Fruits
That Stop Cancer
(The Best Years in Life)
Scientists have discovered five fruits that are effective in stopping cancer.
Each has a specific cancer fighting component that shrinks tumors, and keeps
cancer cells from proliferating. Unlike the drugs of mainstream cancer
treatment, these components are not specific to one form of cancer, but are
able to treat many forms of cancer successfully.
Pineapple–
Bromelain, a proteolytic enzyme, is the key cancer fighting component in pineapple.
Scientists at the University of Oxford in the U.K. have found bromelain shrinks
tumors through its ability to dissolve fibrin, the protein based defense shield
that protects cancerous tumors. Once that shield is stripped away, the immune
system can easily eliminate them.
Bromelain has the ability to
modulate key pathways that support malignancy. This anti-cancer activity
consists of direct impact on cancer cells and their micro-environments, as well
as strengthening the immune system, reducing inflammation, and altering the
hemostatic system, making it more difficult for tumors to set up and maintain a
blood supply.
Bromelain is able to normalize
breast cancer cells to the point where they die on schedule in a process known
as apoptosis, according to scientists at the Goodwin Institute for
Cancer Research in Florida. Cancer cells are only a threat when they refuse to
die.
Scientists at the Indian Institute
of Toxicology Research have also reported the anti-inflammatory, anti-invasive
and anti-metastatic properties of bromelain. In mice studies they found that
pre-treatment with bromelain resulted in a reduction in cumulative number of
tumors and in average number of tumors per mouse. Reduction in tumor volume was
a whopping 65%. Bromelain resulted in up-regulation of the anti-cancer gene
p53. These scientists concluded that bromelain is protective of DNA formation,
and able to prevent inappropriate cell signaling cascades.
Papaya–
Papaya, also known as Paw Paw, is a potent cancer fighter that is highly
effective against breast and prostate cancers, as well as other cancers. Papaya
contains another proteolytic enzymes known as papain. Like bromelain, papain is
able to digest and destroy the defense shields of tumors, rendering them
defenseless to the immune system.
Recent research has found
that papaya can stop the growth of breast and prostate cancer cells, halt
metastasis, and normalize the cell cycle.
Scientists studied 14 plant foods
commonly consumed in Mexico to determine their ability to stop breast cancer
cell growth. They evaluated levels of beta-carotene, total plant phenolics,
gallic acid content, and antioxidant capacity. They found that of all the
plants tested, only papaya had a significant effect on stopping breast cancer
cell growth.
The intense orangey-pink color of
papaya means it is chock full of cancer fighting carotenoids, not only beta
carotene, but an abundance of lycopene as well. The construction of lycopene
makes it highly reactive toward oxygen and free radicals. Scientists at the
University of Illinois think this anti-oxidant activity contributes to its
effectiveness as a cancer fighting agent. Epidemiological studies have
indicated an inverse relationship between lycopene intake and prostate cancer
risk. They showed that oral lycopene is highly bioavailable, accumulates in
prostate tissue, and is localized in the nucleus of prostate epithelial cells.
Lycopene induces cancer cell death
and anti-metastatic activity, and increases levels of protective enzymes. The
safety of lycopene has been heavily documented.
Prostate cancer was the subject of
a study in Australia that looked at 130 prostate cancer patients and 274
hospitalized controls. The scientists found that men who consumed the most
lycopene-rich fruits and vegetables such as papaya were 82% less likely to have
prostate cancer.
Organo-sulfur compounds known as isothiocyanates
are also found in papaya. Isothiocyanates have shown themselves capable of
inhibiting both the formation and development of cancer cells through multiple
pathways and mechanisms. In animal experiments, isothiocyanates protected
against cancers of the breast, lung, colon, pancreas, and prostate, as well as
leukemia, and they have shown the potential to prevent those cancers in humans.
Researchers in Japan clarified the
mechanisms of action in a type of isothiocyanate found in papaya known as BITC,
that underlies the relationship between cell cycle regulation and appropriate
cell death. The researchers established that BITC exerted cancer cell killing
effects that were greater in proliferating cells than in quiescent cells.
Cancer cells that are proliferating are much more dangerous than cancer cells
that are in a state of quiescence.
Dark
grapes– Resveratrol is a recently discovered natural cancer
medicine found in red and purple grapes. In early 2014, researchers in France
found that one of the ways resveratrol works against cancer is by destroying
tetraploid cells, fairly common but abnormal cells with two extra chromosomes,
which are usually targeted by the immune system. If they escape that targeting,
they wind up playing a part in several cancers, including breast and prostate.
The research team used mice bred
for high risk of developing intestinal cancer, and who had more tetraploid cells
than other mice. When resveratol was given, the number of tetraploid cells
decreased, and with it the chances of developing cancer.
Studies at Sloan Kettering and MD
Anderson have shown that resveratrol completely turns off the COX-2 driver of
inflammation, the driving force for most cancers. It also works directly as an
anti-cancer compound. Since its discovery a decade ago, resveratrol has been
found to:
*Stop the re-growth of cancer stem
cells
*Show anti-tumor effects with several kinds of cancers
*Inhibit human pancreatic stem cells
*Show efficacy for prostate cancer treatment
*Inhibit cancer cell growth and gene expression
*Work with the immune system to inhibit blood supply to cancer cells
*Inhibit both estrogen positive and negative breast cancer cells
*Show efficacy at preventing breast cancer progression
*Increase glutathione levels
*Improve survival in gliomas
*Repair the cancer fighting p53 gene
*Repair DNA
*Work in synergy with curcumin and quercetin
Pomegranate–
Another recently discovered cancer fighting medicine is ellagic acid found in
pomegranates. This fruit has been shown to inhibit both cancer-causing
compounds and inhibit cancer cell development and growth.
Recent research has shown that
pomegranate selectively inhibits the growth of breast, prostate, colon and lung
cancer cells in culture. In preclinical animal studies, oral consumption of
pomegranate extract inhibited growth of lung, skin, colon and prostate tumors.
An initial phase II clinical trial
of pomegranate juice in patients with prostate cancer reported significant
prolongation of prostate specific antigen (PSA) doubling time. PSA is
considered a marker for prostate cancer.
Pomegranate is cytotoxic to cancer
cells, meaning it kills them. This has been demonstrated in lab tests on
several different cell lines. Ten new clinical trials aiming to evaluate
pomegranate as a cancer treatment have been registered with the National
Institutes of Health. One of particular interest will focus on follicular
lymphoma.
A new study of the ability of
pomegranate to inhibit breast cancer metastases yielded such upbeat results
that the researchers concluded pomegranate may be effective as a general cancer
treatment. Researchers applied different concentrations of pomegranate to two
separate breast cancer cell lines. One percent juice concentration stopped the
growth of cancer cells in both cell lines, while a five percent concentration
actually killed a large portion of the cancer cells. Both concentrations
suppressed metastasis while not harming normal breast cells.
Berries
– Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and
strawberries are legendary against cancer. Each of these is loaded with
anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer compounds, and they are some of the most
nutritionally dense foods known. Like dark grapes, berries are able to decrease
the ability of the COX enzyme that powers inflammation, which in turn powers
cancer. Among the phenols in berries are anthocyanins, strong antioxidants that
protect cell structures from free radical damage. Berries also contain
ellagitannins, which have been found in studies to decrease rates of death from
cancer.
The blend of beneficial compounds
in these berries has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells
with no specific correlation to antioxidant levels, indicating that we have as
yet to discover their full actions.
Among the most recent research findings in regard to
berries and cancer are:
*Blueberry anthocyanins suppresses
the proliferation of oral cancer cells
*Blueberries inhibits metastasis of triple negative breast cancer
*Black raspberries contain phytochemicals that affect immune processes relevant
to carcinogensis and immunotherapy
*Ellagitannins have the ability to block metabolic pathways that lead to
promotion of cancer
*Stawberries induce intrinsic pathways for death of cancer cells and inhibit
tumor progression
*Berries have the ability to mediate, counteract, reduce, and repair damage
from oxidative stress that leads to cancer
If you are battling cancer, a good
idea would be to add several of these fruits to your daily diet.
See also:
References:
About the Author:
Barbara
is a school psychologist and the author of Dividend Capture, a book on
personal finance. She is a breast cancer survivor using bioidentical hormone
therapy, and a passionate advocate of natural health with hundreds of articles
on many aspects of health and wellness. She is the editor and publisher of
AlignLife's Health Secrets Newsletter.
See other articles by the Barbara Minton here:
AlignLife: http://alignlife.com/author/bminton/
Natural News: http://www.naturalnews.com/author358.html
