
Benefit of Dates for Colon Health
Seven dates a day for three weeks are put to the test in a randomized controlled trial.
Topic summary contributed by volunteer(s): Dawn Handschuh
According to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), the healthiest diets emphasize whole plant foods over animal products. Most importantly, the AICR recommends people be as lean as possible within the normal range of body weight, eat mostly foods of plant origin (that’s whole grains, fruits and vegetables), and limit alcoholic drinks.
Cancers of the stomach and other organs in the digestive tract (mouth, throat, liver, and colon) have been tied to alcohol use. High salt intake has also been associated with higher stomach cancer risk.
In one study of stomach health and consumption of antioxidants, scientists looked at 500,000 individuals who consumed a range of plant foods containing antioxidants. Researchers concluded that dietary antioxidant consumption (not supplements) was associated with lower risk of stomach cancer.
Taking antioxidant pills not only did not seem to help, but appeared to increase overall mortality. Why? Because consuming high doses of isolated vitamins may cause disturbances in the body’s natural antioxidant network. It’s important to remember that antioxidants work together synergistically, in combination with one another, not in isolation.
As we age, our immune function tends to decline, and our risk of cancer rises. Some theorize that cancer could be considered an autoimmune disease. Cancers tend to thrive in a setting of low-level inflammation, and stomach inflammation can lead to stomach cancer. Inflammation is the body’s immune response, but it can also stimulate angiogenesis—deliver blood to the tumor, and help it grow.
Seven dates a day for three weeks are put to the test in a randomized controlled trial.
Miso is packed with sodium, which is linked to both stomach cancer and high blood pressure, so is it safe to consume?
What about the studies that show a “u-shaped curve,” where too much sodium is bad, but too little may be bad too?
Eating antioxidant-rich foods can bolster skin protection and reduce sunburn redness by 40%, whereas alcohol can dramatically drop the level of antioxidants in the skin within 8 minutes of consumption.
Neurodegenerative brain changes begin by middle age, underscoring the need for lifelong preventive brain maintenance.
American Institute for Cancer Research recommendation compliance associated not only with cancer prevention and survival but less heart and respiratory disease mortality and a longer lifespan.
Antioxidant intake from foods (not supplements) is associated with lower cancer risk.
Because certain tumors such as breast cancers thrive in settings of low-grade inflammation, our immune response can sometimes facilitate tumor growth.
The nitrite preservatives in processed meats such as bologna, bacon, ham, and hot dogs form carcinogenic nitrosamines, but also reduce the growth of botulism bacteria—forcing regulators to strike a balance between consumers risking cancer, or a deadly form of food poisoning.
Essential tremor, one of the most common neurological conditions, appears to be linked to meat consumption.
There are two superfood classes of vegetables most adept at blocking human cancer cell growth in a petri dish.
A landmark study pitted 34 common vegetables against 8 different lines of human cancer cells.