(NaturalNews) Preventing cancer starts with lowering the risk of getting cancer in the first place. Plenty of exercise and a healthy diet go without saying, as does avoiding harmful habits such as smoking. Much has been said on Natural News regarding the health benefits of organic vegetables and other whole foods. This article will again highlight the cancer fighting properties of plant foods.
Preventing Cancer DietCancer needs glucose to survive, so avoid a diet high in carbohydrates because carbohydrates turn into glucose. Supplement your diet with a regular intake of vitamin C, lots of small doses throughout the day. If cancer cells are starved of glucose they upgrade the mechanism by which glucose is absorbed into the cells. This mechanism will also absorb the vitamin C, which is toxic to the cancer cells.
Trying to find an inexpensive source of vitamin C and other essential nutrients for a balanced diet can be a challenge if you are feeling the pinch because of the current economic slump. What about growing a vegetable garden? Growing a vegetable garden can be therapeutic in many ways.
Fighting Cancer and ExerciseGetting outdoors for fresh air and exercise is a great way to fight cancer because it helps to reduce blood sugar levels, which reduces insulin levels. Exercise also causes one to sweat, which gets rid of xenobiotic toxins. Why not combine the exercise with the quest for a healthy diet by planting and maintaining a vegetable garden?
The Moringa Tree and the Fight Against CancerConsider planting a moringa tree for its nutritional value and potential to fight cancer, especially if you live in a dry, arid area.
Dubbed the "miracle tree" by many, it is said that its cooked leaves have an estimated 17 times the calcium of milk, 10 times the vitamin A of carrots, 15 times the potassium of bananas, 25 times the iron of spinach and 4 times the protein of eggs. In addition to the leaves, the seed pods (drumstick) and other parts of the tree can be eaten as part of a tasty, nutritious dish.
The moringa tree has long been recognized by traditional healers as valuable in the treatment of tumors. Although the scientific research into the effects of the moringa tree on cancer has been limited, there appears to be some evidence in support of the traditional healers' faith in the moringa tree. For example, the journal
Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention reported that a dramatic reduction in skin papillomas was demonstrated in a mouse after ingesting a moringa seedpod.
The journal,
Planta Medica, which is considered to be one of the leading international journals in the field of medicinal plants and natural products, documented results that shows that niazimicin, a phytochemical found in the Moringa tree, inhibited tumor promotion in a mouse two-stage DMBA-TPA tumor model.
Can the moringa tree prevent cancer in humans? According to researcher
Jed W. Fahey, "Neither the prevention of cancer nor the modification of relevant biomarkers of the protected state has been adequately demonstrated in human subjects". However, when commenting on whether the Moringa tree could prevent cancer, he had this to say: "Does this mean that it doesn't work? No. It may well work, but more rigorous study is required in order to achieve a level of proof required for full biomedical endorsement of Moringa as, in this case, a cancer preventative plant".
Will the big drug companies invest money researching a tree that can grow like a weed in your back garden? Hardly! If the claims about the Moringa tree's ability to treat or prevent cancer are true, it could put them out of business.
Sources:
http://www.naturalnews.com/020839_broccoli_cancer_prevention.htmlBharali R, J Tabassum, MRH Azad (2003) Chemomodulatory effect of Moringa oleifera, Lam, on hepatic carcinogen metabolizing enzymes, antioxidant parameters and skin papillomagenesis in mice. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 4: 131-139
Murakami A, Y Kitazono, S Jiwajinda, K Koshimizu, and H Ohigashi (1998) Niaziminin, a thiocarbamate from the leaves of Moringa oleifera, holds a strict structural requirement for inhibition of tumor-promoter- induced Epstein-Barr virus activation. Planta Medica 64: 319-323
http://www.tfljournal.orghttp://www.zijapower.com/article-nutrition-for-cancer-prevention-and-trea...About the author
Fleur Hupston is a professional freelance writer. She is passionate about natural, healthy living and is currently studying to be a naturopath. She divides her time between writing for Natural News and various other sites, home schooling her children and studying part time.
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