anti-cancer properties

Cabbage: A Superfood With Anti-Cancer Properties

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Cabbage is rich in antioxidants, making it an excellent choice for boosting immunity, especially during flu season.

Cabbage: A Superfood With Anti-Cancer Properties

Cabbage is rich in antioxidants, making it an excellent choice for boosting immunity, especially during flu season. Additionally, the sulfur compounds in cabbage have been found to possess cancer-fighting properties. However, individuals with hypothyroidism should consume it with caution.

This article will explore the nutritional content, health benefits, and precautions for consuming cabbage.

Abundant in Vitamins and Minerals

Cabbage is rich in the following vitamins and minerals:

  • Vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that enhances immune function, promotes skin health, and aids in wound healing.
  • Vitamin K, which is crucial for the coagulation process and bone health.
  • B vitamins, especially vitamin B6, which can improve pyrrole disorder. Pyrrole disorder is characterized by a biochemical imbalance in the body. Patients with this disorder have high levels of pyrrole in their urine, which leads to the loss of vitamin B6 and zinc. Notably, they often exhibit symptoms similar to those of mental and immune system disorders.
  • Folate (vitamin B9), which is crucial for DNA synthesis and repair. It is especially vital for pregnant women, as it can prevent neural tube defects in infants.
  • Potassium, magnesium, calcium, and iron. Potassium helps regulate blood pressure; magnesium supports bone health and energy production; calcium contributes to healthy bones and teeth; and iron is essential for blood production.

Antioxidant and Anti-Cancer Properties

In addition to vitamin C, cabbage contains anthocyanins and polyphenols. Oxidative stress occurs when the body’s production of oxidants exceeds its antioxidant defenses, damaging cells and tissues and causing inflammation. Oxidative stress is associated with a range of diseases, such as atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cancer. The polyphenols and vitamin C in vegetables and fruits can help prevent and reduce oxidative damage.

A study published in Annals of Oncology indicated that cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage have a preventive effect on various cancers, especially pharyngeal, esophageal, colorectal, breast, and kidney. Consuming cruciferous vegetables once a week can reduce the risk of these cancers by 17 percent to 32 percent.

In addition to antioxidants and vitamins, cruciferous vegetables’ anti-cancer effects are attributed to a bitter sulfur compound called glucosinolate. This compound is converted into potent anti-cancer isothiocyanates in the body, inhibiting tumor growth and promoting cell death in cancer and precancerous cells that could potentially develop into tumors.

A population study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who consumed more cabbage had a 39 percent lower risk of developing colorectal cancer compared to those who consumed less. This study only showed the preventive effect of eating cruciferous vegetables on colorectal cancer in women.

Digestive Health Benefits: High in Dietary Fiber

The dietary fiber in cabbage contributes to intestinal health by promoting bowel movement, preventing constipation, and aiding the growth of beneficial bacteria. In addition to colorectal cancer prevention, cabbage is also helpful for conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis.

A recent study published in Nutrients in January showed that combining cabbage and chestnut honey can effectively improve gastric mucosal damage caused by gastritis. This is because both cabbage and honey possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Chestnut honey is darker and has a higher polyphenol content than regular honey. Furthermore, adding honey can improve the taste of cabbage and reduce its bitterness.

Cabbage and Tofu: Lose Weight and Improve Fatty Liver

Cabbage is low in calories, making it an ideal choice for weight control. It is high in water content and dietary fiber, virtually fat-free, and helps increase satiety.

Considerations for Those With Thyroid Disorders

While cabbage is beneficial for most people, those with hypothyroidism should limit their consumption. This is because the glucosinolates in cruciferous vegetables may affect the thyroid’s absorption of iodine, essential for thyroid hormone production. Thyroid hormones are crucial for maintaining metabolism and overall body function.

Consuming cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, or other cruciferous vegetables has minimal impact on thyroid function in healthy individuals. However, for those with hypothyroidism, there is no need to avoid eating cabbage completely. Cooking methods like steaming can reduce the glucosinolate content in the vegetable. Additionally, eating more seafood, milk, eggs, and iodized salt is advisable to ensure adequate iodine intake.

Stir-Fried Cabbage With Camellia Oil for Added Benefits

Cabbage can be prepared in a variety of ways. It can be eaten raw, steamed, boiled, stewed, stir-fried, or used in salads.

One good option to try is stir-frying cabbage with Camellia oil. This oil is fragrant and has a high smoke point, adding a unique flavor to the cabbage. Camellia oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and contains polyphenols and other antioxidants, which can help alleviate gastritis and duodenitis. Research has shown that consuming Camellia oil can prevent oxidative damage and ulcers in the gastrointestinal tract.

Foods with Anti-Cancer Properties

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Just as some foods can cause cancer, other foods can reduce our cancer risk

Eating fruits and vegetables has been linked to a reduced risk of cancer. (monticello/Shutterstock)

Eating fruits and vegetables has been linked to a reduced risk of cancer.

The greatest ally against chronic disease may be found in your everyday diet, from fresh, raw fruits and vegetables to popular beverages such as coffee and green tea.

Because just as we grow our bodies from the food we eat, we grow many of our sicknesses in the same manner.

An estimated 42 percent of all cancers may be prevented by diet and lifestyle alone, notes an article published in the American Cancer Society journal, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. The numbers are likely to be even higher for some types of cancer.

There’s an increasing awareness of the power of food and herbs in preventing and helping to heal from cancer. GreenMedInfo.com hosts some of the largest open-access databases on this topic, providing more than 10,000 studies on the value of nearly 1,000 natural substances for cancer. The following are some commonly available foods that are natural chemopreventive agents.

Foods With Anticancer Properties

Fruit

Eating fruits and vegetables has been linked to a reduced risk of cancer. According to a report from the 2007 World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research, foods containing vitamin C probably protect against esophageal cancer, with fruits in particular helping against gastric cancer.

Similar findings were observed in a 2016 study that saw “a marginally decreased risk” of esophageal cancer, squamous cell carcinoma, and esophageal adenocarcinoma, along with a non-significant risk reduction in gastric cardia cancer, with each 100 grams per day increase of citrus fruit intake. Consuming citrus fruits has also been tied to decreased bladder cancer risk.

Results from a 2019 study offered strong evidence that eating more fruit is associated with a lower risk of lung cancer among both current and former smokers, while vegetable intake is linked to a significantly reduced risk of lung cancer in current smokers. A meta-analysis also showed a correlation between fruit and vegetable intake and a reduced risk of oral cancer.

Cruciferous Vegetables

The family of vegetables that includes cauliflower, cabbage, kale, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts is renowned for its outstanding action against cancer. Cruciferous veggies have been found to have anticancer properties, with research showing:

  • A high intake was inversely associated with renal cell carcinoma risk among Americans, based on a meta-analysis.
  • A diet that includes cruciferous vegetables could be a crucial modifiable risk factor for ovarian cancer, the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women.
  • Consuming cruciferous vegetables was strongly associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer progression.
  • Consuming cruciferous vegetables may reduce lung cancer risk among men who currently don’t smoke.

Turmeric

A yellow substance from the root of the plant Curcuma longa, curcumin is the main active ingredient in the spice turmeric, with strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Due to the role of oxidative damage in a range of conditions such as cancer, atherosclerosis, and neurodegenerative diseases, curcumin’s antioxidant properties are believed to play an important role in reducing the risk of developing such diseases.

Research from 2001 showed that curcumin is safe in humans at up to 8,000 milligrams per day when taken orally for three months, providing chemopreventive properties. Curcumin combined with turmerones, the essential oil components of turmeric, may be a powerful intervention to prevent inflammation-associated colon carcinogenesis in animal models.

“TUR [turmerones, a bioactive compound in turmeric] is a novel candidate for colon cancer prevention. Furthermore, we consider that its use in combination with CUR [curcumin] may become a powerful method for prevention of inflammation-associated colon carcinogenesis,” researchers wrote in a study published in Biofactors.

Coffee

Coffee is more than a morning pick-me-up—it’s also a powerhouse against various types of cancer. A meta-analysis of prospective observational studies showed a link between coffee intake and a reduced risk of oral, pharynx, liver, colon, prostate, and endometrial cancers, as well as melanoma.

There is also mounting evidence of the cancer-fighting properties of coffee against liver cancer. A prospective cohort study involving 30,824 subjects echoed the finding in its probe of whether coffee, green tea, and caffeine are associated with liver cancer risk, showing that coffee consumption significantly reduced the risk, while the same association wasn’t observed for caffeine intake.

A separate study found drinking coffee was linked to lower hepatocellular carcinoma risk, with the protective effect detected in healthy populations as well as those with chronic liver diseases. In addition, researchers found that drinking coffee may prevent people from developing liver cirrhosis.

Green Tea

Green tea, another popular beverage around the world, scores high in chemoprevention. Researchers observing Chinese women concluded that eating more mushrooms significantly reduced breast cancer risk in pre- and post-menopausal women. They also observed an additional reduced risk from the joint effect of mushrooms and green tea.

In a randomized clinical trial of brewed green and black tea in prostate cancer patients prior to prostatectomy, green tea induced changes in inflammation and systemic oxidation, and the uptake of its polyphenols in prostate tissue displayed a potential role worthy of further research in preventing and treating prostate cancer.

In a population-based study, women who reported drinking at least one cup of green tea per day had a 54 percent reduction in ovarian cancer risk. Drinking more green tea might even prove helpful in reducing the risk of colorectal cancer in those with unhealthy lifestyles.

Avocados are like an “antidote” for cancer, fight leukemia naturally

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Image: Avocados are like an “antidote” for cancer, fight leukemia naturally

Dr. Paul Spagnuolo is a researcher and assistant professor in Ontario, Canada at the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy.  Today, we think of pharmacy schools as being mostly funded by large prescription drug pushing pharmaceutical companies, but Dr. Spagnuolo’s methodology is quite different. His undergraduate and master degrees were focused on the biological compounds and healing potential located inside real, clean foods, not biologically engineered chemical combinations.  More specifically, as reported by Uwaterloo.ca, Dr. Spagnuolo and his team generate detailed research in order to discover the “potential anti-cancer treatment applications of nutraceuticals i.e., food-derived bioactive compounds.”

Researcher Spagnuolo takes the phrase, “Let food be your medicine,” very seriously.

As Natural News reports, Spagnuolo caused quite a stir when  he discovered a link between a particular “lipid found naturally in avocados” and the ability of this specific lipid to target and combat potent leukemia stem cells. It is these stem calls that “drive” a blood disease called acute myeloid leukemia (AML.)  Working with this avocado lipid on a molecular level, Spagnuolo created a compound he called Avocatin B.  As reported by the University of Waterloo, his research confirmed that this powerful avocado derivative doesn’t damage any healthy cells, but instead goes after the “root of the disease – leukemia stem cells.” His extensive work to discover and isolate Avocatin B was also recognized by the American Society of Nutrition who honored Dr. Spagnuolo’s achievement by giving him their Mead Johnson award.

Chemotherapy, radiation, bone marrow transplant or avocados?

In the United States, according to Cancer.net, just under 20,000 people , at any age, will be diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML)  this year. As one might expect, Cancer.org reports that typical treatment for AML is two different phases of chemotherapy.  It may take a number of years for Spagnuolo’s new discovery to be made available as an actual treatment option for AML, but work and experimentation is continuing so that clinical trials can be instituted. When these clinical trials do get started, patients diagnosed with AML will have the opportunity to experiment with this non- toxic alternative.

Avocados also have many other important nutrition benefits.

Healthynews24.com reports that the benefits from eating avocados are vast. A medium size fruit can provide at least half the fiber you need daily.  Avocados will provide potassium, help regulate your blood sugar and provide Vitamin B. There are two specific nutrients found in avocados – lutein and zeaxanthin that may help protect your eyesight. Avocados are known to be anti-inflammatory, provide Vitamin E and K and even have an antioxidant called glutathione which has been associated with keeping one younger looking. The fats found in avocado can also be beneficial for skin and the complexion. That full feeling you get from eating avocados might assist in weight loss efforts. Add the newly discovered anti-cancer properties of this delicious green fleshy fruit, and you have a bevy of healthy reasons to add avocados as a staple on your family’s grocery list.