8 Foods That Prevent Cancer

 

Food & Drinks, Health, Medical With today’s way of life, people are more likely to suffer from obesity, and exposed to various diseases or contract some forms of cancer. On the other hand, modern day medicine has evolved such that people can rely on the latest drugs or devices to treat cancer. When it comes to treating cancer, prevention and detection is probably the best way to nipping it in its bud. Thus, we should always go for regular health screenings to detect cancer in its early stages and isolate it early. On the other hand, we also try to prevent or delay contracting cancer as far as possible by consuming healthy foods, which we have compiled a list of for you. (Do not replace this list with your regular health checkup.) 1.    Cauliflower Image source: Prevention Cauliflower contains sulforaphane, a compound that has been shown to have anti-cancer effects. Sulforaphane are released when cauliflower is broken down, so focus on chewing it before swallowing. This compound seeks and destroys certain cancer cells without harming your healthy cells. There are plenty of recipes available online on how you can add cauliflower to your meals. Cauliflower and broccoli have similar effects, so add broccoli to your list of foods too.   http://healthmindbodies.com/8-foods-that-prevent-cancer/?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=businessinsider&utm_campaign=[Taboola_HMB_Desktop_8-foods-that-prevent-cancer]

10 Tips for Lung Cancer Prevention

 

Written or medically reviewed by a board-certified physician. See About.com's Medical Review Policy. Updated March 11, 2015. Lung cancer prevention goes beyond avoiding smoking. More than half of people who develop lung cancer at this time are not current smokers. What are 10 things you can do today to lower your risk? istockphoto.com 1.  Don't Smoke Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer, responsible for 80 to 90% of lung cancers. It is never too late to quit smoking. For those who have been diagnosed with lung cancer, smoking cessation may improve survival. More » flickr.com, user oparvez 2.  Check Your Home for Radon For non-smokers, checking your home for radon is the number one thing you can do for lung cancer prevention. Radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers, and the second leading cause of lung cancer overall. Radon is an odorless gas that results from the decay of natural uranium in the soil beneath our homes. Elevated levels of radon have been found in homes in all 50 states and around the world. The only way to know if you are at risk is to test your home for radon. More » istockphoto.com 3.  Be Careful and Aware at Work It’s estimated that up to 29% of lung cancers in men are related to on-the-job exposures to cancer causing substances. Many of these work collectively with smoking to raise your risk even further. Employers are required to provide Material Safety Data Sheets on chemicals you may be exposed to at work. Make sure to check these out. Occupation and Lung Cancer – What Should You Know? More » istockphoto.com 4.  Be Careful and Aware at Home Lung cancer prevention is important at home as well. Chemicals that contribute to lung cancer are found not only at the workplace, but may be under your sink or in your garage. Carefully read labels on household products and follow the instructions for safe usage. Wood smoke from wood burning stoves and fireplaces may also increase the risk of developing lung cancer. Environmental Exposures and Lung Cancer Risk More » istockphoto.com 5.  Avoid Secondhand Smoke Secondhand smoke is responsible for roughly 3000 cases of lung cancer each year in the United States alone. Living with a smoker increases your chance of developing lung cancer by 20 to 30%.. Thankfully, smoking laws have made it easier to stay “secondhand smoke free” in recent years, and will likely play an important role in lung cancer prevention. More » istockphoto.com 6.  Exercise for Lung Cancer Prevention Even moderate amounts of exercise can aid in lung cancer prevention. Studies suggest that even something as simple as gardening twice a week is associated with a lower risk of developing lung cancer. Exercise and Lung Cancer Prevention More » istockphoto.com 7.  Eat a Variety of Fruits and Vegetables A diet rich in fruits in vegetables is linked with a lower risk of developing lung cancer. Recently, studies suggest that variety may be even more important than quantity. Make lung cancer prevention fun by trying out new foods in the produce section. Try to choose a rainbow of colors, including dark greens such as spinach and broccoli, the whites of onions, the reds of apples and tomatoes, and the orange of orange juice and winter squash. On a reverse note, inorganic phosphates found in processed meats and cheeses are associated with an increased risk of lung cancer. Diet and Lung Cancer Prevention More » istockphoto.com 8.  Enjoy a Cup of Green Tea Green tea has been shown to prevent some of the damage to cells caused by smoking, and people who consume more green tea appear to have a lower risk of lung cancer. That said, drinking green tea isn’t a “get out of jail free” card, andquitting smoking is the most important thing you can do to lower your risk. National Cancer Institute, J. Troha (photographer) 9.  Limit Your Intake of Alcohol Another important step in lung cancer prevention may include limiting your intake of certain types of alcoholic beverages. For men, the heavy consumption of beer and hard liquor is associated with an elevated risk of developing lung cancer. In contrast, a moderate intake of wine in men was linkedwith a lower risk of developing the disease. More » istockphoto.com 10.  Be Wary of Supplements Advertisements would lead us to believe that nutritional supplements are beneficial in lung cancer prevention, while in fact, studies have actually linked the use of some supplements to a higher risk of developing lung cancer. Supplements that have raised concern include beta-carotene, retinol, lutein, and vitamin E. If you are considering taking nutritional supplements, talk with your doctor or ask her to refer you to someone knowledgeable about the risks and benefits of supplements for your specific situation.   http://lungcancer.about.com/od/preventinglungcance1/tp/Lung-Cancer-Prevention-Tips.htm

Colorful potatoes may pack powerful cancer prevention punch

 

Purple-fleshed potatoes. Credit: © vainillaychile / Fotolia Compounds found in purple potatoes may help kill colon cancer stem cells and limit the spread of the cancer, according to a team of researchers. Baked purple-fleshed potatoes suppressed the growth of colon cancer tumors in petri dishes and in mice by targeting the cancer's stem cells. Attacking stem cells is an effective way to counter cancer, according to Jairam K.P. Vanamala, associate professor of food sciences, Penn State and faculty member, at the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute. "You might want to compare cancer stem cells to roots of the weeds," Vanamala said. "You may cut the weed, but as long as the roots are still there, the weeds will keep growing back and, likewise, if the cancer stem cells are still present, the cancer can still grow and spread." The researchers, who released their findings in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, currently online, used a baked purple potato because potatoes are widely consumed and typically baked before they are consumed, especially in western countries. They wanted to make sure the vegetables maintained their anti-cancer properties even after cooking. In the initial laboratory study, the researchers found that the baked potato extract suppressed the spread of colon cancer stem cells while increasing their deaths. Researchers then tested the effect of whole baked purple potatoes on mice with colon cancer and found similar results. The portion size for a human would be about the same as eating a medium size purple-fleshed potato for lunch and dinner, or one large purple-fleshed potato per day. According to the researchers, there may be several substances in purple potatoes that work simultaneously on multiple pathways to help kill the colon cancer stem cells, including anthocyanins and chlorogenic acid, and resistant starch. "Our earlier work and other research studies suggest that potatoes, including purple potatoes, contain resistant starch, which serves as a food for the gut bacteria, that the bacteria can covert to beneficial short-chain fatty acids such as butyric acid," Vanamala said. "The butyric acid regulates immune function in the gut, suppresses chronic inflammation and may also help to cause cancer cells to self-destruct." In addition to resistant starch, the same color compounds that give potatoes, as well as other fruits and vegetables, a rainbow of vibrant colors may be effective in suppressing cancer growth, he added. "When you eat from the rainbow, instead of one compound, you have thousands of compounds, working on different pathways to suppress the growth of cancer stem cells," said Vanamala. "Because cancer is such a complex disease, a silver bullet approach is just not possible for most cancers." The next step would be to test the whole food approach using purple potatoes in humans for disease prevention and treatment strategies. The researchers also plan to test the purple potatoes on other forms of cancer. Using evidenced-based foods as a proper cancer prevention strategy could complement current and future anti-cancer drug therapies. Vanamala said that foods could actually offer a healthier way to prevent cancer because they often have limited side effects compared to drug treatments. "Indeed, we have seen that the animals that consumed purple potatoes are healthier compared to animals that received drug treatment," said Vanamala. Purple potatoes could be potentially used in both primary and secondary prevention strategies for cancer, Vanamala suggested. Primary prevention is aimed at stopping the initial attack of cancer, while secondary prevention refers to helping patients in remission remain cancer-free. Most of the funding in cancer research currently goes to cancer cures but not to prevention, Vanamala said. However, as cancer incidences are predicted to surge in the next two decades, an equal emphasis on both food-based cancer prevention and therapeutic drug approaches should be used to counter the growing epidemic of cancer in the U.S. and around the world. Vanamala worked with Venkata Charepalli, a doctoral student; Sridhar Radhakrishnan, a post-doctoral scholar; Ramakrishna Vadde, a visiting scientist from India, all in food science and Lavanaya Reddivari, assistant professor of plant science, all from Penn State and Rajesh Agarwal, professor of pharmaceutical science, University of Colorado. The United States Department of Agriculture supported this work. Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Penn State. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Venkata Charepalli, Lavanya Reddivari, Sridhar Radhakrishnan, Ramakrishna Vadde, Rajesh Agarwal, Jairam K.P. Vanamala. Anthocyanin-containing purple-fleshed potatoes suppress colon tumorigenesis via elimination of colon cancer stem cells. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 2015; DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2015.08.005 Penn State. "Colorful potatoes may pack powerful cancer prevention punch." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 26 August 2015. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/08/150826144122.htm.

Understanding why some latina women discontinue participation in cancer prevention outreach

 

It has long been known that rates of breast and cervical cancer screening among Latinas are low compared to rates for U.S. women overall. A study led by researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) found that age and fear of cancer diagnosis are among the reasons why Latina women do not continue participation following breast and cervical cancer education programs. The research was published in the Journal of Health Communication: International Perspectives. This research is a secondary analysis of a large randomized, controlled study reported earlier and was designed to specifically understand the characteristics of women who were lost to attrition for follow-up telephone calls following participation in the multisite, peer-led education program Esperanza y Vida (EyV). Esperanza y Vida aims to address the low rates of breast and cervical cancer screening in the diverse Latina population and offers cancer screening information and education in community settings delivered by lay health advisers and sobreviventes (cancer survivors). A narrative from the sobreviventes incorporates personal experiences to promote learning and increase self-efficacy for pap and mammography screenings. In that earlier EyV intervention study, a participant was considered lost to follow-up if, for example, she did not provide a telephone number at registration, declined to complete the follow-up questions, or did not have a working telephone number. The secondary analysis only examined attrition at two months, as women lost to follow-up at this time were dropped from further analysis. Of the 908 Latina women who participated in the cancer education program and consented to follow-up, 76% were retained at the two-month follow-up assessment. "Participant loss to follow-up represents a potentially important source of bias in research studies," says Deborah Erwin, PhD, Principal Investigator of the study and Director of the Office of Cancer Health Disparities Research at Roswell Park. "These findings are underscored by the fact that while there was a very high response rate for follow-up assessment two months after the program (77%) -- especially for a group that includes many non-English-speaking, foreign-born women -- unscreened women at that time could receive navigation assistance for screening, and the women lost to follow-up (23%) may remain unscreened without additional assistance." Analysis of the data found that Latinas lost to attrition at the two-month follow-up assessment included women who were younger than 40 years of age (59.6%; most women in this group were ineligible for mammograms, but eligible for pap tests); those who felt that hearing a survivor's story would lead them to make an appointment for preventive screening (17.6%); and women who were afraid of hearing medical results (43.2%). More research would be required to determine whether the group of women impacted by a survivor's personal experiences went on to obtain screening on their own. The large share of women who were concerned about hearing medical results and who were no longer participating in the study demonstrates the continued need to address fears and emotional issues around screening. "Knowing more about the reasons behind attrition characteristics provides insight for future studies," adds Dr. Erwin. "These findings contribute to the literature regarding the recruitment and retention of minorities, specifically Latinas and newer immigrants, in research studies, as well as to how attrition and the ability to follow up with Latina women of varying ages are understood." The study, entitled "Who's Missing? Predictors of Attrition Following Participation in Culturally Targeted Educational Breast and Cervical Cancer Outreach Programs for Latinas," was supported by American Cancer Society grant RSGT-07-021-01-CPPB, the John R. Oishei Foundation of Western New York, and Susan G. Komen Western New York. Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Roswell Park Cancer Institute. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Jamilia Sly, Lina Jandorf, Deborah O. Erwin. Who's Missing? Predictors of Attrition Following Participation in Culturally Targeted Educational Breast and Cervical Cancer Outreach Programs for Latinas. Journal of Health Communication, 2015; 20 (7): 851 DOI: 10.1080/10810730.2015.1018596