RX for Cancer Survivors: Healthy diet and exercise

Steamed fish and green salad

The American Cancer Society urges cancer survivors to exercise more and improve their diets to help prevent the disease from coming back.  The society recommends the following:

Achieve and Maintain a Healthy Weight

Extra weight is linked to increased risk of the cancer coming back and decreased survival rates among breast, prostate, and colorectal (colon) cancer survivors, and possibly others.  Being overweight is a risk factor for these 3 cancers (and others), and many people with cancer are over­weight at the time of diagnosis. For these survivors, setting lifelong goals to achieve and maintain a healthy weight are among the most important health-related goals that can be set.

Healthy ways to control weight include:

- Limiting high-calorie foods

- Drinking fewer beverages high in fat and/or added sugar

- Eating more low-calorie foods like vegetables and fruits

- Adding more physical activity throughout the day

Be Active on a Regular Basis

Many studies have shown that being physically active has a tremendous impact on quality of life of cancer survivors. Now, studies have demonstrated that physical activity after cancer diagnosis is also associated with a lower  risk of the cancer coming back and improved overall survival among multiple cancer survivor groups, including breast, colon, prostate, and ovarian cancer.

Among breast cancer survivors, a recent analysis showed that getting exercise after diagnosis was associated with a 34% lower risk of breast cancer deaths, a 41% lower risk of dying from all causes, and a 24% lower risk of breast cancer recurrence. Among colon cancer survivors, studies suggest exercise cuts deaths from colon cancer and all causes, and cuts the risk of the cancer coming back by up to 50%.

Our recommendations, and those of the American College of Sports Medicine, encourage survivors to aim to exercise for at least 150 minutes per week, and to include strength training exercises at least 2 days per week.  For survivors who have not been previously active, gradually working up to these recommendations is the way to go. 

Fill your plate with vegetables, fruits, and whole grains

Recent reviews suggest that food choices may affect risk for recurrence and overall survival among survivors. The majority of these studies have focused on breast cancer, but more evidence has also emerged for colon and prostate cancer survivors. 

Similar to what we've seen for cancer prevention, it looks like it's the overall dietary pattern that is important for cancer survivorship -it's not one food, or even one food group, that makes the difference.  It's likely the combination of many different nutrients coming from many different foods --working together -- that offers the best protection. 

Studies suggest that the best protection comes from a diet that:

- Is high in fruits, vegetables and, whole grains

- Includes more fish and poultry instead of red and processed meats

- Includes low fat instead of full-fat dairy products

- Includes nuts and olive oil instead of less healthy sources of fat, such as butter or trans fats found in many processed snack foods

The bottom line

Do we have all the answers related to nutrition, physical activity, and cancer survivorship? No. But do we have enough information and evidence to recommend that anyone who's been diagnosed with cancer should strive to be at a healthy weight, live a physically active lifestyle, and add more fruits, vegetables and whole grains to their meals and snacks?  Absolutely.  It's an important message that I'm sharing with everyone I know who has been diagnosed with any kind of cancer.  

Read more here.

Tropical fruit platter

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Food Trip Friday

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Watermelon: Another sex drive booster?

Watermelon may be another fruit that can boost human sex drive when regularly consumed.

According to an article by Science News, researchers at Texas A&M University believe that some of the nutrients contained in watermelon may deliver Viagra-like benefits to blood vessels and may also increase libido.

The research suggests that the beta-carotene, lysine and citrulline in watermelon are responsible for this possible added benefit.  Citrulline is converted to arginine in the body, and arginine boosts nitric acid levels, which in turn relax the blood vessels. This is essentially the same effect that Viagra has.

Other than as sex booster, watermelon is a good source of several vitamins, such as vitamin A, which is important for eye health and also strengthens immunity by helping the white blood cells fight infection.

Another is vitamin B6, which helps the immune system to produce the antibodies needed to fight disease and also plays a role in the metabolism of proteins.

The vitamin C in watermelon helps the immune system fight off infections and viruses and protects the body from free radicals, which can accelerate the aging process. Watermelon also contains a small amount of potassium.

Lycopene is the pigment that gives red color to produce such as tomatoes, pink and red grapefruit and watermelon. It also acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells from the oxygen-related damage that is a result of normal cell functioning. Watermelon contains more lycopene than any other fruit or vegetable, reports the Watermelon Promotion Board.

And according to Livestrong.com, watermelon contains 92 percent water to hydrate your body. One cup of raw watermelon contains 170 mg of potassium and only 2 mg of sodium. Potassium and sodium are minerals that help regulate your blood pressure and fluid balance. 

Whereas sodium increases blood pressure, potassium can play a role in lowering blood pressure, according to an American Heart Association Nutrition Committee report published in "Circulation" in August 1998. Reducing your blood pressure lowers your risk of kidney disease.

Moreover, eating watermelon increases your levels of nitric oxide and lowers your risk of kidney disease. Watermelon, particularly the rind, is a rich source of citrulline, according to research from the United States Department of Agriculture in University of Missouri, and published in the "Journal of Chromatography A" in June 2005. Citrulline is an amino acid that your body converts to arginine, which is converted to nitric oxide. 

This gas increases blood flow and reduces blood pressure. A deficiency of nitric oxide is associated with an increased risk of chronic kidney disease, according to research from the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville and published in the "American Journal of Physiology and Renal Physiology" in January 2008. The scientists report that nitric oxide deficiency occurs due to limitations in arginine availability.

Saffron's breakfast buffet includes watermelon fruit and juice

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Related Link:

Watermelon Juice

Yummy Sunday

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Please note:

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

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Watermelon Juice

Watermelon is a healing super food.  Juicing it is highly nutritious and you can include the entire melon – its tender and juicy red part, as well as the rind and seeds, which collectively offer incredible health benefits.

In fact, studies show that the most nutrient dense part of the melon is the rind, and the seeds are rich sources of protein and micro and macro-nutrients like calcium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, and potassium.  As we know, potassium helps regulate blood pressure levels that keep the heart healthy.  

The whole fruit is also far lower in sugar than the red fruit juiced on its own.  Thus, when only the red part is eaten, we throw away the goodness that makes this such a spectacular food.

Watermelon juice is a delicious thirst quencher and deeply hydrating, which makes it an ideal drink for athletes and active people. Moreover, watermelon not only hydrates the body and the cells, it also flushes out the kidneys, gall bladder and bladder.  It can offer more nutrients per calorie as it is mainly made of water and contains very few calories.

It is filled with some of nature's most potent antioxidants. It is a dense source of vitamin C and beta-carotene, which turns into vitamin A in the body. These powerful antioxidants are the natural antidote to aging and disease-causing free radicals.  Vitamin C and beta-carotene neutralize these damaging molecules. A diet high in these two vitamins is known to reduce the risk of heart disease, asthma, arthritis, and even cancer. They also boost the immune system and improve eyesight.

Tomatoes are renowned for their high level of the potent antioxidant lycopene, and so is the watermelon juice, which is a very concentrated source of it. The cancer preventing properties of lycopene have been extensively studied.  The results prove that lycopene does, in fact, protect against a growing list of cancers including prostate, breast, endometrial, lung and colorectal. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a study which found that people who had colorectal polyps, which is an early warning sign for colorectal cancers, had 35% lower levels of lycopene than those with no polyps.

Studies have also revealed that people are less likely to get sunburnt after increasing their levels of lycopene. It protects cells and other structures in the body from oxygen damage and even DNA damage.  Watermelon Juice is also high in vitamin B6, which is vital for balancing the brain and reducing the symptoms of anxiety and depression. It is also a very good hormone regulator and helps women through their menstrual cycle.

 

So if you don't already indulge in watermelon juice, you might consider making it a part of your regular juicing menu now. You can mix it with other vegetables for even more amazing health benefits. Watermelon, celery, cucumber and ginger make a delicious combination that will enhance beauty, health and overall well-being.

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Related links:

Watermelon Promotion Board

Watermelon May Have Viagra-Effect

Incidentally, watermelon juice is always included in Saffron’s breakfast buffet.

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Sharing with Mandatory Moch

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Please note:

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!

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