Archive for the ‘Health’ Category
Is Vitamin D Really a Cancer Fighter?
- Image via Wikipedia
The information being published about vitamin D in the health media are generally very favorable about encouraging folks to make certain that they get sufficient vitamin D. It turns out that vitamin D is not really a vitamin, but it is a hormone that interacts with more than two thousand genes in our bodies. We have vitamin D receptors everywhere in our bodies. In terms of cellular health vitamin D has been shown to support the prevention of certain cancers including cancers of the prostate, breast, pancreas, and colon. All the medical studies performed to date indicate that more is better when it comes to the level of vitamin D in the blood.
For example in the case of breast cancer, women who are deficient in vitamin D when they are diagnosed with cancer are more than 70% more likely to die of it compared with women with sufficient levels of vitamin D. After heart disease, breast cancer is the deadliest killer of women in the United States. Exposure to the sun and a vitamin D rich diet significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer for women.
For men only heart attacks and lung cancer claim more men that prostate cancer. Exposure to sunlight that allows our bodies to make our own vitamin D has been shown to reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer by more than 65% for men who had the highest exposure to sunlight. Those men who had the lowest exposure to sunlight were three times more likely to develop prostate cancer. This is good news for seniors who want to take preemptive aging steps to foster their prostate health.
Senior Men Can Enjoy Avocadoes for Prostate Health
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This post is written for senior men who are concerned about promoting their prostate health and avoiding the effects of prostate cancer. Two of the possible paths taken by a developing prostate cancer include either the path of androgen-dependent or the path of androgen-independent cancer cells. Both of them will result in deadly consequences unless they are stopped. Current therapies can target the androgen-dependent prostate cancer cells and delay them in the short term. Androgen-independent cancer cells are much more difficult to treat and they tend to metastasize. What is needed is a way to inhibit the growth of both types of cancer cells.
It turns out that there appears to be some genuine hope on the horizon for senior men in terms of reducing their risk of prostate cancer. Recent research at the University of California has found that avocadoes are loaded with nutrients that promote prostate health and inhibit the growth of both the androgen-dependent and androgen-independent prostate cancer cells. Avocadoes are loaded with carotenoids including lutein, zeaxanthin, alpha-carotene, and beta carotene. They also contain a significant amount of vitamin E and they are a source of monosaturated fatty acids. Apparently the fatty acids assist the absorption of the carotenoids into the blood. The researchers discovered that extracts of the carotenoids and vitamin E from avocadoes inhibited the growth of both the androgen-dependent and androgen-independent prostate cancer cells.
Walk Frequently for Senior Health.
- Image by gretchichi via Flickr
The latest statistics show that about 50% of American adults to not engage in exercise despite the common knowledge that exercise is very beneficial for a healthy life. Seniors who are concerned about taking preemptive aging steps to foster their senior health need to take the big important step of exercising frequently. It turns out that one of the simplest exercises that many seniors can perform is walking. For seniors even walking slowly can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Obviously walking farther, faster, and more frequently will provide greater benefits for senior health. It turns out that walking is a generally ideal exercise for many seniors, because it can be tailored to each person’s ability and needs.
Walking at any level of exertion will increase breathing and heart rate which will improve the health of the entire circulatory system including the heart. Walking regularly will generally improve balance, coordination, and leg muscle strength. A recent study reported that very senior men who walked more than two miles a day reduced their risk of dying by 50% compared with those who walked less than a mile every day. It turns out that walking which improves cardiovascular health usually results in attaining a healthy weight, because obesity is the enemy of good health. Obesity is linked to cardiovascular disease and many cancers. Among the cancers that strike seniors breast cancer afflicts women and prostate cancer afflicts men. Walking can promote a healthy weight, prostate health in men, and breast health in women.
Can Sunlight Reduce Cancer Risk?
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About 30 years ago a research paper was published that raised the question of the connection between sunlight and reduction of cancer risk. The paper elaborated on the obvious conclusion that followed from sunlight’s effect on humans ability to synthesize vitamin D in its golden presence. The data that triggered the study was geographical data of the incidence of cancers across the United States of America. The southern half of the USA had a lower death rate from cancer than the northern half, but the northeast had the highest rates. For example its rates for colon cancer were twice as high as the southwest region. At the time it was published most of the medical establishment rejected it, but today the paper’s conclusion about the benefit of vitamin D for reducing the risk of cancer have been validated by many medical studies.
The best known studies include breast cancer and colon cancer, but other studies have validated the benefits of adequate vitamin D for 17 other cancers including prostate cancer. It is estimated that if everyone maintained even moderate levels of vitamin D that the deaths from many common cancers would be reduced by about 60%. For folks such as seniors who do not absorb the sun very well and those who live in a region where the sun is not high in the sky, supplements are available. This is very good news for seniors who are concerned about taking preemptive steps against cancer to protect their senior health. In particular senior women can reduce their risk of breast cancer and senior men can protect their prostate health by supplementing with vitamin D.
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Preemptive Steps for Prostate Health
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Here is some good news for senior men who are concerned about taking steps to promote their prostate health. We can take a health tip from the dietary practices of the men in Western Europe. They have lower rates of prostate cancer than we do in the USA. Recent research appears to point to a number of the items in their diet. We have all heard about the Mediterranean diet, but this research identified some very specific staples in that diet that supported prostate health. These staples appear to provide powerful defenses against prostate cancer. Two of the leading defenders of the prostate are both garlic and scallions. In a recent study in a national cancer journal it was reported that men who ate ample amounts of scallions or garlic on a daily basis reduced their risk of contracting prostate cancer by 50%. The organosulfur compounds in both vegetables are credited with providing the key to defending the prostate.
The fermented juice of the red grape are loaded with resveritrol which is an antioxidant that is found in several plants. Researchers think that it is the antioxidant in resveratrol that inhibits the growth of prostate cancer. For those who like a glass of wine with their meal the researchers suggest no more than two glasses, in order to get the benefits of the resveratrol. More than two glasses could negate the the benefits of the resveratrol. Fortunately for those who do not like to consume wine, resveratrol is available in supplement form which will provide the same defense against prostate cancer.
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Pomegranate Seed Oil Fights Cancer
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The benefits of pomegranate juice and pulp have been well documented for their ability to help combat a wide range of degenerative diseases. Two of the leading diseases include cardiovascular disease and prostate cancer. Recently researchers have discovered that other parts of the pomegranate plant can confer significant health benefits. for example the extracts of pomegranate flowers provide excellent protection against type 2 diabetes and many of the collateral effects of obesity. It turns out that pomegranate seed oil provides powerful chemoprevention against reproductive cancers.
In particular pomegranate seed oil is a potent inhibitor of the enzyme aromatase that produces estrogen from testosterone. As men age the balance of high testosterone to low estrogen tends to become inverted which fosters the growth of prostate cancer. Pomegranate seed oil reduces the amount of testosterone that can be converted to estrogen in older men which promotes their prostate health. Pomegranate seed oil provides another health benefit, because it greatly inhibits the proliferation of human prostate cancer cell lines by interrupting the cell growth cycle and also by inducing cell death known as apoptosis. Thirdly it greatly suppresses the invasion of cancer cells. Finally when pomegranate seed oil is teamed with other pomegranate components it acts synergistically to suppress prostate cancer proliferation and matastasis more effectively than any of the components alone.
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Senior Men Need Alpha and Gamma Vitamin E
- Image by Getty Images via Daylife
When folks are younger taking multivitamin supplements that contain vitamin E as one of the vitamins, the supplement usually lists the alpha form of vitamin E which is the most important component for that age group. It turns out that there are a number of other components found in natural food sources of vitamin E. When we age and enter our senior years our bodies change and the vitamin supplements that enhanced our health when we were younger may not enhance our health, but may even degrade it. This is definitely the case with the alpha component of vitamin E. Recent research has shown that senior men need to supplement with the gamma component of vitamin E as well as the alpha component, in order to maintain prostate health.
In one recent large scale test that was designed to resolve the issue of whether or not vitamin E helped to promote prostate health and to preempt prostate cancer the result was negative. That particular test used the alpha component of vitamin E which is why the test produced a negative result. Other research has shown that senior men need to consume the gamma component of vitamin E along with the alpha component in order to promote their prostate health. A number of foods such as asparagus, avocado, almonds and sunflower kernels contain the full spectrum of vitamin E components. Senior men would be well advised to add these foods to their diets or to use supplements that contain the full spectrum of vitamin E including both the alpha and gamma components.
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Increasing Prostate Awareness
Over the course of a lifetime, more than one in five males will have medical issues with their prostate. It’s important to be aware of potential risks of improper prostate health, and also to take precautions to ensure the well-being of your prostate. Ironically, maintaining a healthy prostate begins as easily as most other health improving practices; balanced diet. It’s important to avoid eating foods that are high in fat or cholesterol, and also to be sure to eat green vegetables when possible.
You can also increase prostate health by taking various vitamin supplements designed for men of all ages. The prostate can repair and prevent future damage with a correct allocation of vitamins and minerals.
Can Phytoestrogens Aid Senior Health ?
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Phytoestrogens are food sources that provide targeted health benefits over and above the basic nutritional value found in other foods. Some have been shown to preempt aging, particularly in the case of age-related diseases. For example the isoflavones, which are a major class of phytoestrogens and lignans, which are another major class, have been studied and shown to reduce the risks for heart disease, osteoporosis and certain cancers for the folks that consumed them. Lignans are found in significant quantities in a variety of foods including whole grains, vegetables, legumes and berries. Lignans are found in flax seeds and sesame seeds, too. The lignans in sesame seeds provide a synergistic effect with vitamin E to provide an anti-aging effect.
One study in the British Isles found that men with the highest consumption of lignans had the lowest incidence of prostate cancer. Parallel studies in Europe of postmenopausal woman who consumed a greater amount of lignans in their diet showed a reduced risk of breast cancer. A similar result was found in the case of pre-menopausal women; those with the highest consumption of lignans showed the lowest risk for breast cancer. This is good news for seniors, both women and men, who are looking for dietary means to preempt aging and improve their senior health.
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Latest Word About the PSA Prostate Test?
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For a number of years men over 50 years of age have been urged by their doctors to get a PSA blood test to help diagnose the condition of their prostate. Very recently the American Cancer Society recommended changing the emphasis from it would be a good idea for men over 50 to get a PSA test to consider the potential risks of treatment before making the decision to get a PSA test to screen for prostate cancer. The reasoning supporting this change of emphasis was based on the trade off between the negative side effects of PSA screening versus the positive benefits of avoiding the test. For example a slightly high PSA blood test may detect prostate cancer, but it can be a false positive. Conversely men with apparently normal PSA scores actually have had cancer, but the test indicated that they did not have cancer. The high PSA score typically was followed by a biopsy and treatments that had negative side effects that included urinary incontinence and impotence.
For these reasons the American Cancer Society made the recommendation that men who do not have special risks of prostate cancer should take counsel with their doctors, in order to reach an informed decision about getting screened for prostate cancer. The American Society of Clinical Oncology, which represents cancer specialists, including those treating prostate cancer patients, is supporting the Cancer Society guidelines. This is good news for senior men who are about to reach the age when they need to be concerned about the health of their prostates.
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