Apples fight heart disease, cancer and strokes
by ANDREA PERRY
Daily Mail
Sep 14 2013
The old proverb of an apple a day keeps the doctor away is proving to be true.
If there is any one thing that you can do to stay well then it is to eat at least two apples daily according to a whole raft of new scientific research which places apples at the top of the healthy-living tree.
It may sound far-fetched but an apple contains so many beneficial ingredients that it will protect you from contracting a whole range of life threatening conditions such as cancer or suffering a stroke.
The latest pioneering research in America has revealed that drinking apple juice and eating apples can reduce the risk of heart disease.
The clinical trial involved healthy adults drinking 12oz of 100 per cent apple juice daily or eating two apples.
The time it took for cholesterol in the body to oxidise, or break down, increased by up to 20 per cent after just six weeks of following the apple diet.
It turns out that apples contain phytonutrients or phytochemicals (compounds found in plants) which act as antixiodents against LDL (low-density lipoproteins), the damaging portion of cholesterol in the blood stream.
Apples are also rich in pectins, which are soluble fibres which it has been demonstrated are effective in lowering cholesterol levels.
Dianne Hyson, a registered dietician and lead researcher of the study, said: 'Previous studies have shown that eating fruits and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of coronary artery disease, but this is the first clinical study to show the potential benefits of active compounds in apple juice and apples.'
'A very moderate intake of apple juice or apples has the potential to reduce risk factors for heart disease in a fairly short period of time,' she said. 'These small diet changes might play an important role in a heart healthy diet.'
Volunteer, father of two Jack Farrell said: 'If I can get this result from just drinking 12ozs of apple juice a day, it's definitely worth making part of my daily routine.'
Other amazing facts about apples
Apples ward off strokes
Finnish researchers found that individuals who ate the most apples had the lowest risk of suffering a stroke, due to the benefits of the active compounds called phytonutrients found in apples.
Their conclusion was based on evaluation of dietary records and health outcomes of 9,208 men followed for 28 years.
Apples give you better lungs
British researchers found that apple eaters had better lung function than non-apple eaters.
After analysing the health and dietary records of 2,512 men, scientists discovered a strong link between positive lung function and the number of apples eaten each week.
Although other researchers had suggested that vitamin C from fresh fruit was responsible for improving lung function, this investigation found otherwise.
These researchers believe that it is the consumption of antioxidant-like phytonutrients in apples, such as flavonoids especially one member called quercetin which reduces the risk of cancer and heart attacks. This they say provides an explanation for the healthful effect of apples.
Apples beat cancer
Researchers in Hawaii found that an increased consumption of quercetin (from apples and onions) was associated with a reduced risk of lung cancer.
This was supported by epidemiologists from Finland's National Public Health Institute who concluded that a flavonoid-rich diet (and particularly those flavonoids from apples) was associated with a reduced risk of developing cancer.
Their study of 9,959 cancer-free men and women revealed that people who regularly consumed the most flavonoid-rich foods were about 20 per cent less likely to develop cancer.
The researchers found that lung cancer was 46 percent lower among those on these diets and that high consumption of apples was also directly associated with the lowest risk for coronary mortality.
This conclusion was based on their analysis of diet and health outcomes of an ongoing study of 5,133 Finnish men and women aged 30-69, who were initially free of heart disease when the study began in 1967.
Showing posts with label cancer prevention. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cancer prevention. Show all posts
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Osteoporosis drugs may stave off cancer
Bone drug tied to lower colon cancer risk
By Frederik Joelving
Aug 22, 2011
Reuters
A new study adds to evidence that bone drugs may play a role in suppressing cancer development, although there is still no proof that taking the medications would stave off malignancies.
The drugs, called bisphosphonates, have generated both good and bad headlines recently. Some work has linked them to fewer cases of cancer, while other research has found an increased risk of certain thigh fractures and serious jaw problems among women who take the drugs to treat the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis.
Bone drugs on the market include Merck's Fosamax, Roche's Boniva, Novartis's Reclast and Warner Chilcott's Actonel.
In the new study, researchers found that women on Actonel were only half as likely to be diagnosed with colon cancer as those who'd gotten just one prescription for the drug or none at all.
"At this point, I think people who are already taking the drug can be reassured," Dr. Harminder Singh, who worked on the study, told Reuters Health.
But he added that it's too soon to think about taking Actonel to prevent cancer.
"For people to start taking it, there are a few other things that need to be worked out -- the cost and the side effects," said Singh, of the University of Manitoba in Canada.
According to the American Cancer Society, one in 19 men develops colorectal cancer at some point, and slightly fewer women do. The disease is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S.
An Israeli study published earlier this year found a link between bisphosphonates and a lower risk of colon cancer among women, but it wasn't clear how to explain that result. It could be that the drugs have protective effects, or it could be that women taking them are healthier overall.
In contrast to the Israeli work, Singh's study, which is published in the journal Cancer, takes into account how often people see their doctors -- one factor that might muddy any differences found between those who take bone drugs and those who don't.
The research team tapped into data from a cancer registry in Manitoba, comparing colon cancer patients to people without the disease, but of the same age and sex.
About 1.1 percent (264) of the nearly 25,000 women in the comparison group had been given Actonel by their doctor, while only 0.6 percent (15) of 2,493 women with colon cancer had gotten the drug.
One way to interpret those findings is to chalk the difference up to a protective effect of Actonel. Indeed, women on that medication had 45 percent lower odds of having colon cancer than those who didn't take it.
But with a study design where you only observe patients, you can't ever be certain why some fare better than others, Singh cautioned.
"The ultimate proof of these agents would be a randomized controlled trial," he explained.
What's more, the researchers didn't have enough data to see if the findings would hold up for men, and they didn't find any reliable effects for the other bone drugs.
Even if Actonel did afford some protection against tumors, it's not cheap and its long-term side effects are not well known. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is currently reviewing evidence suggesting bone drugs might raise the risk of esophageal cancer.
A month's supply of Actonel generally costs over $100.
So far, quitting smoking is one of the only things that experts agree will lower the risk of cancer. For colon cancer in particular, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a federally supported expert panel, advises screening all people between 50 and 75 using stool tests, sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy.
By Frederik Joelving
Aug 22, 2011
Reuters
A new study adds to evidence that bone drugs may play a role in suppressing cancer development, although there is still no proof that taking the medications would stave off malignancies.
The drugs, called bisphosphonates, have generated both good and bad headlines recently. Some work has linked them to fewer cases of cancer, while other research has found an increased risk of certain thigh fractures and serious jaw problems among women who take the drugs to treat the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis.
Bone drugs on the market include Merck's Fosamax, Roche's Boniva, Novartis's Reclast and Warner Chilcott's Actonel.
In the new study, researchers found that women on Actonel were only half as likely to be diagnosed with colon cancer as those who'd gotten just one prescription for the drug or none at all.
"At this point, I think people who are already taking the drug can be reassured," Dr. Harminder Singh, who worked on the study, told Reuters Health.
But he added that it's too soon to think about taking Actonel to prevent cancer.
"For people to start taking it, there are a few other things that need to be worked out -- the cost and the side effects," said Singh, of the University of Manitoba in Canada.
According to the American Cancer Society, one in 19 men develops colorectal cancer at some point, and slightly fewer women do. The disease is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S.
An Israeli study published earlier this year found a link between bisphosphonates and a lower risk of colon cancer among women, but it wasn't clear how to explain that result. It could be that the drugs have protective effects, or it could be that women taking them are healthier overall.
In contrast to the Israeli work, Singh's study, which is published in the journal Cancer, takes into account how often people see their doctors -- one factor that might muddy any differences found between those who take bone drugs and those who don't.
The research team tapped into data from a cancer registry in Manitoba, comparing colon cancer patients to people without the disease, but of the same age and sex.
About 1.1 percent (264) of the nearly 25,000 women in the comparison group had been given Actonel by their doctor, while only 0.6 percent (15) of 2,493 women with colon cancer had gotten the drug.
One way to interpret those findings is to chalk the difference up to a protective effect of Actonel. Indeed, women on that medication had 45 percent lower odds of having colon cancer than those who didn't take it.
But with a study design where you only observe patients, you can't ever be certain why some fare better than others, Singh cautioned.
"The ultimate proof of these agents would be a randomized controlled trial," he explained.
What's more, the researchers didn't have enough data to see if the findings would hold up for men, and they didn't find any reliable effects for the other bone drugs.
Even if Actonel did afford some protection against tumors, it's not cheap and its long-term side effects are not well known. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is currently reviewing evidence suggesting bone drugs might raise the risk of esophageal cancer.
A month's supply of Actonel generally costs over $100.
So far, quitting smoking is one of the only things that experts agree will lower the risk of cancer. For colon cancer in particular, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a federally supported expert panel, advises screening all people between 50 and 75 using stool tests, sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy.
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