Femtalk USA - Cancer Section

Food supplements benefits
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Food supplements benefits
Supplements can't cure cancer or any other disease. But supplements can
complement a cancer treatment plan. As a matter of fact, they can enhance
the actions of many drugs including chemotherapy and radiation. But using
supplements instead of traditional care can be dangerous. Use, when
appropriate, supplements and herbs recommended by your Registered Dietitian.
Garlic: Cancer Prevention
The first scientific report to study garlic and cancer was performed in
the 1950s. Scientists injected allicin, an active ingredient from garlic,
into mice suffering from cancer. Mice receiving the injection survived more
than 6 months whereas those which did not receive the injection only
survived 2 months.
Many studies showed that the organic ingredient of garlic, allyl sulfur,
another active ingredient in garlic, are effective in inhibiting or
preventing cancer development. Many observational studies in human being
also investigated the association of using garlic and allyl sulfur and
cancer. Out of the 37 studies, 28 studies showed evidence that garlic can
prevent cancer. The evidence is particularly strong in prevention of
prostate and stomach cancers. This particular study looking at the risk of
stomach cancer was especially interesting. This study was conducted in
China. Researchers found that smokers with high garlic intake have a
relatively lower stomach cancer risk than smokers with low garlic intake.
A large-scale epidemiological Iowa Women's Health Study looked at the
garlic consumption in 41,000 middle-aged women. Results showed that women
who regularly consumed garlic had 35% lower risk of developing colon cancer.
Calcium and Magnesium
It is said that calcium and magnesium are crucial vitamin supplements.
Even in a daily multivitamin, there is not enough calcium. Most women can
only absorb 600 milligrams at a time, though you need 1,200 milligrams
everyday.
Flax seed
Its high content of alpha linolenic acids has made the ancient flax seed
become our modern miracle food. Alpha linolenic acid is a type of
plant-derived omega 3 fatty acid,
similar to those found in fish such as salmon.
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Cancer cures and advice Index
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Benefits of flax seed as shown in many studies include lowering total
cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels. It may also keep platelets from
becoming sticky, therefore reducing the risk of a heart attack.
Moderately include flax seed in your diet. Indeed, a lot of food products
contain flax seed such as bread, cereal and bakery goods.
Bakers may use
flax seed flour or include flax seed in baking.
Sprinkle ground flax seed on your cereal and salads.
Substitute flax seed mixture for eggs in home baking such as
muffin and pancake.
Include in other recipe when nutty flavor is preferred.
Substitute flax seed oil for other oils.
Vitamin E is a type of antioxidant present in our foods which can
prevent or slow the oxidative damage to our body. Vitamin E is not present
in foods in mega doses. It can be found in nuts and seeds, whole grains,
green leafy vegetables, vegetable oil and liver oil.
In a randomized study published in the April 6 2005 issue of the Journal of
National Cancer Institute, researchers found that patients receiving a daily
supplementation of 400 IU of alpha - tocopherol during and after radiation
therapy were at greater risk of developing a second primary cancer while
receiving supplementation. In addition, the rate of recurrence of head and
neck cancer was also higher during supplementation. This unexpected adverse
result really cautions us from taking supplements to prevent or treat
cancer. We all know the benefits of eating antioxidant-rich fruits and
vegetables in promoting good health. On the contrary, high-dose supplements
may not produce the same health-promoting effects we wish for.
Curcumin is highly recommended by some doctors. See
Oncolog for more information.
Vitamin D
It is rather difficult to reach the recommended 1000 IU of Vitamin D solely
through food. Therefore we recommend Vitamin D supplements, particularly D3
supplements. However, it is wise to start including more Vitamin D-rich
foods in your diet. One glass of milk contains 100 IU of Vitamin D. Other
food source includes fatty fish and egg yolks.
Fish Oil
Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil may help maintain the body's healthy
response to inflammation, preventing the immune response from getting out of
hand and leading to cardiovascular disease, according to a study conducted
by researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and Harvard Medical School,
and published in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for
Experimental Biology.
Soy
While some studies showed soy offers a protective effect against breast
cancer, a few studies showed the estrogen-like effects in isoflavones may be
harmful for women with breast cancer. American Institute for Cancer Research
stresses that data on soy and breast cancer are not conclusive, and more
work is needed to be done before any dietary recommendations can be made.
What we know at this point is the phytoestrogens in soy foods are
"anti-estrogens." In other words, they may block estrogen from reaching the
receptors - therefore potentially protecting women from developing breast
cancer. Studies found that pre-menopausal may benefit from eating soy foods
as their natural estrogen levels are high.
However, this may not be true to post-menopausal women. Studies found that
soy could become "pro-estrogen" in women with low levels of natural
estrogen. In other words, concentrated soy supplements may add estrogen to
the body and hence increase breast cancer risk in post-menopausal women.
See
Natural News for many interesting articles on
supplements.
Also see
here for more
information.
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legal disclaimer
Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug
Administration. The products and information contained herein are not
intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any diseases
or medical problems. This is not intended to replace your
doctor's recommendations. The information is provided for educational purposes only. Nutritional benefits may vary from one person to another.
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