1001HealthSecret.com » Cancer

The Tale of Fats, Cancer, and Heart Disease, Part II

Adhi Hartono — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 06:26:57 +0000

About High-Cholesterol Foods

Some kinds of meat, poultry, and fish are fairly low in fat, but high in cholesterol. Fat and cholesterol are not the same thing. When it comes to heart disease, however, both saturated fat and (serum) cholesterol play a role.

Whether cholesterol in food also plays a role in causing cancer is not known. There is some evidence that a low-cholesterol diet will help to prevent cancer. But the amount of evidence is too small for making judgment.

The best course of action is to keep cholesterol intake, as well as fat intake, at a moderate level. It will help your heart and possibly help prevent other diseases, too.

Three types of food are notably high in (dietary) cholesterol:

Eggs (actually, the yolk only)
Organ meats
Shrimp

Of these foods, organ meats are by far the highest in the cholesterol. Shrimp is only moderately high by comparison.

Most people don’t eat organ meats often, but if you do, you should know these facts:

Of organ meats, brains contain the most (dietary) cholesterol
Kidneys of any animal and chicken liver come in second for cholesterol content
Beef liver, sweetbreads, and heart have less than these others but still quite a bit.

If you are a shrimp-lover, rest assured that a shrimp cocktail carries only a moderate cholesterol count. It is when shrimp is eaten in larger amounts – by the cup – that the cholesterol adds up.

How Many Eggs?

In most diets, eggs supply far more cholesterol than organ meats or shrimp. A good rule of thumb is to limit egg intake to 4 or 5 a week. This is especially important for people who have high blood cholesterol levels or other risk factors for heart disease: high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, or obesity.

One easy approach is to use the egg allowance for the usual egg dishes such as scrambled eggs and fried eggs. Then find replacements for the eggs used in casseroles, baking, and other multi-ingredient recipes.

One or more of the following often will successfully replace an egg used in cooking:

one and a half to two egg whites
one egg white plus one teaspoon of oil
one-fourth cup of an egg substitute, preferably one containing no added oil

If you are on a sodium-restricted diet, check with your doctor or dietician before using an egg substitute. None are high in sodium (unless treated with the salt shaker). But these substitutes do have more sodium than eggs.

Fat and Calories

We’ve been learning a lot about weight control since the turn of this century. I am willing to bet, though, that the bottom line on reducing diets will be the same then as it is now. The best way to diet is to eat less fat.

The explanation is nothing that a first-grader couldn’t understand. Fat has more calories than anything else in food. Take a look the comparison as follow:

Protein has 4 calories per gram
Carbohydrate has 4 calories/gram
Alcohol has 7 calories/gram
F a t has 9 calories/gram

Little wonder that obesity is common in nations that have high-fat diets. (If you are wondering what a gram of fat looks like, it measures a little less than a quarter of a teaspoon).

The Weight Watchers diet, by the way, contains 30% of calories from fat, the same figure recommended by the Committee on Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer.

Eating Less Fat: Harmful?

Most nutritionists would laugh if asked this question. For decades, nutritionists have known that the body needs only about 10% of its calories from fat. Let us take a look at the case of American diet, as an example. Their diet averages four times that!

The one warning about cutting back on fat pertains only to infants. Children under one year of age should not be fed a low-fat diet unless ordered by a doctor. The reason is simple: during the first year of life, many infants need the extra calories that fat provides.

This concern about infants aside, scientists stress that there is no known harm to cutting back on fat to the level recommended by the Committee on Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer. Public health experts cannot help but notice that Japanese life expectancy is among the highest in the world. Yet fat intake in Japan is far lower than in other industrialized nations.

Don’t be Fat-phobia

I hope you view these series of article regarding fats, and some diseases deemed to have correlation with fats (serum lipids) , proportionally.

However, it is fact that fats, saturated fats, dietary cholesterol have their specific roles in maintaining and enhancing human health. For more comprehensive understanding, I suggest you to read the following posts:

We Won’t Get Fooled Again (similar to a 1974 hit song by The Who)
The Roles of Saturated Fats for Human Health

( The previous story )

The Tale of Fats, Cancer, and Heart Disease

Adhi Hartono — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 19:15:01 +0000

The Fats and Oils Story

A hundred years ago, shoppers had few fats to choose from. Usually, only butter and lard were available to consumers.

Today, there are enough fats and oils on the market to confuse anyone. But all of them fall into one of three categories:

Table fats (butter and margarines)
Cooking and salad oils
Shortenings

To make things simpler, remember just one thing. All of these items are high in fat. In fact, the fat content of shortenings and oils is virtually identical. Butter and margarine have slightly less fat because these spreads contain a small amount of water that shortenings and oils lack.

The Different Types of Fat

The only important difference between the many fats has to do with what nutritionists call “type of fat.” Some of the fat in food is saturated, while other fats are monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. The saturated type of fat promotes heart disease, but others do not seem to do so. Somehow, still there are controversies among experts and scientists regarding correlation between saturated fats and heart diseases or/and cancers.

But when it comes to cancer prevention, all fats are equal footing. Scientists believe that eating less of any type of fat will help prevent cancers of the breast, colon, and prostate gland. They have not concluded that any one type of fat has more effect on cancer than another.

This makes the message about fat and cancer much simpler than advice on preventing heart disease. You need only to keep three guidelines in mind concerning the fats and oils in your diet:

Add no more than one pat of margarine to each serving of bread, pasta, or vegetables.
Limit fats and oils used in cooking to no more than 2 tablespoons per 4 servings (3 tablespoons for 6 servings).
Experiment with reduced-fat salad dressings, margarines, and cream cheese; try jams, jellies, and other condiments to replace some of the fat added to food

Saturated or Unsaturated?

For For those who are interested in preventing both heart disease and cancer, I would like to offer some facts about the type of fat in food.

Preventing heart disease means eating less saturated fat, for (dietary) saturated fat is one of several sources that raise the blood cholesterol level. Of course there are other sources. High blood cholesterol is one of the three major factors that determine your risk of heart disease.

Scientists believe that polyunsaturated fats help to lower the blood cholesterol (but some other scientists doubt about this matter; still a controversy). But these fats don’t lower blood cholesterol as efficiently as saturated fats may raise it. Some people believe that eating less saturated fat is the most important thing to do, but some other people don’t.

All foods contain some of each type of fat, That makes life too complicated, though, because it means that everything is partially saturated, partially monounsaturated, and partially polyunsaturated. Nutritionists have simplified things, calling a fat saturated or unsaturated based on the dominant amount of each fat that the food contains.

The following kinds of fat have enough saturated fat to be simply called saturated:

Beef, pork, or lamb fats
Milkfat and butter
Coconut and palm oils
Some industrial shortenings

Industrial shortenings are those used by food companies to make processed foods. Supermarkets do not sell these shortenings, but we encounter them in a wide range of ready-made products. Most vegetable oils and some margarines fall into the polyunsaturated category. There are many to choose from. They include:

Corn oil
Safflower oil
Sesame seed oil
Soybean oil
Sunflower oil
Some margarines, most likely those in tubs

Olive oil, peanut oil, many margarines, and some industrial shortenings are monounsaturated. The monounsaturated fats are believed have little or no effect on the blood cholesterol level.

Chicken and fish fats are less saturated than the fat of red meats. For this reason, some nutritionists and heart experts recommend eating more fish and fowl.

( to be continued )

Dietary Fiber Prevents You from Cancer, Part III

Adhi Hartono — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 23:05:06 +0000

Can Fiber Cause Trouble?

( continuation of the previous article )

Scientists believe that we may be able to adapt to high-fiber diets. But this is not known for sure. It is speculation based on a handful of studies.

The effect of fiber on minerals varies among the different types. Here is what scientists think based on current knowledge:

Iron nutrition probably won’t be affected by eating more fiber.
Fiber probably will decrease absorption of zinc and copper.
If zinc and copper intake is good, the decrease in absorption probably will not create any problems.

Whole grains contain more zinc and copper than refined grains, so this may offset any loss of these minerals resulting from the fiber. But until we know this for a fact, I feel it’s best to take a moderate rather than extreme approach to the fiber content of your diet.

Another Mineral-Robber

Fiber is not the only substances in whole grain foods that can bind to minerals. Whole grains also contain phytic acid, which can also tie up minerals. Nutritionists also refer to phytic acid as phytate.

Fortunately, we now know that yeast can destroy phytate. This means that it should not be a problem in whole grain breads made with yeast. Nutritionists believe that phytate is rarely a problem, except among people eating enormous amounts of unleavened bread. Few, if any, of us eat such a diet.

Fighting Fat with Fiber

If you’re weight watcher, you probably remember the ’starch blockers’ that came out in 1982. The too-good-to-be true claims were just that. The pills landed more than two dozen people in the hospital. The FDA had its hands full getting the stuff off the market.

Well, fiber may be the only starch blocker that doesn’t make us sick.

Nutritionists have long known that fiber blocks the absorption of some of the calories in food. It not only blocks the calories from carbohydrates; it takes on protein, fat, and carbohydrate pretty much equally. Studies show that people absorb 1% to 3% fewer calories when eating a high-fiber diet.

Sound like a fantasy? It is not. Most of us gain weight slowly, at the rate of an extra pound or two per year. For a woman needing 100 calories a day, a 1% fall in calories absorbed would mean a loss of two pounds per year. A 3% reduction in calories absorbed translates into 6 fewer pounds per year.

There’s only one catch. These findings come from short-term studies. No one knows whether the body will adapt to a high-fiber diet so that eventually just as many calories are absorbed.

Fiber researchers have reported getting complaints from their subject about the “large” quantity of food they were asked to eat. Little did the subjects realize that the high-fiber diets contained no more calories than low-fiber diet.

This is a clue that fiber creates a feeling of fullness. Nutritionists have long suspected that it does. In the stomach, fiber swells with water. This may help curb hunger.

Some scientists also believe that high-fiber foods help with weight control because they take longer to chew.

One thing is for sure: a high-fiber diet based on whole grains, fruits, and vegetables is likely to be nutritionally sound. That is more than can be said for so many of the “miracle” weight-loss diets that come along every year.

More Benefits of Fiber

Fiber is now known to benefit the following conditions:

Diverticulosis and diverticulitis
High blood cholesterol
Diabetes
It may also help prevent tooth decay!

Let’s take a closer look at these findings.

Diverticulosis is a common condition among older people. It refers to outpouchings of the intestines. Food can get caught in these pockets. Often the result is inflammation and pain.

Doctors used to treat this problem with a low-fiber diet. But much to their surprise, they have learned that a high-fiber diet usually gives much better results. In general, patients are asked to add wheat bran to their diets.

Dental researchers believe that whole grain foods may play a role in preventing tooth decay. Studies show that something in whole grains may protect the teeth from decay-producing acids in the mouth. The bacteria in the mouth produce these acids.

( The Next Fiber’s Benefit and How to Estimate Fiber Content )

Dietary Fiber Prevents You from Cancer, Part II

Adhi Hartono — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:39:47 +0000

More Whole Grain Ideas

(The previous story of fiber)

Of course, there are whole grain foods other than those that we think of as cereals.

Here are some ideas for whole grain foods that go well with lunch and dinner or make good snacks:

for lunch : whole wheat or rye bread
for dinner : brown rice, millet, bulghur wheat (as in tabouli)
for snacks : graham crackers, rye wafers, or whole wheat crackers

All of these foods are moderate sources of insoluble fiber.

A Matter of Milling

You may be surprised to see brown rice and whole wheat bread described as only moderate sources of fiber. These foods contain less fiber than is commonly believed.

Brown rice, for example, has only a moderately higher fiber content than white rice. The difference amounts to about 1.5 grams per half cup of cooked rice.

Whole wheat bread has more fiber than brown rice, yet less than many people assume. It is a moderate source of fiber, but not one of the highest. In general, coarse wheat products have more fiber than breads.

There is another reason why coarse forms of wheat, such as bran and shredded wheat, are better source of fiber than foods such as whole wheat bread. The beneficial effects of these fiber-containing foods is partly due to the bulk they create in the digestive system.

Grinding wheat into flour reduces its ability to create bulk in the digestive tract. A finely ground source of fiber – such as whole wheat bread – does not give as much bulk as bran.

Because of this, foods made from whole grain flour do not have as much laxative power as bran and other coarse forms of wheat. It is possible that foods made from finely ground whole grains also have less value in preventing cancer.

Baking with Fiber

Baking with whole wheat flour instead of white is another way to boost your fiber intake. In yeast breads, making this substitution poses no problem.

But baking cakes and cookies with whole wheat flour increases the amount of fat needed for good texture. Cakes and cookies made with whole wheat flour require about one and one-half to twice as much fat as those made with white flour. And some people find their heavy texture unappealing.

One way to solve this problem id to use half white flour, and half whole wheat flour when baking. This should hold down the amount of fat needed.

If you are interested in the extra minerals in whole grain flour, rather than its small amount of fiber, there is another option. Use a quarter of a cup of wheat germ and three-quarters of a cup of white flour for each cup of flour in a recipe. You’ll get roughly the same nutrients as in whole wheat flour, with the exception of its fiber.

The Economical Guide to be Healthy

One thing is for sure: following the recommendation to eat whole grains is not going to break your budget. Many whole grain foods are reasonably priced.

I have computed the cost of getting a gram of fiber from an assortment of common foods. Here is what I learned:

Unprocessed bran is the cheapest source of fiber. Each gram costs less than a penny.
The bran-only cereals such as All-Bran and 100% Bran also provide a gram of fiber for only a penny.
Store-brand whole wheat and rye bread give a gram of fiber for just over a penny.

If you like unprocessed bran, it may actually be a better buy at a health food store, where it is sometimes sold in bulk rather than in fancy packages. My own taste buds prefer bran muffins baked with the bran-only cereals. But I have included some recipes for my family using the unprocessed bran because it is a little less expensive.

Individually packed instant oats and a few cereals are expensive ways to get whole grain nutrition. But most of the cereals are reasonably priced, and boxed oats are a good value.

More Foods with Fiber

Fiber comes in other foods, too. As I said earlier, the Committee on Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer made recommendations only for whole grains. But I would like to mention some other sources of fiber that have the bulk-producing ability of the whole grains.

Among beans, fruits, and vegetables, the best sources of insoluble fiber are:

Kidney beans and white beans
Peas
Blackberries
Parsnips

I have learned to use peas in both hot and cold recipes for my family; I add them to meat dishes and stews as well as to salads. I have also found that for a change of pace, beans make a nice salad.

The following foods have less insoluble fiber than the above foods. But they still have respectable amounts:

Apples, pears, plums, and strawberries
Lima, pinto, or green beans
Broccoli and brussels sprouts
Potatoes (white)
Summer squash, tomatoes, and zucchini

Animal foods, fats, and oils contain no fiber. Only plant foods have it.

How Much Is Enough?

It makes good sense to eat more whole grain foods and more fibers. As mentioned earlier, a fiber intake of 30 to 40 grams has been proposed by several experts.

This does not mean that all the grains in your diet must be whole grains, or that every fruit and vegetable you choose must rate high of fiber.

My suggestion is to make about half the grains in your diet whole grains. I am not with those who despise any grain food made from refined grains.

True, refined grain foods contain less of certain minerals than whole grain foods. And they have less fiber, though in some cases (such as brown versus white rice or whole wheat pasta versus white pasta), the differences are small.

But this is not to say that foods made with white flour are worthless. They provide respectable levels of protein, iron, and certain vitamins. And they are low in fat and cholesterol and often low in sodium.

In short, there is something good to be said for both whole grain and refined grain foods. A reasonable balance between the two is a moderate, sensible approach.

Can Fiber Cause Trouble?

There is one reason not to go all out when it comes to fiber. Though it has its good points, fiber has not been given a clean bill of health just yet.

Nutritionists have known for decades that fiber can bind to minerals in food, preventing the body from absorbing them. All forms of fiber have this ability.

( The Next Health Benefits of Fiber )

Dietary Fiber Prevents You from Cancer

Adhi Hartono — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:35:07 +0000

In the history of nutrition, there never has been a story quite like that of dietary fiber.

For decades, nutritionists viewed fiber as all but worthless. It did not even qualify as a nutrient, because its absence didn’t cause the deficiency disease that result when diets are inadequate in protein, vitamins, or minerals.

As far as nutritionists could see, fiber served no useful purpose other than to prevent constipation.

But during the past decades, fiber has come into its own. It is now the focus of intense research. It is now known that fiber plays a role in regulation of blood cholesterol and blood sugar. Fiber may even help with weight control.

And, yes, it is likely that fiber can help to prevent cancer. Diet institutions and foundations in almost every country surround the world, such as the Committee on Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer in In the U.S., has advised us to eat whole grain foods every day. These foods are usually a good source of fiber. How about processed grains? Grains that have been refined – such as white flour – contain only little fiber.

The Fiber Fan Club

The Committee on Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer was not the first to recommend more fiber-containing foods. In the 1980, the USDA issued new dietary guidelines. Then, USDA recommends eating “foods with adequate starch and fiber.” This was quite a change for the USDA. For 25 years before, its food guides made no distinction between refined grains and whole grains; both were considered about equal in nutritional value.

And back in 1977, when the National Cancer Institute issued its advice to the public, it advocated eating more fiber, too.

We averagely eat about 20 grams of fiber per day. Several scientists have recommended increasing fiber intake to a level of 30 to 40 grams a day.

Fiber: What It is

Fiber is a general term. It refers to an assortment of substances in food that are not digested in the small intestine. With one exception, all forms of fiber are carbohydrates. They are a type of carbohydrate that human cannot digest.

All of the following are classified as dietary fiber:

1) Cellulose, which is abundant in wheat bran

2) Hemicellulose, another form found in whole grain foods

3) Lignin, found in grains, fruits, and vegetables

4) Pectins, which are common in fruits and vegetables

5) Gums and mucilages, often found in beans, oats, fruits, and vegetables.

The Two Basic Types of Fiber

Actually, you don’t have to know each form of fiber and where it occurs. For the most part, it is only necessary to think of two kinds of fiber: soluble and insoluble.

As their label implies, the soluble fibers are those that dissolve in water. Pectins, gums, and mucilages fall into the soluble category.

Insoluble fibers are those that do not dissolve in water. Cellulose, hemicelluloses, and lignin are insoluble fibers.

Both soluble and insoluble forms of fiber play important roles in preventive medicine. Current research suggests, however, that only the insoluble fibers help to prevent cancer.

The insoluble fibers create bulk in the digestive tract. The more bulk there is, the less room for harmful chemicals that might cause cancer. The soluble fibers do not give bulk, but they do have other virtues. We’ll talk about them later.

The best source of the bulk-producing insoluble fibers is whole grain foods – especially bran.

Studies worldwide link whole grain foods to lower risk of colon cancer. Studies on animals back up these results. In animals, wheat bran has more often than not shown an ability to help protect against colon cancer.

A few studies with humans have also tied vegetables to low rates of colon cancer. The fiber in vegetables has rarely been tested in animals, however, so it is hard to pass judgment on foods other than whole grains.

It is no surprise, then, that the Committee on Diet,Nutrition, and Cancer limited its advice on fiber to whole grain foods.

The Recommendation and How to Meet It

None of the recommendations from the Committee on Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer are as simple as the one for fiber: “Eat………whole grain foods daily”.

In providing fiber, no whole grain food comes close to wheat bran. Half a cup of 100% whole bran cereal has about 3 times as much fiber as a slice of whole wheat bread.

You don’t have to eat bran directly to add it to your diet, though starting the day with a bran cereal is not a bad idea. You can replace a small amount of flour used in baking with bran. Because bran is so rich in fiber, even a small amount counts. As a general rule, try replacing about one-third of the flour in a recipe with an equal amount of bran.

When baking with bran cereal, it is best to let the cereal soften in liquid before baking. Try to combine the cereal with a liquid ingredient in the recipe.

Be Creative with Cereals

Shredded wheat is another excellent source of wheat fiber. Many people find the “spoon-size” shredded wheat more pleasing than the large biscuits. There are dozens of ways to enjoy shredded wheat:

Use the spoon-size biscuits with dips.
Crush the biscuits with a rolling pin and substitute for some of the flour used in baking.
Use spoon-size biscuits with soups and salads instead of croutons. You may want to saute them first in a small amount of butter for about five minutes.
Substitute spoon-size shredded wheat for rice when serving a meat or vegetable sauce that is normally-served over rice. The liquid in the sauce will soften the cereal.

Some of the “chex” cereals are also a good source of fiber. Bran Chex has the most fiber of the group. Wheat Chex also provides some fiber; it is made with the whole grain. The corn and rice variaties are made from refined grains. Their fiber content is negligible.

The chex cereals make a good breakfast cereal for those who like crunchy cereal. Shredded wheat tends to soften quickly when milk is added.

Another delicious use of the chex cereals is in party mixes. Mixed with chopped dried fruit and popcorn, this is my choice for a great snack.

Oats are still another versatile whole grain food. Instant oats, quick oats, and old-fashioned oats are all whole grain foods. The difference lies in the way the oats are cut. The instant oats are steamed at the factory. Unlike quick or old-fashioned oats, instant oats contain added sodium

( The Next Health Benefits of Fiber )

Minerals versus Cancer, Part III

Adhi Hartono — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:17:24 +0000

The Best Sources of Iron

If you are concerned about your iron intake, consider some of these sources:

* Lean meats and shellfish

* Whole grain or enriched cereals

* Dried apricots, prunes, or raisins

* Nuts and wheat germ

* Dried beans and peas

* Leafy green vegetables

Liver, especially pork liver, contains large amounts of iron. But it is also rich in cholesterol. Too many of us eat too much of cholesterol-containing foods. Egg yolk has a moderate iron content; it is high in cholesterol, too.

The iron in flesh foods, called heme iron, is best absorbed by the body. Yet studies have found no more iron-deficiency anemia among vegetarians than among meat eaters.

One possible explanation is vitamin C. It enhances absorption of the iron in foods. Vegetarians often consume more vitamin C than meat-eaters. The vitamin C may compensate for the absence of meat in their diets.

A Look at Lead

Lead has long been in the headlines. Lead poisoning has occurred too frequently among children – often from eating chips of old paint that contained lead.

Whatever lead also plays any role in the cancer process is an open question. Only a few studies have been done – mostly in animals. These studies suggest that large amounts of lead might increase the risk of kidney cancer. But this form of cancer is not very common. (I never forget my friend, a medical doctor, who died 4 years ago, at the age of 40, due to kidney cancer).

The committee on Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer declined to make any recommendations regarding lead.

Some Advice about Canned Foods

Lead remains a concern to health experts for other reasons. The chances of getting lead poisoning are not great, but the problems has yet to be eliminated in U.S. and other countries. Infants, children, and pregnant women are at greatest risk.

Scientists estimate that food accounts for 55 – 85 percent of our exposure to lead. The lead in canned foods can seep into the food itself. Public pressure and encouragement from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have led canners to reduce the lead content of food by almost 40 percent during the last 30 years.

Acidic foods packed in cans made with lead are the most likely to absorb this mineral. Fruits and fruit juices, including tomato products, fall into this category. If these foods are stored in the can after opening, the lead content can increase fivefold in less than a week.

Lead experts urge us not to store acidic foods in cans after opening. Transfer the food to a glass or plastic container. This precaution will go a long way to preventing unnecessary lead in the diet. Foods taste better, too, when this advice is followed.

Unfortunately, there is no easy way to tell whether a csn has been soldered with lead. Evaporated milk is usually packed in lead-soldered cans. Infant formulas are not. Processed meats are also usually packed in non-leaded cans.

There’s Much More to the Story

Though research has yet to find that lead or other minerals play a major role in cancer prevention, the story of nutrition and cancer is not yet over. We have looked at vitamins, minerals, fiber, and cancer inhibitors. but there’s more to come.

The Next story tells about the dietary change that may offer the biggest dividends of all.

Minerals Versus Cancer, Part II

Adhi Hartono — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 05:15:03 +0000

Be Careful with Supplements

Encouraged by reports linking the mineral to cancer protection, people are buying – and taking – selenium supplements. In some Asia countries, they call selenium as the king of anti-cancer substances. But, a few words of caution are in order.

At high doses, selenium can cause health problems. Fatigue and irritability, as well as brittleness or loss of hair, have been seen in patients suffering from toxic amounts of selenium. A research scientist exposed to too much selenium developed bronchitis and skin problems.

How Much is Too Much?

According to the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council, a long term intake of 2400 to 3000 micrograms of selenium per day would be expected to cause a toxic reaction.

It is very unlikely that the diet could provide such a high level of selenium. In fact, there is only recorded instance of selenium toxicity caused by food. It dates back about seventy five years and occurred among people living in an area of the country where the soil was unusually rich in this mineral.

To overdose on selenium, you would probably have to work with it or take supplements. In 1977, the Food and Nutrition Board (U.S.) advised:

There is no justification at this time for the use of selenium supplements by the general population. Should selenium supplements eventually be condidered desirable for those persons living in low-selenium areas, or for those consuming vegetarian diets, a daily supplement of 50 to 100 micrograms could probably be taken safely. (Emphasis added.)

Five years later, in 1982, the Committee on diet, Nutrition, and Cancer (U..S.) seemed to agree with the Food and Nutrition Board’s opinion. “Increasing the selenium intake to more than 200 micograms a day…….. by the use of supplements has not been shown to confer health benefits exceeding those derived from consumption of a balanced diet,” said tyhe panel.

Selenium in Our Diet

It is not easy to list the selenium content of common foods. The amount of selenium in meat, for instance, can vary. It depends partly on the amount of the mineral in the animals’ diets.

The selenium content of the soil also varies throughout the regions of each country. The soil content, inturn, greatly affects the amount of selenium in grains. But most of us now eat foods grown from many parts of our country; no longer do we eat only foods grown nearby. Furthermore, recently so many foods were imported from Asia and other countries.

As a result, nutritionosts rarely see signs of selenium deficiency among Americans. The average selenium intake in the United States, for instance, is 150 micrograms per day, which is considered more than enough for most people.

Good sources of selenium are:

Meat and seafood
Grains, unless, grown in soil low in selenium
Asparagus and mushrooms
Garlic
Meats and seafood are the richest source of this mineral.

Fruits and most vegetables contain little selenium. The selenium content of dairy products and eggs varies.

Can Iron Help, Too?

Adequate iron in the diet prevents a condition called Plummer-Vinson syndrome. This condition has been linked to increased risk of developing stomach cancer and cancer of the esophagus.

Probing these findings, scientists have found that iron deficiency allows bacteria to grow in the stomach. It is possible that these bacteria turn nitrites into the cancer causing substances called nitrosamines.

But, as is the case with selenium, there is still not much evidence to go on. It certainly makes sense, though, to eat iron-rich foods (unless your doctor has advised against it. Some people, though not many, have a disorder that causes them to retain too much iron).

Iron deficiency is not truly widespread in some countries. But many people, such in case of Americans, don’t get the RDA for iron. This hardly means that all of these people have iron deficiency. The RDA is set higher than about 96 % of us need. It is not a requirement, but rather a “better-safe-than-sorry” approach.

The Best Sources of Iron

If you are concerned about your iron intake, consider some of these sources:

Lean meats and shellfish
Whole grain or enriched cereals
Dried apricots, prunes, or raisins
Nuts and wheat germ
Dried beans and peas
Leafy green vegetables

( Next Story, the Part III )

Minerals Versus Cancer

Adhi Hartono — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 07:28:23 +0000

Wouldn’t it be great to have a “quick fix” for every disease – pill that would prevent or cure all health problems? No one would have to give a thought to diet, exercise, or other health habits.

It is an alluring idea. Some have even proposed that the quick fix already does exist – in the form of a mineral called selenium.

But the wishful thinking is a little premature. There is some evidence that the minerals in our food play a role in preventing cancer. More research is needed, though, before we can draw any conclusions.

The Minerals in Food

Food contains a wide range of minerals. We need some of them in large amounts. Other minerals are required in very small amounts.

Nutritionists refer to the minerals needed in large amounts as major minerals. Those that we need in small amounts are known as trace minerals or trace elements.

The most important major minerals are:

calcium
magnesium
sodium
chloride
phosphorous
potassium

There are many trace minerals. Scientists know a great deal about some of them, and very little about others. Some of the trace minerals include:

copper
chromium
fluorine
iodine
iron
manganese
molybdenum
selenium
zinc

When it comes to minerals and cancer, research has focused only on trace minerals. None of the major minerals have been the focus of cancer research.

Too Soon to Tell

Most cancer institutions and foundations, including Committee on Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer (U.S.), made no recommendation about minerals. In general, the scientists found too little evidence for making judgment.
Some of them cited selenium and iron as the best-studied minerals. But though they found evidence that selenium may protect both humans and animals against some forms of cancer, the evidence was ruled preliminary.
Similarly, they found evidence that an adequate iron intake protects both humans and animals against cancer in the upper part of the digestive tract. But this findings, too, were considered inconclusive.

In this case, the Committee on Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer said that no conclusions could be drawn at all about the role of the following minerals in cancer prevention:

copper
zinc
molybdenum
iodine
arsenic
cadmium
lead

It may surprise you to read the committee’s conclusions about these last three minerals – arsenic, cadmium, and lead. You may be aware that these minerals have long been linked to excessive cancer rates among workers who are heavily exposed to them. But occupational exposure to these minerals is many times higher than the levels that occur in food. For this reason, too, the committee declined to make any judgments.

The Selenium Story

Chances are that you have heard reports about the ability of selenium to prevent cancer. A few enthused promoters have inspired some people to take selenium supplements as a preventive measure.

The evidence that selenium helps to prevent cancer is promising but far from final. Research has shown, for instance, that:

Areas of the world where selenium intake is high have lower cancer rates than countries where the diet is low in selenium.
Blood selenium levels are higher in healthy people than in cancer victims.
Selenium added to the diet or drinking water of laboratory animals helps to protect against cancer-causing chemicals.

One problem with these findings is clear. Scientists can rarely know whether a cancer patient always had a low blood level of selenium. It is possible that the disease, once developed, cause a normal selenium level to drop suddenly.
Some research has yielded opposite results, showing no relationship between the selenium in the blood and the risk of cancer. But on the whole, the research on this mineral must be considered promising.

Oddly enough, there were once concerns that selenium might promote cancer. These fear have not been supported by the most recent research.
But research has shown that selenium can be toxic in other ways. Scientists hardly want to advocate a measure that will help prevent one disease but cause others instead.

By the way, I would be very grateful if you have some latest valuable information regarding this subject, never hesitate to write down on the comment board below.

( Next Story, the Part II )

Vitamin C Helps You to Fight Cancer, Part III

Adhi Hartono — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 10:54:47 +0000

Handle with Care

If you are nutrition-minded, you probably try not to lose nutrients in cooking.

With vitamin A, you don’t have to worry. It is tough stuff; pretty much indifferent to water, heat, and even long periods of storage. Vitamin A doesn’t dissolve in water, so it doesn’t leach into water used in cooking.

But vitamin C is very sensitive. Heat, light, and oxygen can do it in. In fact, some loss of the vitamin C in food just cannot be prevented.

With a little effort, though, losses of the vitamin can be kept to a minimum. Here are the rules:

The sooner fresh foods can be used, the better. Vitamin C breaks down during storage.
Try not to chop these foods finely all the time. The fewer pieces a food is cut into, the lower its exposure to oxygen, which destroys vitamin C.
The vitamin C in cabbage, cantaloupe, squashes, and strawberries is especially unstable. The sooner they are eaten after cutting, the better.

When using water to cook foods rich in vitamin C, boil the water first. Then add the food and cover the pot tightly. This cuts down on the oxygen coming in contact with the food.
Cook vitamin C-containing foods in as little water as possible. The vitamin can leach into the cooking water. Steaming in a basket or pressure-cooking is better, because less liquid will come into contact with the food.
If you do cook these foods in water, use the cooking water to make a sauce or save it for stock. This way, you won’t pour vitamin C down the drain.
Keep cooking time to a minimum. The longer the food is cooked, the more vitamin C will lose.

It is not always possible, of course, to follow these rules, but when it is, do so. The vitamin will also hold up better if not heavily exposed to light.

About Frozen Foods

All of this talk about losing vitamin C must make you wonder if any of it is left in processed foods. The answer is: it depends.

In some cases, the ability of the food industry to preserve the vitamin C in food is no less than amazing. In other instances, though, it seems that processors are not trying hard enough.

My favorite example is frozen orange juice concentrate. It contains hardly a milligram less vitamin C than the oranges that it hails from. The juice processors have perfected their trade so well that it is almost an art.

Many other frozen foods do lose some vitamin C during the trip from field to supermarket. But their fresh counterparts are likely to do so, too, during storage and cooking. So, though fresh, raw vegetables usually have the most vitamin C, once cooked, their C content may be on a par with that of frozen foods.

If you observe the rules on preserving the vitamin C in foods, your fresh, cooked vegetables may retain more vitamin C than frozen ones.

Is There Vitamin C in That Can?

For canned fruits and vegetables, the story is not so good. Canned foods often have less vitamin C than frozen or fresh foods. The vitamin C leaches into the water used in packing.

So even though a canned food might have a lower cost per pound than the fresh or frozen version of the same item, it is not necessarily the best buy. If the canned version has only half as much vitamin C as the frozen, for instance, it actually can cost more to get 20 mg of vitamin C from it.

I do not want to imply that canned foods have no nutritional value. Nor do I mean to say that canned foods should never be used. But nutritionally, frozen foods are often a better buy. When in season, fresh foods are often a better buy, too. And fresh or frozen foods usually have less salt – a big plus.

You almost always can depend on fresh, uncooked foods for vitamin C (provided that the food is a source of the vitamin). When you eat fresh, raw foods, you don’t have to give a thought to losses that occur during cooking.

Remember: the vitamin C that remains in frozen or fresh foods can be destroyed by too much exposure to heat, light, and large amounts of cooking liquid. But a little effort can go a long way toward preventing unnecessary losses of this important vitamin.

I suggest you to find other valuable stories concerning vitamin C and cancer as follows:

Vitamin C Helps You to Fight Cancer, Part II

Adhi Hartono — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 12:50:17 +0000

How Much is Enough?

The RDA for vitamin C is 60 mg a day for adults. By the way, 60 mg of pure vitamin C crystals would measure only a fraction of a teaspoon.

The scientists who set the RDA, however, did not take the evidence on vitamin C and cancer into account.

Here is some more specific advice. Nutritionists have always recommended four or more servings a day of fruits and vegetables. I think at least two, and preferably three, should be foods supplying moderate to high amounts of vitamin C. I try to eat a food rich in vitamin C at every meal.

It is not hard. I can hardly start the day without my orange juice. So that is my first suggestion. Grapefruit juice is also a fine choice.

Here are some other tips that work for me:

Top cereal with sliced peaches, bananas, or other foods that are good sources of vitamin C.
Eat salads often, using deep green lettuce, green pepper, and tomato as ingredients.
Add sliced peaches to chicken salad.
Serve luncheon salads inside of fresh green peppers.
Serve fruit for dessert. If the family objects, make sweets that include fruit. It is simple enough to top cakes or ice milk with sliced bananas, berries, peaches, or other fruit.

If you are wondering what qualifies as a serving, here are some guidelines. For juices, three-fourths to one cup is one serving. “Juice” glasses usually hold three-fourths of a cup (6 ounces). Full-size glasses usually hold a full cup (8 ounces).

Nutritionists generally consider three-fourths of a cup of a vegetable as one serving. If that doesn’t mean much to you, take a look at half cup and quarter cup measures to get an idea of what three-fourths of a cup looks like.

For most fruits, such as oranges, bananas, or apples, one whole fruit is one serving. For large fruits such as grapefruit, half of one fruit is one serving. In the case of very large fruits, such as melons, you can consider one cup of the fruit, diced, as one serving.

Vitamin A and C Often Go Hand in Hand

If it seems that eating to prevent cancer is getting complicated, rest assured that it does not have to be.

When it comes to eating more of the fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin A and C, you can often get both nutrients from the same foods. There are quite a few foods that are good sources of both of these important nutrients.

You might call them the fruit and vegetable all-stars. Here is the lineup:

Asparagus, broccoli, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes are high in both vitamin A and C.
Brussels sprouts, green pepper, and peas are rich in vitamin C and also contain moderate amounts of vitamin A.
Apricots, mangoes, mixed vegetables, peaches, romaine lettuce, spinach, and winter squash have medium amounts of vitamin C and high levels of vitamin A.
Dark green leafy vegetables, such as kale, collards, and turnip and mustard greens are also rich in vitamin A, with moderate amounts of vitamin C.
Corn, green beans, and watermelon have moderate amounts of both vitamin A and C.

One nice aspect of vitamins and cancer is that many of these foods complement each other in cooking. You can mix apricot nectar with orange juice to give a not-too-sweet breakfast beverage. That way you start your day right, with both vitamin A and C.

By the way, I cannot resist pointing out that most of these foods rich in vitamin A and C are pleasantly low in calories, too.

( The Next Story )