Sunday 13 April 2008

How to Prevent Cancer with Proper Diet and Supplements

By epidemiological studies and by direct trials, much evidence has by now been gathered about the cancer prevention effects of certain diet measures, of specific food sources and of specific supplements of natural substances.


GENERAL DIET ADVICES

A diet with the aim of preventing cancer is generally the same as a diet to prevent heart disease and other diseases. Such a diet consists of:

-Whole cereals, peas, beans, vegetables, fruit, fish, mushrooms, fouls and seafood, and just a moderate amount of red meat,

-Just a moderate amount of fat.

-Ideally most fat one eats, should be of the type mono-unsaturated. One also needs some poly-unsaturated fat of the types omega-3, and omega 6, but not too much of omega-6. The consumption of saturated fat should be moderate.

- In order to achieve right fat balance, much of the fat supply should come from a blending of sources like olive, olive oil, canola oil, nuts, nut oil, sunflower, sunflower oil, fish and fish oil.

- You can include soy oil and corn oil in the diet, but do not only use such oil types in order to avoid getting too much poly-unsaturated fat of the omega-6-type.


-Just a very moderate amount of butter, coconut oil and palm oil. A high consumption of these fat sources gives you too much saturated fat.

-Avoid altogether fat that has been chemically altered, giving so-called trans-fat. This type of fat is often found in margarine, cookies, snacks, fast food and other pre-made food.

-Just a very moderate amount of sugar, refined flour or refined cereals.

-Just a moderate consumption of tranquilizers and stimulants as Alcohol and caffeine.

- Just a moderate amount of salt in the food. However, in warm weather and by hard physical work, you will need more salt.


SPECIFIC FOODS AND DRINKS TO USE

A diet with generally much fruit and vegetables has proven to help prevent cancer. Optimally a person should eat five fruits or vegetables each day, and those should be raw or carefully cooked, so that the nutrients are not washed out by the cooking.

Generally plants, fruits and spices with a strong colour or a strong taste have cancer preventing effects because of the contents of bioflavonids and other anti-oxidants.

Broccoli, cabbage, mustard, kale, and cauliflower are vegetables with proven strong cancer preventing effects, probably due to the content of indole-3-carbinole.

Onion and garlic are also thought to help prevent cancer.

Whole grain and bread made of whole grain will help prevent colon cancer because of the fibre content and possibly also because of the vitamins and minerals contained.

Red peppers give a protecting effect against prostate cancer.

Eating fish, and especially fat fish, some times each week also have a protecting effect against prostate cancer.

Evidence points to the conclusion that green tea can help prevent cancer. However studies so far undertaken do not sort out all other variables that may give the same result.

Some studies have indicated that drinking coffee reduces the incidence of cancer, but others studies have thrown doubt upon these results.


SUPPLEMENTS OF VITAMINS AND OTHER SUBSTANCES

Her are listed the most important cancer preventing effects suggested by results from recent projects. However, research are going on, and these results are not yet complete or absolutely certain.

These substances give general cancer prevention effects: Sulforaphanes found in broccoli and other crusiferous vegetables.

Colo-rectal cancer: These substances help protect against colo-rectal cancer: Alfa-tocoferole (a kind of Vitamin E), Vitamin B-6  (pyridoxine), Folic acid / folate in combination with other B-vitamins, Selenium, Indol-3-carbinol from crusiferous vegetables, Genistein from soy, and possibly also vitamin D.

Gastric cancer: Substances that help prevent gastric cancer, and even help cure changes that can evolve into gastric cancer are: Vitamin C, Beta-carotene, (a precursor of alfa-tocoferole ), Indol-3-carbinol from crusiferous vegetables, Genistein from soy.

Breast Cancer: The incidence of breast cancer can be lowered by: Folic acid / folate, Vitamin B-6  (pyridoxine), Selenium, and possibly vitamin D.

Prostate Cancer: These substances seem to help protect against Prostate cancer: Celenium and Alfa-tocoferole (a kind of Vitamine E). A long study is under way, but the results from the study are not conclusive yet.

Bladder cancer: The chance of getting bladder cancer is lowered by: Alfa-tocoferole (a kind of Vitamine E).

Lung cancer: Substances that gives protection against Lung Cancer are: Isoflavones from soy. Indol-3-carbinol from boccoli and other crusiferous vegetables, Genistein from soy, and possibly Vitamin D.

Results from research projects suggest that supplements added to the diet to prevent cancer should contain many working substances derived from natural sources, and that it is not wise to use heavy doses of just one substance.


NUTRIENTS THAT MAY HAVE THE OPPOSITE EFFECT

Beta-carotene and vitamine A supplements may increase the chance for heavy smokers of getting lung cancer and other cancers caused by smoking, according to results from epidemologic studies.

However, these vitamins in the food does not increase this risk. It is not clear what effect beta-carotene have on lung cancer in combination with other supplements or by non-smokers. The results from these studies are also controversial.


REFERENCES

You can read more about food,supplements and cancer prevention at these sites:
The Cancer Project: http://www.cancerproject.org

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion:
http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/



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Sunday 30 March 2008

Supplements for Nasal Allergy and Sinus Infection Patients

Nasal allergy is a quite common illness that everybody can have it. It is caused by the exposure of the individual to the various types of allergens such as pollen, fungus, mold, dust mites, certain foods, latex, animal dander, volatile chemicals and others. When allergens were inhaled into the nasal cavity, it penetrated mucosal membrane and came to contact with blood serum. Individual with Immunoglobulin-A antibody deficiency will easily let the allergens penetrate mucosal barrier because deficiency of Immunoglobulin-A antibody increases the mucosal permeability. Macrophages are the first type of cells that will come in contact with the allergen particles and after processing the allergens; it will pass information about the invasion of the allergen particles into the body to B-lymphocyte cells (one type of the white blood cell). This will stimulate B-lymphocyte cells and cause them start to multiply and transform into plasma cells. Stimulation of the B-lymphocyte is controlled by T-lymphocyte cell (the other type of white blood cell). The plasma cells that have been formed will produce IgE antibodies, which after that bind with the mast cells and basophil cells around nose and cause itching and hypersensitive. Subsequently, histamine chemical will be released from the mast cells when the mast cells started degranulating

What we know that why an individual’s nose easily becomes allergy is due to the deficiency of Immunoglobulin-A antibody, which is one of our defense components in our body. Its function is scavenging of exogenous material, which is coming in contact to the mucosal membrane. Apart from this, T-lymphocyte cells, which are developed in bone marrow, work as helper and suppressor to the secretion of immunoglobulin by the B-lymphocyte cells. Malfunction or deficiency of these cells will cause over secretion of immunoglobulin-E antibodies. This may exacerbate the nasal allergy illness. All this malfunction and deficiency may due to the genetic disorder inheriting from our parent. However, it may also cause by our irregular lifestyle, unhealthy eating habit and environmental factor such as not enough sleep, eat too much fried food, smoking, alcoholic, exposure to hazardous chemicals and so on. Infection with certain virus such as HIV or utilized certain steroid or chemotherapy medicines may also cause this problem. In other words, deterioration of the body immune system will make nasal allergy illness become more critical. Due to this, in order that one can relieve from the nasal allergy torturing, he or she must have a strong immune system to defend the foreign substances that will enter into their body.

Deterioration of immune system mostly due to the attack by the free radicals that have formed in our body. Free radical is a very reactive molecule and has a strong tendency to oxidize lipid, protein and DNA in our body. Everyday, a lot of free radicals are produced in our body. Although our body itself can generate antioxidant to protect ourselves, it is still not enough. That's why, we are all aging. Free radicals that have been generated in our body can weaken our body immune system by attacking to the white blood cells. Changing the DNA in a white blood cell is the most crucial point because it causes irreversible mutation of the cell. Due to this, white blood cells can not function properly and become malfunctioned. When this happening, nasal allergy illness will emerge in our body. To protect our body from radical and maintain our body immune system, we need to take enough antioxidant supplements to neutralize the excessive free radicals that have been produced in our body everyday.

Vitamin C is the most common antioxidant that can relief nasal allergy symptom. But the doses that we need to take to stop the nasal allergy are around five to eight gram. This is quite a large amount and it may cause stomach and intestinal upset. To prevent this, we should use ascorbate form of vitamin C. Until now, there is no solid evidence to show how vitamin C can stop the nasal allergy reaction. But scientists figured out that it may due to its antioxidant capabilities, which prevent cell damage. Research had been carried out in the department of obsterics at Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn to study vitamin C and histamine levels in the blood of 400 people. They found out that, people with high levels of vitamin C in their blood have lower histamine levels. When 1000mg vitamin C supplement was given daily to those with low levels of vitamin C and high levels of histamine, their hay fever improved remarkably within three days. [Journal Nutrition, April, 1980]. When large amount of vitamin C is taken, just make sure you take calcium supplement. This is because; vitamin C in the blood will bind with the calcium in the bone and attract them out into the blood. This calcium will be discarded from the body through urination. This is because vitamin C is an organic acid that can dissolve mineral in bone. To avoid this, we should take calcium ascorbate, which is a mineral form of vitamin C.

Vitamin C is very soluble in water. Therefore, high levels of vitamin C in the blood may not be easily achieved. This is because vitamin C easily excretes from the body through urination. More frequent you urinating; less vitamin C can be retained in your body. Therefore, although we take a lot of vitamin C, the actual amount retaining in the body in very little. You may relief the nasal allergy for a while and if you want to continually remain relief from nasal allergy, you may need to continually take vitamin C. This situation can be seen after we have taken the vitamin C. The urine that we excrete after one hour taking the vitamin C is yellowish color. The color is due to the presence of the vitamin C in the urine. The following urine may still yellowish. After the urine no longer shows any yellowish color; that means the vitamin C levels in the blood has gone down already. Due to this, a lot of vitamin C has been wasted. To save cost, we need to take citrus bioflavonoids and pantothenic acid. Both of them are vitamin B complex substances. Citrus bioflavonoids alter the body’s metabolism of vitamin C and raising the concentration of vitamin C in certain tissue [American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, August, 1979]. Whereas, pantothenic acid can help our body absorbs vitamin C more easily.

Apart from vitamin C and B, the second supplement that can boost our immune system is zinc. Zinc is a transitional metal that is indispensable in our body. Biochemical functions in our body that involves zinc are protein synthesis, spermatogenesis, platelet reactivity and the main one is maintaining cellular immunity. Apart from these, zinc also can prevent certain type of cancer. Zinc deficiency mostly due to malnutrition, alcoholism, malabsorption, liver cirrhosis, chronic renal disease, extensive burns, use of chelating agents and genetic disorders. Our meats that contains high amount of zinc are chicken and beef. People who try to avoid red meat due to its high cholesterol have the higher possibility not enough zinc in their body. Zinc deficiency can cause growth retardation, male testerone deficiency, delayed wound healing, bullous dermatitis, diarrhea and intercurrent infection. Zinc can inhibit replication of several viruses such as herpes simplex virus, foot and mouth disease virus, poliovirus and rhinovirus. Zinc is very effective to treat common cold because it prevents rhinovirus (cold virus) from binding to the tissue surface and stabilizes the cell membranes. Subsequently, it is also inhibiting prostaglandin metabolism and inducing production of interferon gamma, which is a natural chemical that help body to fight infections. Study that had been published in the Annals Internal Medicine in 1996 showed that if an individual starts taking zinc gluconate glycine within 24 hours onset of the common cold symptoms, it can significantly reduced the illness duration.

The third supplement that has antioxidant function is virgin coconut oil. The difference between ordinary coconut oil and virgin coconut oil is that the later is extracted by wet process directly from the coconut milk or meat under a control temperature usually is 50 oC, whereas; coconut oil is obtained from the copra by dry process, which involves high temperature or sunlight exposure for several days. Due to the exposure to sunlight and application of high temperature, most of the minor components such as tocopherols, tocotrienols and polyphenols will be destroyed. This is because all these components are unstable in high temperature. Sunlight can destroy there components because sunlight contains a few percent of UV light, which is a high energy wave that can break the chemical bonding in an organic substance. Recently, study had been carried out in University Kerala in India to determine the effectiveness of the virgin coconut oil as antioxidant enzymes in male rat [Food Chemistry, 2006]. They found out that virgin coconut oil has more effect as an antioxidant and prevents peroxidation of lipids compared to the groundnut oil and copra oil. Study also had been carried in the same University to determine the beneficial effect of the virgin coconut oil to lipid components in male rat [Clinical Biochemistry, 37, 2004]. The finding that they got is that virgin coconut oil can reduce the levels of lipid in serum and tissues. Besides, it also can reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and increased high-density lipoprotein in the blood. This effect may due to its high polyphenol content.

Finally, what we know immunoglobulin-A (IgA) antibodies are the main antibodies that can prevent allergens from entering our body through nasal mucosal membrane. Therefore, nasal allergy and sinus infection can be prevented by increasing this antibody level in our body. Nutrients that can boost this antibody level in our body are monounsaturated oleic acids and vitamin A. Monounsaturated oleic acids can be found in cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, hazelnut or filbert oil (or the whole nuts), green and ripe olives, and almonds. Whereas, vitamin A can be found in cod liver oil, pumpkin, cooked carrots, sweet potatoes/yams, squash and other yellow or orange vegetable


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Wednesday 26 March 2008

Glyconutritional Supplements

'Glyco' means 'Sugar' in Greek. Many people think that sugar is bad for health. However, if you look closely, there are 2 types of sugars. One type of sugars is 'intracellular' which can easily be found in vegetables and in fruits and provide our body with all the nutrition it needs. These types of sugars, which are known as complex carbohydrates, have been researched thoroughly for years together. However, only in recent times we have begun to discover their purpose in our body. The other type of sugars is 'extra cellular' which is been long linked with human disease.

A large number of researchers and scientists believe that some carbohydrates signify the next cutting edge solution in our search for safe and non-toxic treatments for many degenerative conditions. Moreover, even as we have just begun to realize, the full possible uses and cures of these carbohydrates, the study which has been reported in just the last decade, has proved a new level of hope and optimism with the world's top immunologists.

Healthy cellular bodies, which are made up of various parts working together in complicated synchronization, must have some internal communication among themselves to function harmoniously and correctly. This communication between cellular bodies, in its most basic structure, occurs at the cellular level.

So to maintain a fit and healthy body and mind, cells must communicate or talk with each other. To simplify, their language is one similar to touch, written in simple sugars on the cell surfaces. These simple sugars join with other molecules to become glycoforms. If they combine with proteins, they become glycoproteins and if they combine with lipids, they become glycolipds. So out of 200 monosaccharides (glyconutrients), which occur very naturally in plants, eight of those have been discovered to be parts or components in cell surface of glycoforms.

Similar to thousands of diverse "keys" projecting out from the cell surface, some will either unlock the necessary functions of the adjacent cell or may be not. If the right keys are present, the body functions very smoothly. If they are not present, the body does behave erratic. In some research, it states that these simple sugars do have a complex coding system which is superior to that of amino acids.

So these glyconutritionals provide the necessary cellular communication which is needed for a healthy body.

Only 2 of the 8 glyconutrients (monosaccharides) are found in modern diet. Our food intake has changed tremendously because of our appetite and demands for cheaper and quicker foods. Therefore we are not eating the healthy foods our body needs and which contain the necessary fuels for our cells to talk to each other in an effective and healthy manner. Whereas, our body has the ability to build these simple sugars, the exchange process is very complicated. During the exchange or conversion process, your cells are uncovered to hundreds and thousands of hits from free radicals floating every day. This requires energy, time and also participation from other micronutrients so that the conversion can be done smoothly. Many times viruses interfere with our body's natural capacity to create these conversions easily.

Because your body has more that some trillion cells and it fully regenerates or manufactures all of its various cells in approximately one year, any slowdown or miscommunication can cause some major health troubles. With some millions cells regenerating every day, it is very easy to visualize what would happen if the cells did not regenerates properly. That is why glyconutritional supplements are so much important to our food diet.

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Sunday 23 March 2008

The Pros & Cons of Using Body Building Supplements

There are so many great body building supplements on the market today, which can prove to be a powerful ally to a good exercise regime. Unfortunately, there are other products that are not only a complete waste of money, but could be potentially deadly. So how do you know which one is which?

Supplements: when the hard times hit
Everyone reaches a workout wall at times. The scales stay the same, or muscles don't seem to respond in the way you would like. That's where supplements come in.

Not only can they improve the health of the body, by supplying vital nutrients, but they can also boost energy, enabling a workout to go for longer, and with more intensity.

Some supplements provide vital amino acids, such as Glutamine. Many scientific research studies have shown that Glutamine helps to build muscle mass by not only increasing the levels of growth hormones, but is also responsible for transporting as much as 35% of muscle-building nitrogen into the muscles tissue.

Protein powders provide the building blocks for muscles. As carbohydrate intake has been shown to largely go to fat cells, protein powders are a handy way to take in calories that will be used by muscle tissue instead. Protein powders, simply put, help to build muscle tissue without adding 'empty calories' which can increase fat.

Vitamin and mineral supplements can also be a valuable part of any good health regime. As the body secretes some minerals and vitamins more easily than others, being deficient in some vital nutrients is common in many people – even more so in people who train hard.

Know your supplement
Not all supplements are created equal, and unfortunately some are, at best, completely useless or, at worst, downright dangerous.

Before taking any body building supplement, it's a good idea to get an all-over health check first, and get advice from a health professional. Some energy-boosting supplements contain caffeine, which is fine for some people, but for others they can have adverse side effects.

Importantly, supplements containing some ingredients have been banned from sale in other countries, such as Ephedra in the US. A derivative of the plant ephedra sinica, Ephedra is an alkaloid chemical compound, which contains two main active ingredients—pseudoephedrine and ephedrine.

In 2002, the company Metabolife, which made a Ephedra supplement, was forced to hand over to the US Department of Justice well over 15,000 reports of adverse cases related to Ephedra, ranging from insomnia to death. Fortunately, the ban of Ephedra has spawned the increase of "Ephedra-free" energy supplements.

Supplements that focus on hormones are also a common area of confusion for many. Unlike anabolic steroids, which are dangerous for a user as they increase hormones way above the normal human levels, many supplements only increase hormones within a safe range. Some supplements increase testosterone, which helps to build muscle mass and is commonly used to increase sports performance. Others block oestrogen, the 'female' hormone.

Excess testosterone can have some very unfortunate side effects, however, including hair loss and acne. In some cases, the body will convert excess testosterone to oestrogen, which can affect virility in some males. Fortunately, there are other supplements that can inhibit this, such as antiaromatics, or Milk Thistle.

When buying supplements online, it's important to check their origins. Just because an ingredient has been banned in one country, does not mean it has been banned in others, and the accidental importation of banned substances can lead to big trouble. Fortunately, there are very good online retailers based in Australia. They do the importing for you, making sure that not only are the products safe, but also allowed.

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Monday 28 January 2008

Thinking Too Much: How to Motivate Yourself to Lose Weight

It's winter and it's cold. In the winter the mornings are very humbling. The nights are long, the floor is cold and it sucks leaving the house in the dark. Getting the morning paper involves a blast of cold air from the front door that really motivates one to crawl back into bed. It's days like these that getting beyond the duvet is hard. It's even harder to drag yourself through the wintry morning to the gym. It's the kind of thing I think about before I go to bed. I think about it when I'm waking up and I really think about it when I am trudging through the icy air en route to the gym. But see that's the problem. I think about it too much. Imagine if you could wake up every day with a clean slate and not remember the bone shaking cold and wind chill. Imagine you could only retain the positive memories of working out and improving your overall fitness. Then getting out of bed even on the coldest, most miserable days, would be easy. Instead we have to fight tooth and nail to resist the urge to go back to bed. It's our minds that want to be cozy.

For a fair portion of North America, this article will have little barring on your life as you fortunate few live in more temperate climates. But you look beyond the references to cold and see that what is really at stake is the ability of our minds to convince us that going to the gym is just far too difficult. It may not be a weather issue but your mind is a creative thing and will find some creative ways keep you from the gym.

This struggle can be fought on many fronts but be aware, you are fighting the most powerful force in the world: your mind. Your mind is responsible for determining your perception of reality; it literally defines the world in which you live. This power makes the mind a strong enemy of getting to the gym. There really is only one sure fire method to defeat this powerful foe. Stop thinking. Really. Give up the idea of beating your mind. On those frigid, bluster and bitter mornings, I don't even attempt to beat my mind. There is no way I can argue myself to the gym. I cannot win, my mind and its desire for the warmth of my cozy bed beats me every time. I win because I simply just don't engage it. I don't even let on that I am going to the gym. I don't even think about the cold, or the trip through it. I just don't think. It amazing how much you can accomplish without thinking. What's more, its easy not to think in the morning. I think most of you will agree that first thing in the morning is when the mind is still at its foggiest. Kick it when its down.

The point is, you cannot give yourself the opportunity to talk yourself out of going to the gym. Forget about it, stop thinking and go. While your mind might feel a little neglected, your body will love you for it.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR


The Icon Diet offers a step by step weight loss guideto help people lose weight quickly, naturally and effectively. Visit the site by going to...
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