Nature's Answer to Cancer

Burned Meat increases Pancreatic Cancer Risk

If you like your meat charred….you’re setting yourself up for an increased risk for pancreatic cancer.

Researchers presented these findings at the American Association of Cancer Research: People who regularly eat burned or charred red meat, like that cooked on a grill, have a 60 percent higher risk of pancreatic cancer.

The finding is one of the strongest yet linking very well-done meat, especially red meat, to cancer. Previous studies indicate that risk of colon cancer may increase as well.

You can reduce your risk of charring meat (and reducing the development of HCAs – cancer causing amines) by:

·       Marinating your meats before placing them on the grill

·       Precooking meats to reduce the time on the grill

·       Adding citrus juice to the basting sauce

Bon Appetit!

Kim  Dalzell, PhD, RD, LD

www.naturesanswertocancer.com

Cancer? Not Me!

Sad news on the prevention front……and I somewhat expected this. According to a survey conducted for the BBC’s Newsnight Program, two thirds of people have not changed their diet or lifestyle to reduce the risk of cancer.

Despite evidence and public health campaigns that highlight diet and lifestyle as a cause of between a third to a half of all cancers, people aren’t making those changes.

Many choose to bury their heads in the sand instead—men being almost twice as likely as women to do so. The poll of 1,000 adults found over a third said that they tried to ignore cancer or hardly ever think about it.

I give prevention talks all the time – and it continues to sadden and amaze me when people make a conscious decision to continue to eat and move and live with abandon until they have a health crisis before they’ll do something for their own health.

Why wait for a diagnosis?

Kim Dalzell, PhD, RD

www.naturesanswertocancer.com

Brown Fat, White Fat, Bad Fat, Good Fat

There's a good fat…and I’m not talking about omega-3 fatty acids!

Three new studies in the April 9th New England Journal of Medicine show that adult humans have brown fat, an energy-burning type of fat previously thought to be found only in animals and human babies.

White fat cells store energy in the form of lipids, but brown fat cells burn energy and give off heat. Human babies have pads of brown fat on their backs that help maintain body temperature but the brown fat disappears with age.

So what a surprise to researchers when they found that brown fat is common in adults and may be important for regulating body weight and blood sugar. But the fat isn’t where people expected to find it. In adults, brown fat is found in the neck, above the collarbone, around the spine and in the abdomen.

Individuals with the most brown fat include people younger than 50, people with healthy blood sugar levels and in lean people.

Finally…we know that some fat inside our bodies is good for us too!

Kim Dalzell,  PhD, RD, LD

www.naturesanswertocancer.com

Anti-Cancer Citrus News

Next time you peel an orange or tangerine, think about leaving on some of the white stuff…the underside of the peel, called the albedo,  In addition to being a source of soluble fiber, this layer also has a variety of plant chemicals (called flavones) that have anticancer benefits, particularly for hormone-sensitive tumors like breast or prostate cancer.

These flavones, specifically known as nobiletin, tangeretin and sinesetin, make up an orange’s defense system against fungi, pests and predators. For humans, these plant chemicals also have activities that counter high cholesterol, prevent cancer, fight fungus and reduce inflammation.

While this news may tempt you to eat the rind and all, one bite and you’d change your mind. The albedo is very bitter (and the rind is just plain out of the question) and you’d need to consume a lot of white stuff in order to get the anticancer benefits.

The solution? Eat a diet rich in all the citrus fruits on a consistent basis. Snack on slices of oranges, lemons, limes, and tangerines and remember that they make a beautiful contribution to an entrée, sauce or chilled glass of water.

Kim Dalzell, PhD, RD, LD

www.naturesanswertocancer.com

Food Fitness from a New Friend

I ran across the below article written by a colleague - Becky Kolar and enjoyed her writing style so much I asked her if I could reprint. Here it is:

I'm sure that you've heard eating a variety of foods with different shades is good for your health, but exactly why is eating a rainbow of natural colors important? Many necessary nutrients are associated with different colors and if your diet doesn't contain a healthy mix of all of them, then you're almost certainly lacking vital nutrients.

For example, if you often get stomach aches, you're probably deficient in green vegetables which are necessary for healthy digestion. If you seem to always be sick, you are most likely not getting enough orange and yellow fruits and vegetables. Let me go through the rainbow of colors and let you know why they are all important for your health.

I'm going to start with the most important color when it comes to eating health: green. Green fruits and vegetables are highly nutritious, with dark leafy green vegetables topping the list. Spinach, kale, and kiwi are some examples of green fruits and vegetables. These green fruits and vegetables are extremely important for digestion, fighting cancer, and improving the immune system.

Red fruits and vegetables are excellence sources of phytochemicals, which are essential for fighting cancer. Great sources include cherries, apples and tomatoes. Red fruits and vegetables also decrease blood pressure and cancer risk.

Orange and yellow fruits and vegetables are usually lumped into one category. These fruits and vegetables are associated with beta carotene (vitamin A), which is necessary for vision, skin health and immune function. Sources include carrots, sweet potatoes and mangos.

One common blue fruit is blueberries, which are extremely important for improving your memory and decreasing your risk of heart disease. Some other important blue fruits and vegetables include grapes, eggplant and prunes.

Lastly, I am going to talk about white vegetables. Although white isn't a color of the rainbow, eating white vegetables is also important. Some examples include onions, cauliflower, and dates. These white fruits and vegetables balance hormone levels and they provide powerful boost to your immune system.

Although you probably aren't consuming all of these colors on a daily basis, it is a good idea to consume them as often as possible. Those who don't eat fruits and vegetables regularly might feel fine, but the truth is that their body is not as healthy as it should be. It can take years for a vitamin deficiency to outwardly show. Once the deficiency is visible, there has already been an incredible amount of damage within the human body. Instead of being at a high risk of cancer and heart disease, take care of your body and taste the rainbow.

Becky Kolar has a B.S. in nutrition and is a personal trainer. You can learn more: http://nutricise4u.blogspot.com

Dr. Kim Dalzell, PhD, RD, LD

www.naturesanswertocancer.com

Spicing Up Your Health

Dr. Keith Scott, the author of Medicinal Seasonings: The Healing Power of Spices, has done one better: created VitaSpice (www.medspice.com).

VitaSpice is a dietary supplement that contains 22 of the most important whole spices—providing over 100 antioxidants as well as countless other important phytonutrients.

I’ve been a proponent of whole foods supplementation for quite a while…and to me, adding a diet rich in spices offers a whole array of cancer-fighting and other health promoting plant chemicals. Just a few years ago (2006) the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study that indicated spices have the highest antioxidant activity of all foods in the USA. Weight for weight the first five of the top 50 antioxidant foods are spices. Clove heads the list but is closely followed by oregano, turmeric, cinnamon, and ginger.

So spice up your life. Whether you eat curried foods chock full of turmeric, add cinnamon to your oatmeal, or supplement with “spices in a capsule”….it’s a good thing!

Kim Dalzell, PhD, RD, LD

www.naturesanswertocancer.com

High Fructose Corn Syrup - No, It Isn't a Vegetable!

 

Another win for consumers….first the use of trans fats in commercial food  were targeted by consumer watchdog groups…and now, high-fructose corn syrup is on the chopping block.

This highly refined sugar has come under renewed fire for its possible links to a host of medical problems. Just recently, the sweetener had won a reprieve from a number of sources, including a special supplemental issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in which the bottom line was that there are few metabolic differences between the high-fructose corn syrup and standard table sugar. Then the American Medical Association weighed in that there's no scientific proof that high-fructose corn syrup is more to blame for the obesity epidemic than regular sugar or caloric sweeteners.

But not everyone is convinced of the all-clear. Many still see a link between fructose and obesity, since the sweetener is quickly metabolized into fat and interferes with leptin to increase appetites. My stance has always been that the further from nature a food is, the more detriment it will cause. And just because something is derived from a plant doesn't make it healthy. So, no, kids....HFCS is not a vegetable!

Kim Dalzell, PhD, RD, LD

www.naturesanswertocancer.com

Sugar is the Cancer for our Kids

With the knowledge that childhood obesity and weight-related health issues (hardening of the arteries, asthma and diabetes) are escalating because of our current lifestyles, I was a bit disturbed to read the latest from researchers at the University of Washington and Monell Chemical Senses Center.

 

Mostly, because I know how these kinds of studies tend to be interpreted by the media and general public.

 

The study, carried out in the US, found a direct link between children's growth and their preference for sugary drinks.

It showed that kids who preferred the sweetest drinks were the ones that were growing the fastest. The scientists tested urine samples from the children for a chemical associated with bone growth and found that children with a high preference for sugar also had higher levels of this chemical—concluding that there is a direct link between sugar intake and bone growth.

 

''Kids love sweets; they'll put sugar on frosted flakes. But that love seems to decline with age," said Susan Coldwell from the University of Washington, who led the study.

 

Okay….right about here I feel the need to comment. My fear is that people will read about this study and say to themselves, “See, even though little Suzy is eating candy for breakfast, it’s really okay…she will outgrow it.”

 

We know children who are given limited sweets and encouraged to eat naturally sweet foods – carrots, 100% juices and fresh fruit are less likely during childhood to select highly sugared foods. Their palates change and adapt to a healthier diet. These changes provide the foundation for better health long-term and create habits of “best choices” when it comes to eating better.

Why wait until we are older and are forced (because of a diagnosis) to start eating right? The time to begin to invest in your health is as early as possible. When you teach your children about good nutrition, you set up a potential legacy for cancer prevention and wellness for generations to come.

 

 

Kim Dalzell,  PhD, RD, LD

www.naturesanswertocancer.com

 

 

The Bottom Line to Beef

 

In this month’s Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers announced that red or processed meat intake was associated with a modest increase in total death, as well death from cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Diets of over a half million people from the AARP (formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons) Diet and Health Study cohort were reviewed.  During the 10-year follow up period, researchers found that men and women who consumed the most red meat had elevated risks for overall mortality. Regarding cause-specific mortality, men and women had elevated risks for cancer and heart disease mortality for red and processed meat intakes. The individuals who consumed less meat, lived longer.

Are you ready to say bye-bye to beef? You don’t necessarily need to go “cold turkey”, but do think about replacing at least one red meat evening meal a week with chicken, fish, soy or turkey or better still, go vegetarian that night! Keep a weekly tally of how much bacon, ham, sausage,  pepperoni, Canadian bacon, hotdogs and luncheon meat you consume per week—all of these processed meats contain sodium nitrate and nitrites that are not part of a healthy diet. You just might be surprised how much processed you meat really eat. Once you know the number, make a goal to reduce that by half. These transitional steps will get you on your way to a healthier diet and a healthier you.

Kim Dalzell, PhD, RD, LD

www.naturesanswertocancer.com

Shut Down Complementary Medicine Research - Take Away Hope for Cancer Patients and Others

Broadening access to health care should not mean closing the door on complementary medicine, yet that is precisely what is being proposed by a group of scientists who believe that the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health is nothing more than a cash cow for poor science.

Working with cancer patients for the past twenty years, I have seen how much difference that modern, traditional medicine can make in the treatment and recovery of cancer. I have also seen its limitations. In fact, it was because of my own allopathic limitations that I sought a degree in holistic nutrition—so that I could deliver more to my patients. The results have been quite profound and I can’t imagine going back to strictly conservative dietetics.

The idea for shutting down NCCAM, as reported in the Washington Post, came about because the Obama transition team felt that NIH was funding pseudoscience and there needed to be a redirection of funds for real science. The proposal generated 218 comments, most of them in favor, before the notice closed on Jan. 19.

Research in alternative medicine is done elsewhere at NIH, notably in the National Cancer Institute, whose Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine has a budget of $122 million.

Those who oppose alternative medicine say the vast majority of studies of homeopathy, acupuncture, therapeutic touch and other treatments based on unconventional understandings of physiology and disease have shown little or no effect. Further, they argue that the field's more-plausible interventions -- such as diet, relaxation, yoga and botanical remedies -- can be studied just as well in other parts of NIH, where they would need to compete head-to-head with conventional research projects.

That leads me to another concern: If American medical professionals are being taught “cure with medicine “ rather than “prevention” tactics, and if researchers obtain larger amount of funding from pharmaceutical companies, how in the world can dietary interventions (or for that matter, relaxation studies) compete?

At the end of the day, we have harmless alternative interventions that may help someone to feel better or extend their life.  I’ve certainly seen an impact in my own practice.

Why would our American government not want to study options to care for those who are looking for more than one way to win at the wellness game?

Kim Dalzell, PhD, RD, LD

www.naturesanswertocancer.com