The 30-Year War
By Linda Wallace

When President Richard Nixon declared war on cancer 30 years ago, expectations were high that, given sufficient resources, medical researchers could effectively discover ways to conquer this group of diseases.
Today, three decades later, the cancer conundrum still resists easy solutions; cancer continues to plague an aging America. While we now know a great deal about lowering your risk of cancer, victory against cancer continues to elude us.

Aging and Cancer
The aging of America is a key reason why cancer rates continue to persist at high levels. An older America that lives in a world saturated with chemicals and stress gets more cancer.
Researchers have found good cause to believe that as we age the genes which regulate our cells are subject to significant changes that make them more liable to give birth to cancerous growths.
In an investigation of cellular reproduction, scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle found that middle-aged cells are subject to more than 200 times the cancer-prone, destructive changes than younger cells (Science 9/26/03).
These researchers theorize that these molecular changes play a primary role in causing four out of five cancers to occur in people over the age of 55.

Environment and Cancer
America’s love affair with the automobile also fosters many new cases of cancer.
If you want to know the extent of the cancer risk in your community linked to vehicular air pollution, count the cars and trucks that traverse your local streets, say researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland.
According to a study these scientists recently performed at a tollbooth at Baltimore’s Harbor Tunnel, the amount of carcinogens you inhale goes up and down with the traffic.
The lowest levels of automobile-related airborne carcinogens occur in the middle of the night, when streets are deserted. The most destructive pollutants fill the air at rush hour (Jrnl of the Air & Waste Management Assoc 6/03).
“Mobile source emissions [from cars and trucks] present a unique public health threat,” warns Timothy Buckley, PhD, professor of environmental health sciences at Hopkins.
Dr. Buckley and his colleagues measured the air levels of pollutants given off by vehicular traffic that included corrosive substances called particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzene and butadiene.
Not surprisingly, the larger the vehicle that goes past you, the more intense the pollution you can expect to experience.
The Hopkins study found that buses, tractor-trailers and motor homes give off about nine times more benzene, 32 times more butadiene and 60 times more PAHs than smaller cars.
The source of these carcinogens: the diesel engines that power most oversized vehicles.
Consequently, people who live in traffic-jammed cities and suburbs are almost certainly at increased risk of cancer.
“In Baltimore’s urban communities as with many other US cities, many people live in close proximity to busy streets,” points out Dr. Buckley. For future reductions in cancer risk, he and his fellow researchers believe that exposure to traffic pollution should be used “for evaluating exposure, risk and control strategies in these urban environments.”

Promising Future
In lowering the risk of cancer, researchers have also uncovered great promise in the use of supplementary antioxidants like vitamins C and E as well as arabinogalactan 6.
Arabinogalactan is a polysaccharide (long chained molecule) taken from the larch tree. Studies show it may boost immune response and thereby enhance the immunological resistance to cancer (Biochem Biophy Res Commun 1991;174:107-114).
Plus, new research increasingly points to ways in which dietary and supplementary antioxidants support the body’s anti-cancer efforts. In a study of almost thirty thousand Finnish men (the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study), scientists found that those who consumed more vitamin E lowered their chances of prostate cancer by up to fifty-three percent (Amer Assoc Cancer Res[AACR], Annual Meeting, 3/27/04, abstract 1096).
Meanwhile, a study in Texas found that a form of vitamin E called alpha tocopherol can also lower the chances of bladder cancer (AACR, abstrat 3921).
The best food sources of this kind of vitamin E include almonds, spinach, mustard greens, green and red peppers and sunflower seeds.

Weight Increase Increases Cancer Risk
Many factors in the modern environment contribute to continually rising cancer rates.
Aside from an aging population and a growing number of pollutants from cars, trucks and buses, scientists who study our lifestyle habits believe that the significant increase in people who are overweight and obese has also boosted the US cancer risk.
When you gain weight and add more fat cells to your body, your body’s production of cells linked to inflammation may also increase. The chemicals secreted by those cells (and which then circulate throughout your body) are believed to inflame your chances of cancer; fat cells produce proteins called cytokines that are linked to this inflammatory process.
A 16-year study that carefully analyzed the medical records of about 900,000 Americans found that overweight people suffered and died more often from a wide variety of cancers, including colon cancer and cancers of the liver, rectum, gallbladder, pancreas, kidney and esophagus, as well as multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NEJM 4/23/04).
According to this study, the more you weigh, the more you risk cancer. The researchers discovered that the heaviest men died 52% more often of cancer.
The heaviest women suffered an even greater toll. They succumbed to a startling 62% increase in their risk of dying from cancer.
Obesity seems to boost the chances that certain organs will turn cancerous. Men who are extremely overweight run their greatest risk of dying from stomach or prostate cancer. On the other hand, overweight women run the most deadly risk of cancers of the uterus, cervix, ovary and breast.

World Problem
During the global epidemic of obesity, researchers are finding that the United States is not the only part of the world which is proving that growing waistlines may lead to a growing cancer problem.
While about half of American citizens are now overweight, the rest of the world is also gaining weight quickly (though not as quickly as the US has).
The World Health Organization (WHO) has discovered that today about a billion people worldwide are overweight, while 300 million are overweight enough to be labeled obese.
Soon, scientists reason from current trends, the US may no longer be the obesity champ.

Kids Gaining Weight
For instance, the United States has experienced a troubling increase in the rate of obesity among teens. It now tops one out of ten and continues to climb.
But in a place like Thailand, which traditionally has not had a weight problem, the rate of obesity in five- to twelve-year-olds has jumped from about 12% to about 16% in the last two years.
As a result, the worldwide obesity epidemic may lead to an even more troubling cancer epidemic.
For example, Swedish research published in Cancer Causes and Control (1/01) found that Swedes who are seriously overweight now face a significantly greater cancer risk.
This study, which involved almost 30,000 obese Swedes over a 30-year period, found that those who weighed the most were 33% more likely to suffer cancer than the rest of the country’s population.
In that country, being overweight was found to lift your chances most often of endometrial cancer and cancers of the brain, ovary, bladder, pancreas, cervix, gallbladder and colon.
Scientists now believe that most cancer risk can be attributed to lifestyle. Dennis Savaiano, PhD, dean of the School of Consumer and Family Sciences at Purdue, notes that, “...one-third of cancers…are related to smoking, one-third to poor diet and lack of exercise and one-third to genetic or other factors.”
So if you lose weight, don’t smoke, exercise, and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, you can count yourself among the foot soldiers in the war against cancer. Neglect them, and you may end up a casualty.

Despite all the attention we pay to breast cancer, this much-feared problem continues to plague American women. During the past 20 years breast cancer rates have risen even though a great deal is now known about why women get this disease.
Want to lower your chances of breast cancer? Recognize the factors in your life that may make you more susceptible to it and change your lifestyle accordingly.
Globally, about a million women get breast cancer every year, and the disease kills about 600,000. In the United States, more than 200,000 women are annually found to have advanced breast cancer, while another 55,000 women are found to have the disease in its early stages. Almost 40,000 women will die in the US from breast cancer this year.
Overall, the rate of breast cancer, the cancer most feared by American women, has been climbing in the past two decades. Since 1992, many experts estimate that the rate of large breast tumors have been growing faster than 2% a year in the US (CA, A Cancer Journal for Clinicians 11/18/03).
Why, overall, have breast cancer rates continued to increase? Scientists believe the fact that Americans wait longer to have children is one factor. Plus, menopausal women who have taken hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are also at greater risk. In addition, the widespread weight gain among women may also be increasing this country’s breast disease difficulties.
But while, during the 1980s, white women and African-American women died from breast cancer at about the same rate, today, African-Americans run a more than 30% increased risk of death from the disease. The reasons: White women have better access to screening and treatment.

Estrogen and Breast Cancer
A basic factor in your risk of breast cancer is believed to be the amount of the hormone estrogen your body produces over your lifetime and how much estrogen your breast cells are exposed to. Researchers believe that up to two thirds of all breast cancer cells contain what are called estrogen receptors: places on the cell surface that take in estrogen and use that estrogen to fuel their growth.
Like most hormones, estrogen (which is often referred to as the female hormone) sends chemical messages around the body. When released within the body at certain stages of life, it plays an important role in sexual development and regulates menstruation. But at other times, increased estrogen levels increase breast cancer risk.

Lifestyle and Estrogen
The foods you eat and the amount of body fat you carry around can affect the level of estrogen in your blood.
If you eat a low-fat diet while consuming plenty of fiber in whole grains, you likely decrease the amount of estrogen in your body.
Substances called phytoestrogens (plant estrogens), found in soy foods, are believed to lower your cancer risk by locking up estrogen receptors that might otherwise help stimulate cancer growth.
The phytoestrogens in your food pass through the body fairly quickly and are much weaker than the estrogen your body makes. Researchers believe that when these relatively weak phytoestrogens latch onto breast tissue, they slow cellular reproduction, lowering your cancer risk. Studies show that women who eat lots of phytoestrogens lose more estrogens in their urine, while their blood also contains less estrogen. Another factor that may help: eating phytoestrogens may give you longer, fewer menstrual cycles, further reducing your breast cancer risk.
On the other hand, consumption of foods like grilled meats may increase your cancer risk. According to Donald R. Yance, Jr., AHG, in his book Herbal Medicine Healing & Cancer (Yeats), “Recent studies… have demonstrated a strong association between eating overcooked meats and breast cancer.”

Weight Gain and Breast Cancer
Being overweight is also linked to a greater risk of breast cancer.
When you go through menopause, your ovaries stop making estrogen. At that point, your adrenal glands and fat cells become the body’s primary source of the hormone. The more fat you have, researchers think, the more estrogen your body continues to produce and the greater your subsequent risk of breast cancer.
To fight this increased risk, experts advocate increasing your exercise. Exercise can burn off calories that might otherwise be used to store estrogen-making fat. And exercise has been found to reduce the amount of estrogen circulating in the body and lengthen menstrual cycles, both of which lower your breast cancer risk.

Drinking Risk
Consuming alcoholic drinks is also linked to breast cancer, and experts estimate that 1 in 25 cases can be linked to drinking.
A study that examined the health histories of more than 150,000 women found that having one drink a day raises your chances of breast cancer by 7% (British Journal of Cancer 2002; 87:1234-45). And six drinks increases risk by nearly 50%.

Environmental Estrogens
Scientists now believe that pollutants known to mimic estrogen’s effects are probably responsible for many cases of breast cancer. Unlike phytoestrogens in food, which are quickly eliminated, pollutants that mimic estrogen break down slowly and are often stored in body fat.
Environmental estrogens include food preservatives like BHT and BHA (added to breakfast cereals), DDT, formaldehyde, substances used in plastic like bisphenol and food dye Red Number 3.
As you get older, your risk of breast cancer increases. So if you think it’s too late to change your lifestyle habits and get on the anti-cancer bandwagon, think again. For all of us, today is the best time to start lowering our risk of this widespread disease.

Mention mushrooms and few people immediately recognize these humble fungi as important tools that can be used to boost well-being. More often, folks identify mushrooms as food with a peculiar appeal. But mushrooms’ potential impact on health far surpasses their culinary reputation.
You don’t have to stretch your imagination too far to understand why mushrooms have been much neglected in the modern, Western medical search for plants that can boost health.
Unable to make chlorophyll, often dependent on the kindness of other nutrient-producing organisms for their survival, these humble fungal denizens of dark, damp spaces seem to prefer an anonymous existence that is out of sight and out of the consciousness of the scientific mind.
However, mushrooms have now assumed a spot in the center of the research spotlight. Because of their potent content of natural chemicals that appear to have a strong influence on human health and well-being, during the past decade mushrooms have been the subjects of intensive studies on how they can be used to reduce the risk of cancer and to treat these diseases.
Appropriately, this recent round of research began in a place that has long revered these diminutive organisms: Japan. Japan and other Oriental countries have traditionally recognized the immense value of mushrooms as both food and medicine.

Food and Medicine
As an ancient Chinese saying notes, “food and medicine share a common origin.”
And one of the very earliest Chinese medical books, Shen Noug’s Herbal (Shen Noug Pen Ts’ao Jing), first noted the extraordinary beneficial effects of eating mushrooms 2,000 years ago, back in the first century.
More recently, but still well ahead of Western medical experts, in 1575, Pen Ts’ao Kang Mu (a Chinese compendium of medicinal therapies), written by Li Shi Zhen, outlined the medical benefits of about 20 mushrooms.
Nowadays, modern researchers believe mushrooms’ usefulness stems from the fact they contain a wealth of antioxidants.
But these aren’t just any antioxidants. Scientists think that some of these chemicals can potentially drop your risk of cancer, significantly lower blood pressure, help the body fight diabetes, offer protection for the liver, alleviate some of the ill effects of inflammation, lessen the chance of blood clots and help the body’s immune system fend off viruses and other microbes.
Quite a collection of benefits for these lowly beings!

The 10,000-Year Mushroom
Through the ages, the reishi mushroom (also known variously as the Mannetake, or 10,000-year mushroom, and the Immortality Mushroom) has been the most popular mushroom in Chinese, Korean and Japanese cultures.
The reishi mushroom is frequently depicted in a wide variety of traditional Oriental artwork and even puts in an appearance in Chinese royal tapestries.
To some, reishi’s power goes beyond the natural and include the supernatural. Originally grown on aging plum trees, reishi is also sufficiently well regarded to be employed by the Japanese as a good luck charm.
But you don’t have to believe in the supernatural to be superbly impressed with reishi. The beneficial natural substances in reishi include steroids, lactones, alkaloids, triterpenes and polysaccharides.

Large Molecules
Of these chemicals, polysaccharides (complex chains of sugars) in particular have intrigued researchers looking into the way mushrooms help health. These polysaccharide macromolecules are very large (for molecules) and complex, a complexity that leads researchers to believe they are capable of conveying a huge amount of biological information that help the immune system stop cancer in its early stages.
The differences in the benefits of various polysaccharides stems from their intriguing geometrical shapes.

Distinctive Differences
Even though two distinctive polysaccharides may contain the same number of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms, their three-dimensional differences—the way they are structured and branch off in different directions—can endow them with very different health benefits.
Though they all share a basic structure (usually, these molecules consist of a main chain of atoms with various side chains), the slight variations of the side chains changes their effects.
By deciphering the microscopic structures of these molecules, scientists think they are beginning to uncover which ones are most effective against cancer.
For instance, in isolating a particularly useful polysaccharide called beta-D-glucan from reishi, researchers have found that this substance fights tumors in lab experiments (Chem Pharm Bull 1981; 29: 3611).

Maitake Benefits
Meanwhile, beta-D-glucan and other extracts taken from the maitake mushroom have also been shown to possess powerful anti-cancer effects in lab experiments (Immunopharm Immunotox; 19:175).
In one instance, researchers in the laboratory who were trying out various substances on prostate cancer cells found that applying extracts of maitake results in a kind of programmed self-destruction (apoptosis) of these undesirable cancer cells (Molec Urol; 4:7).
In addition, another substance known as maitake d-fraction has been shown to strongly fight cancer in lab animals-in one study, their liver cancer growths were reduced by up to 90% (Ann NY Acad of Sci; 833:204).
At the same time, research in China on people has demonstrated that maitake may help reduce tumors and alleviate the effects of leukemia (Alter Comp Ther 12/98; 420).
According to A.S. Daba and O.U. Ezeronye (Afr Jrnl Bio 12/03; 672), “Mushroom polysaccharides offer a lot of hope for cancer patients and sufferers of many devastating diseases.
“[These substances support]…a fundamental principle in Oriental medicine…[they help] regulate homeostasis of the whole body and… bring the diseased person [back] to his or her normal state.”

The Activity of Active Hexose Correlated Compound
Active Hexose Correlated Compound (AHCC), an extract taken from shiitake and other mushrooms, is a relatively new substance that is also being researched for its anti-cancer benefits.
Studies on AHCC began in Japan in the 1990s when scientists looked at how it could potentially help people recovering from liver cancer. In those tests, researchers found that giving people AHCC apparently helped them survive longer.
In the future, scientists feel certain that they will uncover even more anticancer uses for mushrooms and the chemicals they contain.
A key advantage to these natural substances is their lack of side effects. For instance, in research on an anti-cancer chemical called lentinan, taken from shiitakes, investigators have found that less than one percent of people experience the kind of discomfort that make them discontinue treatment. (This chemical has been used to treat stomach cancer.)
But a long list of beneficial mushroom substances are probably still waiting to be discovered.
More evidence of mushrooms’ benefits: A study of mushroom workers in a part of Japan called the Nagano Prefecture found that these farmers enjoyed a significantly lower cancer rate than other inhabitants of that part of the country.
In the rest of Japan, about one in six hundred people dies of cancer. But that rate death rate drops to about one in a thousand for mushroom raisers who eat a diet heavy in mushrooms.
John Smith, PhD, from the University of Strath-Clyde, notes that "...increasing evidence [shows] mushrooms offer a remarkable array of medicinally important compounds that have yet to be evaluated by Western medical scientists.”
Mushrooms offer the best of both worlds: good health that tastes great.

Like people, the animals we live with are susceptible to the scourge of cancer. Experts estimate that roughly 380 out of every 100,000 dogs and 156 of every 100,000 cats develop one of these feared group of diseases each year.
Pets depend on their human companions for aid when they’re ailing. Just as importantly, pets need people to help keep them perky and playful with the same healthy lifestyle habits-especially good nutrition-that human health requires.
If you’re a pet owner, be alert for signs that something may be amiss with your furry friend. Serious signals include abnormal, persistent swellings; nonhealing sores; appetite and weight loss; bleeding or discharge; bad odors; difficulty in eating, breathing or elimination; reluctance to exercise; or persistent lameness.
“Even if the pet appears healthy, sometimes a veterinarian can detect a problem before it becomes evident,” says Michele Cohen, MS, DVM, Director of Radiation and Medical Oncology at the Center for Specialized Veterinary Care in Westbury, New York. “Several times I have seen pets referred to me because their regular veterinarian discovered an oral mass on routine examination.”
Except for breast cancer (called mammary cancer in animals) and skin cancer, pets tend to develop different types of cancer than people. While colorectal and lung cancers are among the most common human malignancies, cats and dogs are more prone to lymphoma and abdominal tumors. Unneutered male dogs are susceptible to testicular cancer, and cats can develop tumors after becoming infected with the feline leukemia virus.

Aging Pets
One reason for more cancer among both humans and their animal companions is the fact that all of us are living longer; the risk of cancer increases with age. According to the American Animal Hospital Association, the life expectancy of dogs has risen by 3 to 7 years since the 1970s (small breeds live longer than larger ones), while life expectancy among cats has increased 6 years since the 1960s.
“Unfortunately, cancer is fairly common in older cats and dogs,” says Dr. Cohen. “Cancer is the number one cause of disease-related deaths in dogs and cats, with approximately 45% of dogs and 30% of cats dying from cancer.”

Vaccination Quandary
The presence of such deadly diseases as feline leukemia virus represents a hard choice for cat owners: While vaccinations may protect Fluffy against a number of serious disorders, they may also increase her chances of developing a sarcoma at the injection site.
Fortunately, yearly vaccinations aren’t always necessary.
“Owners should speak to their veterinarians about the recommended vaccination protocol [schedule] depending on the status of their cat (indoor, outdoor, multicat household) as well as their local and state law requirements,” Dr. Cohen says. (Most states mandate rabies shots.)
“There are specific guidelines for where vaccinations should be administered in cats and the types of vaccines that should be given,” she adds. “In certain instances, an antibody level can be obtained through a blood test to determine if the vaccinations need to be re-administered.”
Your pet’s health is another crucial factor. “I would carefully consider whether the pet is fully healthy or not,” writes Susan Wynn, DVM on AltVetMed.com. She says the presence of conditions such as allergies, inflammatory bowel disease and underactive thyroid indicates illness, “and sick animals should never be vaccinated.”
Most vaccination-related lumps are not cancerous. If a lump does develop, talk to your veterinarian.

Avoidable Hazards
Keep your furry friend away from tobacco smoke. “Smoking has been linked to causing cancer in some animals,” says Dr. Cohen. “There is evidence that smoke can increase the risk of nasal tumors in some dogs.” In one study, cats living in the presence of cigarette smoke ran twice the risk of developing lymphoma as cats who lived in smoke-free environments (Am J Epidemiol 2002; 156(3):268-73).
Have your animal neutered or spayed as early as possible. “Dogs and cats that are spayed prior to their first heat have a significantly decreased risk of developing malignant mammary tumors compared with dogs and cats that are spayed later in life or not at all. Spaying also prevents pyometra, a life-threatening infection of the uterus,” Dr. Cohen says.
“Neutering male dogs at a young age is also important in preventing testicular tumors. There is some evidence that neutered animals may have decreased risk of developing other tumors.”
Limit your pal’s sun exposure. Sun-worshipping cats (what other kinds are there?), especially those with white, sparsely furred areas on their heads, are prone to developing cancer on their ear flaps, nose and eyelids. As for Fido, Dr. Cohen notes, “Skin tumors are actually the most common tumors in dogs, accounting for approximately one-third of all tumors in dogs.”
“As much as possible, limit your dog’s repeated or continuous exposure to environmental agents that are known to be capable of inducing cell mutations that lead to cancer,” say Jan Allegretti and Katy Sommers, DVM, authors of The Complete Holistic Dog Book (Celestial Arts). “These include herbicides (including lawn care products) [and] pesticides.” Use environmentally friendly cleaning products, and keep them away from your pet’s curious nose.
If fleas hound your friend, “the most natural product available to you is the flea comb,” say Allegretti and Sommers. “Dipping the comb in a bowl of soapy water will drown the fleas and prevent reinfestation.”
According to Deborah Straw, author of Why Is Cancer Killing Our Pets? (Healing Arts Press), you must take particular care when using flea controls on cats; they are more sensitive to chemicals than dogs.
Straw says you can try brewer’s yeast along with “raw garlic, zinc and barley grass concentrates,” asking your vet for advice “regarding the proper dosages depending on weight.”

Healthy Mealtimes
Proper diet is one of the most important-and most controversial-aspects of pet health.
Straw suggests avoiding many commercial foods: “there are rendered, euthanized pets in much of this food,” along with ingredients unfit for human consumption. “Two-thirds of the pet food manufactured in the United States contains added preservatives, according to the Animal Protection Institute.”
What’s a concerned human to do? Well, you can go the home-cooked route: “When you cook for your dog you know exactly what he’s eating,” say Allegretti and Sommers, who note that homemade meals can also offer your pet a varied menu.
To design a nutritional diet, consult a vet with a strong dietary background. You should also talk to the vet about supplements that may round out your pet’s diet.
The other option is a high-quality commercial food. “Generally, premium diets are the best,” says Dr. Wynn. “Organic ingredients are a plus.” Meat (not meat meal, bone meal or animal fat) should be the first ingredient on the label, along with human-grade produce and grains. Allegretti and Sommers suggest feeding your dog brassicas - cabbage, broccoli and their relatives - along with cooked tomatoes “for their natural, anticancer effects.”
Unlike dogs, cats are true carnivores, so cat foods should be more meat-based. Cats also need an amino acid (a protein building block) called taurine, without which they can become quite sick; look for this nutrient on the label.
In addition, give your pets fresh, pure water. If you wouldn’t drink it, they shouldn’t.
Besides a nutritious diet, animals also require regular exercise to not only stay healthy but to stay trim and fit.
With the right nutrition and lifestyle, you can enjoy your pal’s company for years to come.

By now, most everyone with even a cursory interest in health knows that fruits and vegetables are more effective than foods like cheeseburgers at making your body more resistant to chronic diseases such as cancer. But beyond that generality, few people seem to know how to fine-tune their meals for the most anti-cancer bang per bite.
Over the course of the lifetime of planet Earth, the plant world has devised and concocted a wealth of nutrients that can help your body fight off cancer.
It’s time to put them to work for you.
Would you be interested in a tasty, quick way to cut your chances of certain types of cancer in half? The means to this desirable end are about as close as your refrigerator and your dining room table: All you have to do is cut open and eat a single orange every day.
According to cancer research in Australia, adding that extra serving of citrus fruit to your diet every day, only once a day, boosts immunity enough to significantly lower your risk of some common cancers.
“Citrus fruits [protect] the body through their antioxidant properties and strengthen the immune system, inhibiting tumor growth and normalizing tumor cells,” says Katrine Baghurst, PhD, of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO).
According to Dr. Baghurst and her fellow researchers, oranges possess the most antioxidants of any fruit: more than 170 different phytochemicals.
The protection you can get from oranges is due to their influence on immunity. Your immune system has the assigned task of protecting you against cells that can turn cancerous. Sixty of the chemicals in oranges are substances called flavonoids that can help the immune system fend off inflammation and tumors.

Better Vegetables
When Americans eat fruits and vegetables, they don't eat the ones with the most anti-cancer (or other) health benefits. Instead, we dine on the same so-so produce too frequently. If we want more health benefits from our veggies, we’d better look to expand our culinary horizons.
“While people understand they should eat a variety of fruits and vegetables each day, they are not translating ‘variety’ in a way to capture health benefits, such as reducing their risk of developing chronic diseases,” says Susie Nanney, PhD, acting director of the Obesity Prevention Center at Saint Louis University.
“People aren’t eating the fruits and vegetables that contain the most nutrients,” warns Dr. Nanney. “People are quite frankly confused about nutrition. I feel their pain.”
Unfortunately, Americans rely too often on iceberg lettuce, corn, apples, potatoes and bananas; a steady diet of that produce doesn’t produce the same benefits as indulging in a wider variety of vegetarian foods.
Dr. Nanney points out that the vegetables and fruits most effective at helping the body fight cancer are dark green leafy veggies, citrus (oranges, grapefruits), cruciferous vegetables (broccoli and cauliflower) and produce that has yellow or orange color.

Making Dinner Plans
Dr. Nanney’s spectrum of desirable foods includes:
- White: Don’t eat the usual potatoes; add cauliflower to your meals.
- Green: Eat dark lettuces, like romaine and red leaf; eat a lot more spinach, broccoli and Brussels sprouts.
- Yellow/orange: Instead of eating corn and bananas frequently, eat more carrots, winter squashes, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, oranges and grapefruit.
- Red: Apples are helpful in some ways, but indulge more often in tomatoes (colored by lycopene, a strong antioxidant); include red peppers and strawberries in your diet; these are rich in vitamin C.

Desirable Diet
“When we look at how to get the most bang for your buck, the most power, it’s by eating these other fruits and vegetables instead of the traditional choices,” Nanney insists.
Studies show that tomatoes, colored by a pigment called lycopene, may be particularly helpful in lowering men’s chances of prostate cancer.
For instance, research on about three dozen men with prostate cancer found that those taking supplements of lycopene and other tomato phytochemicals had smaller tumors and less spread of their cancers (Exper Bio and Med, 2002; 227: 881).
The researchers conclude that “lycopene may have an antitumor effect and may be useful as an adjunct to standard treatment of prostate cancer, such as surgery, radiation therapy, hormones and chemotherapy. In addition, lycopene supplementation appears to have reduced the [spread of cancer within the prostate], suggesting that lycopene may have a role in the prevention of prostate cancer.”
In a study on African-American men, who suffer a higher rate of prostate cancer than other Americans, researchers also found that lycopene can limit the DNA damage that may presage cancer (Amer Chem Soc Meeting #222, 2001).
“This study does not say that tomato sauce reduces cancer,” cautions Phyllis E. Bowen, PhD, a nutritionist at the University of Chicago and lead investigator in the study.
“It says that it reduces DNA damage that we think is associated with cancer.”

Tomato Consumption
Other studies have confirmed the finding that men who eat tomatoes suffer less prostate cancer.
And if you want the most anti-cancer benefit from tomatoes, better cook them.
According to Rui Hai Liu, MD, Cornell assistant professor of food science, “[Our] research demonstrates that heat processing actually enhanced the nutritional value of tomatoes by increasing the lycopene content—[the] phytochemical that makes tomatoes red-that can be absorbed by the body, as well as the total antioxidant activity. The research dispels the popular notion that processed fruits and vegetables have lower nutritional value than fresh produce.”

Less Meat
While you’re making an effort to eat more of the colorful vegetables, you should also eat less fatty red meat and cut back on high-fat dairy foods, according to research from Harvard.
In this study, which covered eight years and looked at the diets of more than 90,000 women, scientists found that those premenopausal women who ate the most fatty red meat and regular milk had the highest chance of developing invasive breast cancer.
The scientists taking part in this study believe that eating more saturated fat from meat may increase hormone levels that boost the chances of breast cancer (Jrnl Natl Cancer Inst 2003;95:1079).
In this research, the total amount of fat didn’t affect cancer risk, but the amount of animal fat did. Women who ate the most red meat had a 54% higher chance of breast cancer.
Aside from avoiding red meat, women who wish to lower their risk of breast cancer should also limit their consumption of alcoholic beverages.
A study of two thousand post- menopausal women found that those who averaged about two drinks a day raised their risk of breast cancer by about 80% (Cancer Epidem, Biomarkers and Prevention, 10/03).
Here, too, researchers believe that alcohol affects the level of hormones that influence cancer.
The moral of the research into how food can slow cancer risk: Eat a wide variety of vegetables and fruits early and often. Limit meat and alcohol.
Change the color of the fruits and vegetables on your plate for a better chance of a brighter future.