Watercress - the new superfood to prevent cancer

In my previous article on "How does Cancer develop?", I mentioned about angiogenesis as one concept. Apparently, more research has come up to support this theory.

If you look at anti-angiogenesis, the method is how to 'stop' the blood supply to the cancer cells. Tomatoes and other colourful fruits seems to have this ability. Well, the latest new superfood is watercress (Sai Yeong Choy in Cantonese) apparently has this ability as well. Watercress has the ability to turn off HIF1, a signal sent out by cells calling for blood supply.

When HIF1 becomes incorrectly regulated, otherwise harmless precancerous clusters of cells have the opportunity to grow to form invasive tumors.  "Scientists have been looking for anti-angiogenesis agents for years because if we can turn off the blood supply, we can kill the cancer," said Perricone.  "And it looks like watercress can do that.

Read more in this article

The top five cancer-causing foods

Someone send me these and thought that it made sense.

1.. Hot Dogs
Because they are high in nitrates, the Cancer Prevention Coalition advises that children eat no more than 12 hot dogs a month. If you can't live without hot dogs, buy those made without sodium nitrate.

2. Processed meats and Bacon 
Also high in the same sodium nitrates found in hot dogs, bacon, and other processed meats raise the risk of heart disease. The saturated fat in bacon also contributes to cancer.

3. Doughnuts
Doughnuts are cancer-causing double trouble. First, they are made with white flour, sugar, and hydrogenated oils, then fried at high temperatures. Doughnuts, says Adams , may be the worst food you can possibly eat to raise your risk of cancer.

4. French fries
Like doughnuts, French fries are made with hydrogenated oils and then fried at high temperatures. They also contain cancer- causing acryl amides which occur during the frying process. They should be called cancer fries, not French fries, said Adams .

5. Chips, crackers, and cookies 
All are usually made with white flour and sugar. Even the ones whose labels claim to be free of trans-fats generally contain small amounts of trans-fats.

Using your own immune system to beat cancer

There is another advancement in the treatment of cancer by improving cancer cells visibility to your immune system. Once the immune system recognises the cancer cell, they can 'whack' the cancer cells.

The method is similar to a vaccine. By 'teaching' the immune system to recognised the cancer cells, it goes after the cancer cells and kills them. The best part about this method, it does not impact the healthy cells like the traditional treatments.

Read the article here

“By expressing all of these proteins in highly immunogenic viruses, we increased their visibility to the immune system,” says study author Richard Vile from Mayo Clinic. “The immune system now thinks it is being invaded by the viruses, which are expressing cancer-related antigens that should be eliminated.”
There were no observed side effects and no trace of autoimmune disease in the mice; their immune cells attacked only cancerous cells.

Trails of this method will begin in 2 years. Hopefully in about 5 years, we will have this as treatment. This seems very promising.

This is a reproduced article

We all know that when it comes to getting, and staying, healthy, the one of the best places to start is with what you're putting into your body, and on your plate, at each meal. Nutrient rich foods are natural sources of the things your body needs to stay healthy and disease free. Best of all, you can start enjoying these superfoods at any age!

For 20-somethings...

Be sure you're doing all you can to build your bone mass, as this is the last chance you'll get to do so. According to government numbers, more than half of women in their 20s don't get the 1,000mg of calcium they need each day. Most of us get about half that amount. Later on, eating right and exercising will help you keep the bone mass you've built in these years.

Great sources of bone building calcium include a cup of plain, nonfat yogurt, one cup of calcium fortified soy milk or orange juice, one cup of fat free milk or one ounce of cheddar cheese.

Folate is another important nutrient at this age, and if you're planning to become pregnant, you should be aware of how much you're getting. As many as 70% of neural tube defects (including spina bifida) could be prevented if women got enough of this important vitamin at the right time. Even if you're just "trying" go for 400 mcg daily and up this to 600 mcg once you become pregnant.

You'll want to get your folate in supplement form for best absorption, and try natural sources like cereal with 100% the daily value (400 mcg) of folic acid, 4 spears of asparagus, a cup of raw spinach, one ounce of peanuts, or a slice of whole wheat bread.

For 30-somethings...

Iron is a fantastic fatigue fighter, and this is key during the time of your life when you're juggling family, work and relationships. Many women in this age group aren't eating much meat and don't get the 18mg of iron recommended by experts. Your body gets the most iron from animal protein, plant foods can give you more if you pair them with foods that are loaded with vitamin C, like strawberries or red peppers.

Your best sources of iron are ¾ cup fortified cereal (18 mc of iron), a half cup white beans, a half cup cooked spinach, 3 ounces of beef or chicken.

The 30s are also a great time to help out your heart by adding omega-3 fats, as eating them regularly can cut your risk of heart disease by lowering those triglycerides. You'll want to eat at least two servings of low mercury fish each week. Seafood sources of omega-3s are best for brain health.

Best bets for these heart-healthy omega-3 fats are three ounces of salmon, flounder, halibut, shrimp, or canned light tuna.

For 40-somethings...

Fiber is your friend in the 40s, as it will help you feel fuller and eat less. At this age your metabolism is slowing, and your muscle mass getting smaller, so the calories you need a day drop by about 100. Fiber also keeps constipation (more common as you get older) at bay while also bringing down cholesterol numbers. We need 25 grams daily, but most women get far less than this.

Get enough with a half cup 100% bran cereal, half a cup black beans, a small pear with skin, a half cup raspberries, an ounce of almonds or a half cup of whole wheat pasta.

Potassium is another good nutrient at this age. This is the time of life when blood pressure can start creeping up, but if you do something now you could avoid medication altogether. Getting enough potassium doesn't just lower that elevated blood pressure; it also works well against the blood pressure raising effects of sodium. It might even lessen bone loss. Hit the 4,700 mg a day mark to get the benefits to your body.

Get enough by enjoying a medium sweet potato or potato, a medium banana, three ounces of pork tenderloin, a cup of fat free milk or a half-cup of cooked lentils.

There's now good evidence that eating foods rich in antioxidants might spare you from cognitive decline (even dementia and Alzheimer's) according to work out of the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. You'll want to get the most antioxidant content you can, so try for 5 servings of these foods each day.

Best bets for antioxidants are a cup of blueberries, raspberries or strawberries, a half cup dried plumbs, a Granny Smith apple, a cup of red grapes - veggies include a medium russet potato, a cup of artichoke hearts, a half cup broccoli or a half cup of raw red cabbage.

For 50-somethings...
Now's the time that vitamin D can really help, every cell in your body needs this nutrient to work, which might explain why its been tied to so many health benefits - everything from lowering risk for cancer to protecting against depression. You want to try for the minimum 400IU, but at this age people make about 30% less from simple exposure to the sun so what you get from diet becomes even more important.

Best bets for vitamin D include 3 ounces of canned light tuna, a cup of D-fortified milk/juice or one egg. Most multivitamins give you 400IUs a day, though you might want to add a vitamin D supplement of 1,000 IUs a day, an amount that many experts are now recommending.

Another great nutrient, B12, will help you stay sharp, but most people over 50 don't produce enough stomach acid to digest the vitamin from the foods we eat. That's troubling since this vitamin is needed to produce red blood cells and involved in brain function. Low B12 levels can bring on high levels of homocysteine, linked to heart disease. Your doctor can test your B12 levels if you're worried.

This is an age where you'll do better to take the B12 in supplement form, as you'll absorb it better and more easily. A multivitamin or a bowl or fortified cereal (100% DV of B12) will give you what you need. 2.5mcg a day is what you'll be shooting for.

Some great sources of B12 include a cup of that fortified cereal, three ounces of beef, a cup of yogurt or a cup of milk.

Kirsten Whittaker
Daily Health Bulletin Editor

Other sources: CNN health.com

Eating to being cancer free

Kirsten Whittaker
Daily Health Bulletin Editor
"..
Topping the list of the best cancer fighting eating plans is one we all have heard so much about - the Mediterranean style diet - a lifelong commitment to eating well that also happens to suppress cancer and fight heart disease. This plan calls for eating plenty of fruits, veggies and other plant based foods, using herbs/spices for flavor (not salt), limiting how much red meat and alcohol you consume on a regular basis, using healthy fats (olive and canola oil) instead of butter and eating fish/poultry at least two times a week.

Another winner on the cancer-fighting diet front is the whole body diet, a plan that calls for eating 6 to 7 small meals per day, rather than the 3 large ones we're all used to. In terms of cancer prevention, this way of eating calls for fruits, veggies and whole grains in at least half of your meals for the day, limiting foods that are high in fat, eating lean protein and being active every single day.

When it comes to the plans that aren't so effective... Gluten free diets have grown in popularity, but experts' caution that you shouldn't adopt this eating style unless you've been diagnosed with gluten intolerance. Those who follow this plan stay away from foods with whole grains that are also high in fiber, vitamins and minerals. It's the fiber and other essential nutrients that while bad for the celiac patient, help to protect body cells from the type of damage that can precede cancer.


Also on the no-no list are carb free diets. If you totally cut our carbs you deprive your body of its basic source of energy. You'll also be withholding some important cancer-fighting foods, fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans. Instead of cutting the carbs altogether, choose them ore carefully. Go for whole grains instead of refined ones... limit the cakes and cookies.

When it comes to keeping yourself at a healthy weight, and thus reducing your risk of many forms of cancer, moderation is the most important thing to keep in mind. You're making a lifelong commitment according to Amin, and the best chance for long-term success comes from doing things in moderation.

Remember too, preventing cancer is the most effective treatment available at the moment for what can be a deadly disease.
"

A new view of cancer - proteomics and genomics

Genomics is the study of structure of your cells, organs, body. And the study of Genomics can sort of predict if you will likely have cancer or not. Basically, all you need to do is to look at your parents, siblings and your immediate relatives. Genomics says you if you look and analyse enough based on your likely relations inclination, you can sort of predict if you can get cancer or not (or any other ailments).

Here is my own story. Based on my blood type and also my human physiology, I had determined that I follow more my mother than my father (by the way, my other siblings followed my dad). My mum's brothers and sisters were cancer victims too. My mum was a cancer victim. So it was not surprising that I too was a cancer victim.

Well Genomics allows you to understand this which is very useful. Proteomic - study of interactions of proteins is more for new way of treatment for cancer. Conventional cancer treatment is like treating an  infectious disease, which Cancer is NOT. Conventional treatment treats the symptoms (I am not saying you should not treat the symptoms and in my case, it worked for me). Cancer is a failure of your own body system. All of us have cancer cells being developed in our own body, but our body's functions clears them effectively. Only when our own body functions malfunctions, cancer exhibits in tumours. Proteomics basically is the study of protein interactions and there is a effort to use Proteomics to map out model with specifics on cancer. Proteomics will map out what is wrong in your body specifically and then design the 'correct' treatment just for you. Basically, the treatment will be to support your own body to 'fight' off the cancer cells. So this approach will be less invasive, less destructive to the body and more effective treatment.

I really hope they are successful. Here is a video on Proteomics if you are interested in watching to it.
By the way, I am not a expert so listen to the experts explain this and I can assure you that it is very interesting.