Dietary Fibers and Cancer

Good health is most essential to keep all problems far away. All of us know that health is wealth. One must essentially realize that the best weapon to fight /prevent cancer is Good Health.

Diet containing approximately 2.5 gms of fiber per serving is ideal diet. One can get such supply from Bananas, Apples, Oranges, Broccoli, Sweet Potato, Peanuts, Oatmeal and similar grains.

There are two types of fibers

(1) Insoluble fibers found in whole wheat flour, wheat bran, various nuts and vegetables. These fibers are helpful for smooth movement of contents in digestive system, especially in colon.

(2) Soluble fibers are the ones which form gel or colloidal suspension with water inside digestive tract. Such fibers are found in Oats, Peas, Apples, Carrots and Psyllium (Ispagol). These are helpful in formation of soft stools. These also lower blood cholesterol and glucose level.

Daily Fiber Requirement:-

Males need between 30 to 38 gm and females need 21 to 25 gm of fibers daily. For seniors beyond 50 years of age, the requirement of the daily fibers is on the lower side of this scale.

Benefits of having diet with requisite amount of fibers: -

(1) Normal smooth and regular bowel movements is the most important benefit of fibers in diet. For constipated person, fibers soften the stools, and for person having watery or loose stools, fibers help in formation of solid stools.

(2) Diet containing fibers reduces probability of getting hemorrhoids or diverticulitis (development of stagnant pouch in colon or twisting of colon)

 (3) Soluble fibers help in lowering blood cholesterol levels. Studies have also shown that an increased fiber in diet lowers blood pressure.

(4) Fibers slow down absorption of sugar helping in lowering blood sugar especially in people suffering from diabetes.

(5) High fiber diet helps in reducing weight thereby avoiding obesity. The diet with high fiber contents gives feeling of being full for longer time and contains lesser concentration of energy-giving components. This leads to lesser intake of food and weight control.

(6) The studies have proved that seniors who have been regularly taking diet containing proper amount of fibers have lesser problems related to ‘Gums’.

The ways of easily adding required fibers to daily diet: -

(1) Start day with breakfast containing high fiber cereals with bran.

(2) Consume bread containing whole wheat flour. Also use whole grain flour for all baking

(3) Add chopped fresh leafy vegetables and carrots to soups

(4) Eat more legumes such as Peas, Beans and Lentils

(5) Have fruits like Apple, banana, pears with every meal.

(5) Carefully opt for snacks which contain high fiber

Usefulness of Fibers in prevention of Cancer: -
(1) It is claimed that dietary fibers help in preventing colon cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer. This is not conclusively proved as many studies have shown conflicting results. This means, there are some studies showing positive effect of dietary fibers in cancer prevention.
(2) Fibers most certainly improve digestive health. Fibers definitely help in controlling body weight and in avoiding obesity. It is most conclusively proved that ‘Obesity’ is the major cancer cause. Also good digestive health leads to improved general health.
(3) Mostly, we get food fibers from non-starchy vegetables, legumes, fruits and colored vegetables. These food substances contain phytochemicals, co-enzymes, antioxidants, vitamins and also fibers. All these ingredients together help in prevention of many cancers such as Colorectal, stomach, mouth, larynx and esophageal cancer.
The most important fact is that as far as possible, dietary fibers must come from normal food intake and not as ‘Commercial Food Supplements’. Sudden increase in intake of fiber can lead to having intestinal gases, abdominal bloating and cramping. Also it can lead to nutritional deficiencies.

Cancer Scary Facts

Every year, nearly 60 million people die in the world and out of that, nearly 7.6 million die because of cancer. That is 13% of total deaths. It is feared that by year 2030, 13.2 million people will die of cancer each year.

Assuming each cancer patient survives ‘5’ years after being diagnosed, at any given time, there are approximately 38 million cancer patients in the world.

World population is approx. 6500 million. This means there is ‘1’ cancer patient every 171 persons. In civilized society we all have approximately 8-10 close family members and approximately 40-50 close family members, relatives and friends. This means 1 person in every 15-20 people has very close relative like mother, father, brother, sister, son, daughter or first cousins suffering from cancer and 1 person in every 4-5 people has somebody among the friends and aquaintances suffering from cancer.

The most common cancers are

Lung (18.0%),

Stomach (10.0%),

Liver (9.0%),

Colorectal (8.0%),

Breast (6.0%) and

Cervical  (3.5%).

The major cause for all these five types of cancers is bad life style and unhealthy eating habits. Nearly 30% of the cancers are caused because of one or more of the five life style factors. These are

(1) High Body-Mass Index,

(2) Low fruit and vegetable diet

(3) Insufficient physical activity

(4) Tobacco

(5) Alcohol.  

It is possible to avoid these risk factors and prevent cancer caused by these factors. With small changes in life style and eating habits, these cancer causing factors can be easily eliminated.

Approximately 70% of cancer deaths took place in low and middle income countries. In these countries, viral infections such as Hepatitis B (HBV), Hepatitis C (HCV) and Human Papilloma (HPV) caused 20% cancer deaths.

Tobacco consumption contributes to 22% of total cancer deaths and 71% of Lung cancer deaths.

Every year 157000 new children take up smoking.

It is possible to prevent cancer to very great extent with simple precautions.

Also, awareness about cancer causes and cancer symptoms will help in early detection.

Useful Diet for Cancer Prevention and Treatment

Diet plays very vital role in prevention and treatment of all types of cancers.
Following are the most important points while planning the diet:-
1. All dietary requirements must be fulfilled through normal food intake and by natural means.
2. Dietary supplements available in market must be taken only on expert medical advice.

 

Substance	Food Source	Effect on Cancer
Antioxidant	Vegetables, fresh fruits, carrots,	Negate effect of cell damaging free radicals in body. These damaged cells can become cancer cells. Clinical trials are yet to prove conclusive usefulness. All the same food sources giving antioxidants are very useful for general health
Beta-carotene	Brightly colored fruits and vegetables,	Good for general health, role against cancer is yet to be proved. High dose in form of dietary supplement can be even harmful.
Lycopene	Tomatoes: vegetables of red family	Lycopene strong antioxidant is claimed to be useful in stopping cancer progress in Breast, lung, endometrial and mainly prostate cancer.
Calcium	Yogurt, cheese, milk, dark green vegetables, peas, beans, lentils and peanuts. Dairy products should be low/non fat so as to reduce intake of saturated fats.	Calcium is likely to have some useful effect of colorectal cancer but high doses have bad effect in case of prostate cancer. For an adult up to 1Gm per day as supplement along with normal diet is recommended.
Vitamin E	Wheat germ oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, nuts and nut oils, palm oil	Very powerful antioxidant and is claimed to be effective in slowing prostate cancer.
Vitamin D	Milk, cereals, fish oils. Produced naturally in body of exposure to sunlight.	It is likely to have positive effect in Breast, colon, pancreatic and prostate cancer.
Vitamin A	Liver oils, carrots, broccoli,  sweet potatoes , spinach, butter, animal liver	This vitamin is useful for general health, eye sight, skin and body resistance but the usefulness in cancer is not proved
Vitamin C	Oranges, Lemons  Call citrus fruits) grapefruits, leafy vegetables	Vitamin C is very strong antioxidant. Its role in reducing cancer tumor is conclusive proved in many clinical studies. It also boosts body’s resistance power.
Omega 3 Fatty acids	Fish, fish oils, krill, Perilla, linseed, eggs and meat	Studies show that these fatty acids retard cancer growth and also stop tumor formation. Omega 3 fatty acids have excellent effects on heart and circulatory system.
Folate	B vitamin source found in vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains.	These are proved to be useful in reducing cancer risk and also useful for maintenance of general body health
Cruciferous vegetables	Cabbage, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Brussels sprout	Conclusively proved to be useful against cancer mainly mouth, larynx, esophagus and stomach. These help in improving enzyme system in body that is useful in fighting cancer cells.
Beans	Lentils, Peas, Soybeans	These contain phyto-chemicals such as saponis, protease inhibitor, phytic acid. These chemicals protect cells from getting damaged and also slow down growth of tumors.  These are also good fiber source.
Garlic	Garlic and other from Onion family	Some studies are inconclusive about benefits of garlic in treating cancer but some studies, Chinese medicine and Ayurveda claim that garlic is useful in tumor of prostate , bladder, stomach and colon
Turmeric	Indian/Asian spices made from turmeric rhizome	Contains Curcumin , which is very strong antioxidant. Turmeric also has strong anti-inflammatory properties. It is useful in treating tumors of mouth, esophagus, stomach, intestines, breast and skin.
Fluids	Water, juices	Drinking sufficient quantities of water and juices lower the risk of bladder cancer but diluting the cancer causing agent and by regularly flushing those out.
Vegetarian diet	Vegetarian diet are normally high in fibers, phytochemicals, vitamins and low in saturated fats. Those opting for vegetarian diet for long time have lower incidences of various cancers as compared to those having non-vegetarian diet.

Antioxidants: Role in Cancer Prevention

When we talk about cancer prevention, we must understand that there is no hundred percent guaranteed way for cancer prevention. We should do what we can so as to minimize the chances of getting cancer. Over past 3-4 decades, substantial research has taken place to conclusively find out various nutritional ingredients which will assist us in preventing cancer.

Antioxidants are a group of food substances that have shown very promising tendency for improving our capacity to prevent various health conditions and diseases like cancer.

Role of Antioxidants:-Antioxidants work by removing free radicals from our body and blood stream. The free radicals are naturally produced in our body during metabolism and during conversion of food into energy. These are also produced because of smoking, alcohol consumption, and because of pollution and radiation exposure.  As the name indicates, these are free radicals meaning these are charged particles having negative charge. The most common free radical is negatively charged Oxygen .  Due to this charge, these radicals are more reactive and they combine with cell membranes, DNA structure which can be a cause for the birth of cancer cells.   The role of Antioxidants is to neutralize these charged free radicals.

Sources of Antioxidants: Antioxidant are found in high percentage in fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, fish and whole grains. The active antioxidant chemicals in these substances are Beta-carotene, Lutein, Lycopene, Vitamin A, Vitamin E and Vitamin C.

These food substances which are rich in Antioxidants are also useful to body in many other ways.

§  Beta-Carotene is found in food substances having orange color. For example, carrot, pumpkin, mango, apricots and green leafy vegetables like spinach. Beta-carotene seems to reduce risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and post menopausal age related eye diseases. It helps in improving physical performance in aged people. It is also proved to be useful for patients with asthma and bronchitis.

§  Lutein is found in dark green vegetables and in egg yolk. Lutein improves health of eyes and skin.

§  Lycopene found in red colored fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, watermelon. This substance is proved to be useful for preventing cardiovascular diseases, cancer, osteoporosis and diabetes.

§  Vitamin A is found in fish oils, liver, carrot, milk and egg. The health benefits of this vitamin are very well known. This Vitamin is useful for good eye sight, skin and hair. It is also very strong antioxidant. It is also necessary for healthy bone growth and healthy immune system.

§  Vitamin E is found in corn oil, soybean oil, margarine, wheat germ oil, sunflower oil and in germinating seeds. Apart from being very strong antioxidant, it plays a vital role in improving body immunity and metabolic system.

§  Vitamin C is found in all citrus fruits, vegetables and tomatoes. Apart from being very strong antioxidant, it also improves body’s resistance to diseases, promotes healing, and improves absorption of iron. It improves health of skin, bones and connective tissues.

One can clearly see that it is easy to incorporate sufficient quantity of antioxidants in regular diet. This can help in cancer prevention and also in improving general health.

There are many antioxidant supplements available but it is always advisable to get these antioxidants from natural sources and from balanced diet.

All the means for healthy living are there with Mother Nature.

CANCER SYMPTOMS : One Should Never Neglect

Cancer is a term used to describe different types of diseases involving uncontrolled cellular growth leading to invasion and destruction of other tissues in body.  The impact of cancer is far greater than mere numbers. Its diagnosis causes immense emotional trauma and its treatment, a major economical burden. This disease is associated with a lot of fear and despair throughout the world.

More than 70% of the cases report for diagnostic and treatment services in the advanced stages of the disease, which has led to a poor survival and high mortality rate.

Early detection of this disease can improve survival chances by a great extent.

CANCER SYMPTOMS

      One should never ignore these symptoms as these can help early detection of Cancer.

• Persistent cough or blood-tinged saliva can be bronchitis or sinusitis, but can also be cancer of lung, head or neck. Cough lasting beyond a month or with blood in the mucus needs further investigation.

• A change in bowel habits lasting for more than few days can be due to colon cancer, especially if one has pencil-thin stools. Some people with cancer feel as if they need to have a bowel movement, and still feel that way after they have had a bowel movement.

• Blood in the stools is more likely to be because of Hemorrhoids but can also be due to rectal cancer.

• Anemia can be due to many underlying causes but unexplained anemia needs further investigation, as it can be due to bowel cancer which causes iron deficiency.

• All Breast lumps must be thoroughly investigated.

• Lumps in the Testicles, Most men (90%) with Cancer of testicles have a painless or uncomfortable lump on a testicle. Some men have an enlarged testicle. Other conditions such as infections and swollen veins can also cause changes in your testicles, but any lump should be evaluated.

• Changes in urination such as frequent urination, small amounts of urine and slow urine flow. These symptoms may signal Prostate Cancer. Cancer of the bladder and pelvic tumors can also cause irritation of the bladder and increase urination frequency.

• Blood in Urine can be urinary infection or kidney stone, but also can be due to cancer of bladder.

• Hoarseness lasting for more than 3-4 weeks can be due to Cancer of throat

• Persistent lumps or swollen glands lasting for more than 3-4 weeks can be due to cancer. Swelling due to infection or other causes will shrink after a week.

• Change in a wart or a mole with irregular edges or one that bleeds may be cancerous.

• Indigestion and difficulty swallowing can be because of many simple causes but difficulty in swallowing solids especially in elderly persons can be cancer of esophagus

• Unusual Vaginal bleeding or discharge, bleeding after intercourse, between periods, bleeding which comes back and lasts for two or more days, and postmenopausal bleeding can be indicative of various cancers of reproductive system and need proper investigation.

• Unexpected weight loss, night sweats or fever can be present with several types of cancers.

• Continued itching in the anal or genital area not relieved by OTC medications can imply Cancer.

• Change in Skin color can be caused by some cancers.

• Non-healing sores in mouth, white or red patches on tongue and gums are likely to be due to cancer.

• Headaches which do not relent to common OTC medications can be due to Cancer.

• Back pain, pelvic pain, bloating, or persistent indigestion can be due to ovarian cancer.

Many of these symptoms can be because of something other than Cancer but it is better to hope for best but be always prepared for worst.

Happy Mind Is Healthy Mind

Road to cancer cure: Co-enzyme Q10

From the days of shooting in dark, we have come a long way in our goal of complete cure of cancer. Our efforts in fight against cancer can be compared with jigsaw puzzle which is half solved. Now we know which piece is likely to fit where, now we have references and victory in near sight. To our brothers and sisters who are fighting cancer war, now we can say, “Let Us Fight Our Fight Together, The Victory Is Round the Corner”.

The medical profession and all great researchers are doing relentless work and succeeding in their work, too. Our job as patients and as relatives of patients is to compliment their efforts. Many times, car stuck in mud fails to come out with horse powers of four wheel drives but if complimented with a push by driver and passengers, that same car is soon on smooth road.

We all are aware of Cancer prevention, causes and symptoms. Many of us have also read about newer treatments which researchers are trying to formulate for the total cure of cancer. We all know that our contribution can be by way of adopting a healthy life style, improving body immunity and strengthening mental power for preventing cancer and ultimately achieving total cure of cancer.

There are many diets and dietary supplements which are studied for their benefits in prevention and treatment of cancer. One of such substance which has shown promising results is Coenzyme Q10.

Why Coenzyme Q10: Coenzyme Q10 is there in our body all the time and acts as catalyst for converting food into energy.  It is understood that the free radicals moving in our body cause damage to cell membrane, harm DNA leading to many health problems including Cancer. Coenzyme Q10 is useful for cell growth and prevention of cell damage. This cell damage can lead to cancer. Coenzyme Q10 being very strong antioxidant, neutralizes these free radicals and protect us from dreadful health conditions, including cancer.

Sources of Coenzyme Q10: Our regular balanced diet normally contains Coenzyme Q10 in sufficient quantity, but for those advanced in age and those having health problems need additional quantity of this enzyme. Whole grains, organ meats like liver or chicken heart, and oily fish, vegetable oils, vegetables like parsley contain high concentration of Coenzyme Q10. There are many dietary supplements available but normally these supplements are controlled by less stringent laws as these do not fall in the category of medicines. It is important to buy these from very reputed sources and after consulting friendly medical experts.

Study findings of role Coenzyme Q10 in cancer treatment:

1.       It is found in preclinical trials on animals that this enzyme boosts immunity and is helpful in fighting infection and types of cancer. Also it is found that it is likely to stop cancer cells from growing further.

2.       Coenzyme Q10 reduces side effects of many chemotherapeutic agents, as is found in clinical trials on humans. Lot of research is going on for conclusively proving usefulness of CoenzymeQ10 in prevention and cure of cancer.

3.       Precautions for consuming Coenzyme Q10: It is safe to use this enzyme in modest quantity for healthy individuals as a preventive measure and for boosting immunity. For those who are suffering from disease like cancer, it is of utmost importance to take every action including consumption of Coenzyme Q10 in consultation with physician giving the treatment.

The purpose of this blog is that we all must take up informed fight. If we know what we are doing and why, then we can do the same thing whole heartedly and with much better success.

In forthcoming blogs you can find more information about nutritional approach and use of natural products of plant origin in treatment of cancer.  

I want readers of this blog, which I consider as not MY blog but as OUR blog, to contribute their experiences, information about various foods and diets which have shown positive effects on prevention and cure of Cancer.

Happy Mind Is Healthy Mind

Cancer Treatment: Cure is near!!

There was this man who was trying to scale mountain peak as quickly as possible. His first attempt took him 2 hours to reach to the peak. He exercised and tried again and again, and managed to scale the same peak in 1hour 30 minutes. But beyond that, no matter how hard he tried, he could not reduce the time required. Then one day, he flew to the top of the mountain in 10minutes, in Hot Air Balloon.

May be this is what we need for treating cancer. We are treating cancer patients with various chemotherapeutic agents since World War II. We are using radiation and surgery for a long time and still we are taking the survival rate as five years. We rarely talk about total cure from the disease. Is it not painful? ,But now cure seems to be near!!

Before antibiotics, we were treating skin infections with Sulphur, wounds with honey and syphilis with mercury. We were treating internal infections with Sulphonamides. These were not effective enough and had lots of side effects. Even the first antibiotic Penicillin had lot of side effects and many patients had to suffer from severe reactions which even led to death at times. Then science moved on and now we have safe and very effective antibiotics and antibacterials to fight diseases.

It is accepted fact that body immunity plays vital role in the fight against cancer and most of the chemotherapies and radiation therapy reduce body immunity drastically. There are many scientifically proved regimes which one must follow to improve immunity.

The scientists are working in various directions to find out perfect treatment for cancer. Following are some of the latest treatments:-

1.    Cancer Detecting Bra

2.     Microwaving Cancer

3.    Gold Nanorods Target Tumors

4.    Slowing Cancer Metabolism

5.    Treat cancer with Purple Tomato

6.    Bombing Cancer with Virus

7.    Use of Newer contrast agents to fight cancer

8.    New methods for detecting cancer very early

9.    Killing of stem-cells of Breast cancer

10. Micro-bubbles activated by Ultrasound for killing cancer cells

11. Use of Electric field for killing cancer cells.

12. Use of Laser micro-scalpel to kill individual cancer cell 

13. Capturing cancer cells with magnets

14. Blocking Proliferation of Beta cells in Leukemia

15. Interferon based drugs to cure breast cancer

16. Latest endoscopic techniques to detect pancreatic cancer at very early stage.

 The science has very conclusively proved the usefulness of Vitamins like C and D in treatment of Cancer. The cure for the disease is round the corner. We have managed to eradicate Smallpox, and Leprosy. We have managed to cure Polio, TB, Typhoid and many other dreadful diseases and very soon we will be having complete cure for cancer.

Happy Mind Is Healthy Mind