(NaturalNews) Recent research on prostate cancer continues to highlight the importance of fruit and vegetable consumption in men's health. Flavonoids, a group of phytochemicals that abound in plant-based foods, could easily be considered one of nature's most powerful cures. These tiny molecules have a heap of documented health properties, with powerful anti-microbial, anti-inflamatory and anti-carcinogenic effects. Resveratrol, a grape phenol, could have yet untapped benefits against prostate cancer.
Flavonoids are confirmed for prostate cancer prevention
Building on previous knowledge, a recent study carried out at the
Arnold School of Public Health found that a high flavonoid intake is very efficient against aggressive prostate cancer. Susan Steck, study lead and associate professor at
Arnold School, stressed on the importance of consuming fruits, vegetables, herbs and green tea for cancer treatment and prevention. "Filling your plate with flavonoid-rich foods is one behavior that can be changed to have a beneficial impact on health," she mentioned. Steck's study is one of the few to successfully prove that flavonoids can reduce the chance of developing prostate cancer in humans.
Different types of flavonoids are only effective when working together, which is why it is important to have a varied plant-based diet. Steck used dietary questionnaires on a sample of nearly 2,000 men to see which plants were most effective, and found that oranges, grapefruits, green tea, grapes, strawberries, onions and leafy greens were the most important contributors to flavonoid-rich regimes.
Resveratrol study shows promising results
A second study published in November 2012 investigated some of the health properties of resveratrol, a famous phenol associated with a reduced risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease. This time, scientists at the
MU School of Medicine looked at the relationship between resveratrol and
prostate cancer. They found that resveratrol has the potential to weaken cancerous cells, making them much easier to destroy, without damaging healthy tissues.
The highest concentrations of resveratrol can be found in grape skins and red wine. Michael Nicholl, one of the scientists involved in the study, noted that resveratrol "is very attractive as a therapeutic agent since it is a natural compound and something that most of us have consumed in our lifetimes." The next step for MU scientists is to continue testing the properties of restveratrol, and eventually carry out a human clinical trial.
In older studies, resveratrol has been shown to induce cellular death on specific cancerous cells, as well as prevent skin cancer, reduce esophageal tumors, and prevent mammary tumors in animals, although no human clinical trials for cancer have yet been carried out.
Sources for this article include:http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121019141128.htmhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQhySTdX0_whttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121110093554.htmAbout the author:Raw Michelle is a natural health blogger and researcher, sharing her passions with others, using the Internet as her medium. She discusses topics in a straight forward way in hopes to help people from all walks of life achieve optimal health and well-being. She has authored and published hundreds of articles on topics such as the raw food diet and green living in general. In 2010, Michelle created
RawFoodHealthWatch.com, to share with people her approach to the raw food diet and detoxification.
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