Natural Products for Cancer Prevention/Management (7)

Avocados

Avocados are native to Mexico and have been cultivated in tropical and Mediterranean climates throughout the world.  They are available in almost all grocery stores.

Avocado is a high fat food, but the majority of the fat comes from oleic acid; this is one of the reasons that avocados can lower blood levels of bad cholesterol and triglyceride. In addition to fat, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, avocados are rich in phytochemicals, which may reduce the risk of some chronic diseases, such as arthritis.  Some people believe eating avocados may have some cancer prevention effect.

© Jiajiu Shaw, 2016

Disclaimer: This blog is written solely for informational purposes. It does not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing or other medical professional health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All contents posted are extracted from the book I am writing, "IS CANCER IN US", to be published in about two months.

Natural Products for Cancer Prevention/Management (6)

Eggplant

Eggplant is loaded with vitamins and minerals, but its additional health benefits may be surprising to most people.  Eggplant contains an interesting antioxidant, chlorogenic acid, which has a number of biological activities including blood-pressure lowering, antiviral, and antibacterial effects.  In addition, it also protects DNA from mutations and may have anti-cancer properties.

In addition, there is another antioxidant found in the peels of eggplant, nasunin.  Studies indicate that nasunin is anti-angiogenic, meaning that it could cuts off the new blood supply that cancer cells need in order to multiply. 

© Jiajiu Shaw, 2016

Disclaimer: This blog is written solely for informational purposes. It does not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing or other medical professional health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All contents posted are extracted from the book I am writing, "IS CANCER IN US", to be published in about two months.

Natural Products for Cancer Prevention/Management (5)

Cruciferous Vegetables

I think everyone knows that regular consumption of vegetables is beneficial to the general health; cruciferous vegetables are especially known to have certain cancer prevention effects.  Cruciferous vegetables include broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, horseradish, and Bok Choy.  A great number of studies have been conducted to investigate the relationship between cruciferous vegetables and cancer.  Results of these studies clearly show a positive correlation between cancer prevention and consumption of cruciferous vegetable.  Specifically, high intake of cruciferous vegetables might be related to lower risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, and lung cancer.

© Jiajiu Shaw, 2016

Disclaimer: This blog is written solely for informational purposes. It does not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing or other medical professional health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All contents posted are extracted from the book I am writing, "IS CANCER IN US", to be published in about two months.

Natural Products for Cancer Prevention/Management (4)

Berries

Berries are available most of the time in the U.S.  They are known to contain different kinds of antioxidants in addition to different vitamins, minerals, etc.  Popular berries include blue berries, black berries, elder berries, goji berries, raspberries, red berries, and strawberries.  There are plenty of potential beneficial health effects of berries.  Some examples are shown below.   

Blueberries

Blueberries are becoming popular in recent years because they contain a lot of antioxidants and phytochemicals.  Both in vitro studies and animal studies indicate that blueberries may be effective against cancer.  Potential mechanisms of action include inhibition of pro-inflammation, oxidative stress, and cancer cell proliferation.

Elderberries

Similar to other berries, elder berries contain flavonoids, carotenoids, vitamins, etc.  Elder berries have been used as a folk medicine for cold, flu, and allergy.  Some studies indicate that elder berries may have certain anticancer effect.

Goji Berries (Wolfberries)

Goji berries have been commonly used in Chinese food and medicine for thousands of years.  Because it has a lot of antioxidants, Goji berries are becoming a hot item in the trendy health food industry.  Goji berries also contain many other ingredients with potential health benefits, including retina protection, anti-aging effect, etc.  Some studies indicate that the polysaccharides in goji berries may inhibit the growth of several different cancer cells in animal studies, including prostate cancer.

© Jiajiu Shaw, 2016

Disclaimer: This blog is written solely for informational purposes. It does not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing or other medical professional health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All contents posted are extracted from the book I am writing, "IS CANCER IN US", to be published in about two months.

Natural Products for Cancer Prevention/Management (3)

Vitamins

Vitamins play a very important role in maintaining our health.  For example, vitamins A, C, and E are powerful antioxidants and have shown many beneficial health effects.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A plays an important role in a number of biological functions, including vision, immune system, bone growth, and reproduction.  Sources of vitamin A include carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupes, and fish.  It has been reported that vitamin A might reduce the risk of lung cancer, but the results were not conclusive.  Because vitamin A is not water soluble, it is not as easy to be removed from the body.  If one takes too much vitamin A, it could accumulate to a level that causes undesirable side effects, including carotenosis (yellow color shown in palms of hands and soles of feet), sensitivity to sun light, dry skin, headache, dizziness, etc.

Vitamin C

In addition to its antioxidant effect, vitamin C has a number of other beneficial effects including immune enhancement, anti-virus, anti-bacterial, skin protection, cardiovascular protection, etc.  Some people, including the famous Nobel laureate, Dr. Linus Pauling, believe that vitamin C has anti-cancer effect if given in very high doses regularly.  Indeed, it has been reported that some vitamins may be associated with lower risks of certain cancers.

Vitamin E

As to vitamin E, many studies have been conducted on its potential effects on cancer.  However, there are no definite conclusions on whether it is really effective in cancer prevention or treatment.

A book entitled "SIDE EFFECTS OF CHEMOTHERAPY AND RADIOTHERAPY" written by me and two of my colleagues will be published and available at AMAZON.com soon. 

© Jiajiu Shaw, 2016

Disclaimer: This blog is written solely for informational purposes. It does not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing or other medical professional health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All contents posted are extracted from the book I am writing, "IS CANCER IN US", to be published in about two months.