer cells were treated for three days with pomegranate seed oil. The researchers observed apoptosis in 37 to 56 per cent of the cancer cells, depending on the dose of oil applied.

In the second study, both normal and cancerous breast cells were exposed to pomegranate wine and pomegranate peel extracts, which contain polyphenols. The vast majority of the normal cells remained unaffected by the two pomegranate derivatives. But more than 75 per cent of the oestrogen-dependent cancer cells, and approximately half of the non-oestrogen dependent cancer cells were destroyed by exposure to these same pomegranate products.

Dr. Martin Goldman, a New York-based board certified internist and life medicine specialist, notes, "this is apparently a safe substance that could be helpful to many people, especially women at high-risk for developing breast cancer."

According to Dr. Lajos Pusztai, an assistant professor who studies breast cancer at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston, Dr. Lansky's study "provides a potential new avenue to develop anti-cancer drugs from a natural compound."

Technion researchers have tested other health benefits of pomegranates, showing their antioxidant potency and ability to lower oxidation of LDL cholesterol, leading to the elimination of plaques in arteries.

OzTennis

Yes, of course I knew about your mother and I was very pleased to see how well she is doing. My father and brother were both diagnosed in recent years (leukaemia and prostate cancer respectively) and so with my 'family history' I have been reading up, getting blood tests annually etc and have started on a handful of brazils a day. Thankfully, my father and brother are doing well with their respective ongoing treatments. A tennis friend also has prostate cancer and he takes a number of supplements as part of his treatment. One he swears by comes from tomatoes and I think is the chemical that makes them red (?) and he also takes soya bean extract. He had radium inplants rather than chemo, radio or removal of the prostate and so far has survived for 5 years. I'm apprehensive of pomegranates because I don't like them particularly (and I'd hate to be called a pom too).

Thanks for the info and I'll share anything else I find/have.

OzTennis

bundy

Yep, it's the lycopene in tomatoes that helps, particularly in prostate cancer. And it's the ellagic acid in pomegranates that makes them magic - you can also find it in strawberries.

My mum has cut out all diary products because her cancer is oestrogen receptive and there are way too many hormones in most milks, even good wholesome Jersey milk. She's cut out meat and eats lots of fish instead. She has a top-notch juicer and spends ages concocting things. Upping the intake of broccoli and spinach, watercress, radishes, red grapes etc etc etc. She can't stand green tea (neither can I), but pomegranate juice is ten times more powerful an antioxidant. Funny thing is, I've been eating like this for years and she always whinged about it before.....

She takes no supplements other than the pomegranate, B12 and aloe vera to get over her radiotherapy and spirulina in her juices.

And the results are amazing. Clearly, her positive attitude helps, but her progress has some of her consultants stumped.

OzTennis

Lycopene, that's it. My friend said it was useless eating loads of tomatoes because you wouldn't get enough of the lycopene that way. Broccoli and anything fruit and vegetable with vivid colours are oft recommended in the literature. I'll look out for the pomegranate juice.

My friend is very well off and paid to go to the States for the best and most expensive treatment as his prostate cancer was very well advanced and his PSA levels were astronomical. His specialist who he keeps in contact with for his follow up treatment of hormones, lycopene, soya etc said if he had followed the advice he got on treatment from his NHS and BUPA doctors locally and in Edinburgh he would no longer be with us (although I guess a lot of specialists might say that?).

More power to your mother's food blender! I'm sure diet is a very important preventative and treatment.

OzTennis

bundy

Lycopene is a strange one - in fact, the more you cook tomatoes, the more is released. One of the most potent forms is tomato ketchup (this pleased my brother no end). Making lots of pasta sauces out of reduced tomatoes is a great way to pack a load in and it's a rare case when the tinned version is just as good as the real thing.

There's a lot you can do to take charge of your health as an adjunct to conventional medicine. My mum is no tree-hugging hippy - she read everything she could get her hands on and we researched it all as if it were some thesis. The results speak for themselves.

OzTennis

Too true that people need to take charge of their own health. Interesting about the tomatoes and can't be overcooked in terms of lycopene release. A similar strange thing applies to frozen vegetables which are apparently just the same as fresh vegetables in terms of health properties - although most people prefer fresh in terms of taste, colour or texture. Another thing in the press a lot lately was how the average diet has far too much salt and how pre-prepared meals and unusual things like breakfast cereals have dangerous doses of salt in them - diabetes, high blood pressure etc on the rise because of this.

OzTennis