Posts Tagged ‘Breast cancer’
A Super Food for 2010!
- Image by Amanda Rudkin via Flickr
This grain is one of the oldest grains used by humans. Barley was first used by humans in Egypt about 10,000 years ago. Late in the 15th Century it was brought to the Americas by Columbus, but barley has never gained the same popular use in the USA as other grains such as wheat and oats. Recently a number of barley’s exciting health benefits have been discovered that have particular relevance for senior health. It turns out that barley is loaded with phytochemicals, minerals and fiber that can provide preemptive aging benefits against a range of diseases. Those benefits include protection against cancer, cardiovascular disease, and unbalanced blood sugar levels.
One of the components in barley that makes it rank as a super food is a particular kind of soluble fiber known as beta-glucan. Beta-glucan is a fiber that we can not digest. It binds with water in our digestive system and slows the rate at which food moves through the digestive system. By slowing down the movement of food through our digestive system it moderates the body’s insulin and glucose responses following a meal. Among the top two grains that provide the most beta-glucan barley ranks above oats. This high beta-glucan content makes whole grain barley a super food in terms of helping folks who suffer from diabetes, because it reduces the peak glucose and insulin levels. Barley can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease by promoting healthy blood lipid levels. Other components in Barley that add to its standing as a super food are its phytonutrients known as lignans. The lignans have been shown to reduce the risk of certain cancers such as breast cancer and prostate cancer.
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Are We Iodine Deficient?
- Image via Wikipedia
For very good reasons, doctors have been telling us to cut back on our salt intake, because too much salt intake can can contribute to certain cancers and high blood pressure. Apparently we have been listening to our doctors, because folks in the USA have been reducing their salt intake, but some unintended consequences have resulted. When we reduce the amount of iodized table salt in our diet, we can put ourselves in the unhealthy position of suffering from iodine deficiency. Iodine was originally added to ordinary table salt to help prevent iodine deficiency, because the typical Western diet is low in iodine. Iodine deficiency has been linked to increased risk of breast cancer, fibrocystic breast disease, and impaired thyroid function. All three of these diseases are threats to senior health.
In Japan folks get their iodine from foods that they eat like kelp and Japanese women have lower incidences of breast cancer, fibrocystic breast disease, and impaired thyroid function. The Japanese diet insures that they receive several times more iodine than folks in the USA do, including those who use iodized table salt. As it turns out that about four weeks after opening a package of iodized salt, most of the iodine is gone. The good news is that iodine is a low-cost element, so that larger amounts of it can be added to the multivitamin/mineral formulas that health conscious seniors take on a daily basis. Supplementing with iodine is particularly important for post-menopausal females, because they are at higher risk for breast cancer, fibrocystic breast disease, and thyroid disease.
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Coenzyme Q10 – A Two-Fold Ally
- Image by Getty Images via Daylife
Just what is this compound called coenzyme Q10? There are numerous articles and reports about it in the health literature often abbreviating it to CoQ10. CoQ10 is a compound that is made by our own bodies. Our bodies use coenzyme Q10 to produce the energy that our cells need to grow. This function illustrates the first way that CoQ10 is an ally of our bodies. Besides helping our cells grow, CoQ10 enables our cells to stay healthy after they grow. CoQ10 performs a second function as an antioxidant, which is another way that it is an ally of our bodies. As we age the amount of CoQ10 in our bodies decreases. Many cancers make their appearance in our bodies as we age due to a weakened immune system. Interest in CoQ10 as a treatment for cancer started back in the 1960′s, because folks with low levels of it were afflicted with breast, prostate, pancreatic cancer, etc.
Current studies suggest that CoQ10 may work in treating cancer, because it boosts the immune system. It may also be the case that CoQ10′s antioxidant activity may prevent cancer from developing. At this time research is ongoing to understand how CoQ10 might work with conventional cancer therapies. The National Cancer Institute has reported both on the theoretical basis for using CoQ10 to treat cancer and on some preclinical studies and some small clinical studies that have been performed. Based on those studies the National Cancer Institute concluded that CoQ10 helps in the treatment of cancer in the following ways. As an antioxidant it may prevent cancer from starting and CoQ10 analogs may block the growth of cancer cells that are already present.
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B Vitamins – How Many Benefits?
- Image by House Of Sims via Flickr
How come the B vitamins don’t get the press that C, D, and A do? Sure multivitamins list various B vitamins in their ingredients, but they don’t tell you what health benefits they bring to the senior health table. Fortunately some of the latest research on vitamin B6, B12, and folic acid (vitamin B9) has uncovered numerous health benefits that improve our health and the health of seniors in particular. Major benefits conferred by the B Trinity for seniors include contributing to the prevention of cardiovascular disease, to the reduction of the risk of cancer, and to a lowered risk of osteoporosis. Complementary benefits of the B Trinity for seniors include contributing to improved mental ability, to decreased risk of developing macular degeneration, to boosted energy level, to elevated mood level, and to mitigating allergies. A final benefit that is like the frosting on senior’s health cake is the research that indicates that one member of the B Trinity improves longevity.
The B vitamins are particularly important for senior women, because they reduce the risk of breast cancer by 38% and other cancers by 25%. They lower homocysteine levels which keep women’s bones and hearts strong. The risk of age-related macular degeneration was reduced for senior women who took the B Trinity on a daily basis. The B Trinity definitely improves cardiovascular health for both senior men and women by lowering the level of homocysteine. As an added benefit it reduces the risk of stroke as well. For both senior women and men Vitamin B12 boosts energy, helps keep the brain from degrading, and improves longevity.
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