Food As Medicine: Rooibos Shines As A Potent Defense Against Alzheimer’s, Cancer Hypertension And More

If you are a fan of green, black or white tea you may want to rethink your beverage of choice. Rooibos (Aspalathus linear) trumps all three with its substantial health enhancing features. Even if you are not an ardent tea drinker, a second look at this red hued nectar is worth your while for the sake of disease-free living.

Elixir of wellness

Indigenous to South Africa, rooibos is an exceptional healing herb. According to Medicine Hunter Chris Kilham, a Japanese study found it has notable antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic and antiviral properties. Teeming with formidable antioxidants, rooibos is a powerful defender of health. Kilham affirms:

"... rooibos is a source of two comparatively rare antioxidants, aspalathin and nothofagin. Aspalathin helps to modify hormones in the body and reduces the output of adrenal hormones specifically, thus reducing stress and helping to inhibit metabolic disorders. Aspalathin also helps to regulate blood sugar and therefore can play a role in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes and excessive fat production. The antioxidant nothofagin also demonstrates significant anti-inflammatory activity and, along with aspalathin, may help to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Both appear to protect nerves."

Erase a decade off your face, dodge cancer and conquer inflammation with these vitamin C-rich foods

(Natural News) With the cold and flu season in full swing, fortification with vitamin C is one of the most effective and potent methods for dodging illness. And yet, this well-known nutrient is often overlooked as an outstanding anti-aging, cancer-destroying, disease-busting and mood-boosting addition to the diet. To encourage health throughout the winter and beyond, consuming foods which naturally supply high levels of vitamin C is a smart move.

Glow with health

Exceptional sources of vitamin C include hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.), which is enjoyed as a tart tea, and rosehips (Rosa canina), which lends a floral flavor to infusions. And then there are two fruits that contain the highest levels of vitamin C documented - amla and camu camu. Amla is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine and "reported to possess radiomodulatory, chemomodulatory, chemopreventive effects, free radical scavenging, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic and immunomodulatory activities," notes a study at Muller Medical College in Kankanady, India.

Confirmed By Science—Strawberries Provide Outstanding Protective Benefit Against Cancer, Diabetes And More

With the strawberry season just around the corner, there’s no better time to appreciate all the exceptional health benefits of this remarkable fruit. As a mighty guardian against a host of chronic disease, strawberries are a delicious way to fortify the body. Researchers agree: organic strawberries may be common in widespread availability, but are far from ordinary in their valuable properties.

Win the Battle of the Bulge, Dodge Cancer and Subdue Inflammation With Raspberries

Raspberries are much more than just a delicious taste of summer, the fruit also packs a powerful nutritional punch that can fend-off disease while keeping the body fit and strong. Teeming with a variety of important nutrients - and sporting a low glycemic index rating - raspberries are an almost perfect food that should be enjoyed readily and often.

Celery may help kill cancer

If you need another reason to add more celery into your diet, researchers have now identified a compound in the vegetable that demonstrates anti-tumor activity. Effective against several types of cancer -- including those of the pancreas, ovaries, liver, small intestine, stomach, lung and breast -- apigenin has been shown in vitro to significantly inhibit cancer cell proliferation. Although this flavonoid is present in a variety of fruits and vegetables, celery is a particularly rich source of the compound.

Reduce the risk of cancer with probiotics

Considered a nutritional buzzword among the health-conscious crowd, probiotics are well-known as an important addition to the diet for maintaining digestive balance. And now, researches have discovered these micro-organisms are much more powerful than previously thought by playing a substantial role in discouraging, and also healing, cancer.

Probiotics and health

Present in a wide array of foods like yogurt, cheese, miso, fermented vegetables and pickles, as well as in supplemental form, probiotics are the guardians of health on several levels. Not only do these live microbes populate the gut with beneficial bacteria and off-set problematic pathogens, but also work in tandem with the immune system, giving it a substantial boost. Probiotics reduce inflammation, soothe depression and calm stress response too. But researchers are especially enthusiastic about the latest application for these microscopic beasts: cancer prevention and treatment.

Beneficial bacteria and the anticancer connection

A commentary published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition explores the part probiotics play in reducing the risk of cancer:

"Consumption of fermented dairy products with LAB [lactic acid bacteria] may elicit anti-tumor effects. These effects are attributed to the inhibition of mutagenic activity, the decrease in several enzymes implicated in the generation of carcinogens, mutagens, or tumor-promoting agents, suppression of tumors, and epidemiology correlating dietary regimes and cancer. ... Studies on the effect of probiotic consumption on cancer appear promising, since recent in vitro and in vivo studies have indicated that probiotic bacteria might reduce the risk, incidence and number of tumors of the colon, liver and bladder."

Moreover, research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition states that "[i]ngestion of viable probiotics or prebiotics is associated with anti-carcinogenic effects, one mechanism of which is the detoxification of genotoxins in the gut. This mechanism was shown experimentally in animals with use of the rat colon carcinogen 1,2-dimethylhydrazine and by determining endpoints that range from tumorigenesis to induction of DNA damage."

Additionally, when prebiotics (found in foods like Jerusalem artichokes, chicory, root vegetables, asparagus, jicama and leeks) are ingested along with probiotics, the result is a reduced load of genotoxic agents and increased production of protective elements like butyrate -- a short-chain fatty acid that guards against colon cancer.

Lastly, keep in mind the following points made by Vanessa Wada, MS, RD, of Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center:

"Probiotic-containing foods are fairly common in Japan and Europe but are slowly making their way in the United States. There is potential for these microbial creatures in cancer prevention, but further research needs to be conducted. Understanding the use of probiotics as a part of the whole food vs. the isolated product, obtaining a more thorough knowledge of its mechanism in the gut, and identifying the particular strains that have the largest beneficial impact in promoting health will be areas of future research and interest. And as long as these studies continue to provide positive outcomes, incorporating probiotics into the diet is a safe, easy, and cheap way to protect oneself from disease."

Learn more: www.naturalnews.com/045410_probiotics_cancer_prevention_fermented_foods.html

About the author

Carolanne believes if we want to see change in the world, we need to be the change. As a nutritionist, natural foods chef and wellness coach, she has encouraged others to embrace a healthy lifestyle of green living for over 13 years. Through ThriveLiving she looks forward to connecting with other like-minded people who share a similar vision. 

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