Colon Cancer, Alzheimer's, Preventing Macular Degeneration

Could the answer to fighting colon cancer grow on trees?

It just might be -- in the form of nuts!

That's what researchers from the American Society of Clinical Oncology discovered in a study on the role that regularly eating nuts plays in warding off a return of stage III colon cancer.

They will present those exciting results at the 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago, but it's worth noting that they're not the first scientists to conclude that nuts may be the closest thing to a magic bullet where reducing the risk of colon cancer is concerned.

In fact, it's looking more and more as if making a simple dietary change can not only help prevent a return of this deadly cancer, but perhaps keep you from developing it in the first place.

And fortunately, the most effective varieties in fighting cancer are also some of the tastiest and versatile: tree nuts.

Nuts are fast becoming known as one of the healthiest additions you can make to your diet. They're packed with protein, omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, vitamin E and compounds that can help to lower your cholesterol. Adding more nuts to your diet can protect your heart, lower your risk of having a deadly blood clot and even protect the lining of your arteries!

And now we know they play a big role in preventing a return of colon cancer as well.

After analyzing the records of 826 patients treated for stage III colon cancer with chemo, the Clinical Oncology researchers found that those who consumed two or more ounces of nuts per week were able to cut their chances of having their cancer return practically in half. The nut eaters were also able to slash their odds of dying from the disease by a whopping 57 percent.

As I said, the nuts found to be beneficial were tree nuts, which include cashews, almonds, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, macadamia nuts and hazelnuts. Interestingly, peanuts didn't appear to have that protective effect, despite being the most popular variety.

But this isn't the first time researchers have found that eating nuts can have a huge effect in keeping colon cancer at bay. Last year, we told you how some South Korean scientists found that merely eating a small handful of nuts -- around half an ounce -- three or more times a week could lower the risk of colon cancer in men by almost 70 percent and in women by 81 percent.

Then there was the Harvard study showing that men with prostate cancer who regularly ate just a third of a cup of tree nuts for five days a week decreased their chances of dying from the disease by over a third.

And those aren't the only health benefits that researchers have determined that munching on those tasty little morsels can bring you. For example:

·         Researchers from the Imperial College London who examined numerous published studies found that just eating half-an-ounce of nuts daily can reduce your risk of heart disease by close to a third.

·         Other studies found that regularly eating nuts can cut your risk of respiratory ailments in half and of developing diabetes by 40 percent.

So remember -- if you want to stay healthy, it looks like nuts are a must on your menu.

Just don't let any of those low-fat fanatics (which includes the "nutrition" staff at the FDA!) try to tell you that nuts are too high in fat. That outmoded concept should have been tossed out the kitchen window a long time ago.
 

Alzheimer's and Omega-3's

Here's the bad news: Alzheimer's disease is now expected to triple during the next couple of decades. Yes, you read that right, triple!

Already, around one in 10 people who are 65 and older in the U.S. have it, putting the latest figures at around 5.5 million Americans now living with this memory-robbing disease.

But here's some good news: Researchers have identified a compound that appears to have the power to keep your brain healthy, your memory intact and your problem- solving skills in top form.

It could be a way to stop Alzheimer's in its tracks!

Scientists are saying that they're just beginning to explore the significance of what this easy-to-find essential fatty acid can do.

You, however, don't have to wait for any more studies or even one more day to start safeguarding your brain with it -- and start aging better!

They found that omega-3 fatty acids play a "critical role" in keeping your blood brain barrier, which protects your brain from toxic substances, intact.

Now, scientists are expanding that omega-3 brain-protection theory.

Recent findings from UCLA Medical Center, along with the University of South Dakota, have given new meaning to the expression "food for thought"!

They did brain scans of close to 200 volunteers, examining 128 brain regions and comparing the results to the participants' levels of two omega-3 fatty acids found in food, EPA and DHA.

Some showed better brain blood flow on their scans than others -- and those people had two things in common. One, they scored higher on tests that measured their "neurocognitive status," meaning memory, attention, ability to solve problems and formulate language (thinking on your feet!).

And second, they all had excellent blood levels of those two very important omega-3 fatty acids, what the researchers called a high "omega-3 index."

The editor-in-chief of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, Professor George Perry, called this study a "major advance" in showing how "nutritional intervention" can keep our brains healthy.

Previous research done on animals had gone so far as to find that omega-3s are not only very potent anti-inflammatories, but they also can keep away the brain plaques that are thought to be the key signs of Alzheimer's.

On its own, this new study is amazing enough. But there's more!

Other recent research from the University of Illinois also looked at volunteers' blood levels of omega-3s, as well as omega-6 fatty acids (more on those in a minute).

The researchers describe the brain as a "collection of interconnected parts" that all age at their own pace. And, unlike a bottle of fine wine, some parts tend to age faster.

That's true even in "healthy aging," they said. Think of those (perfectly normal) "senior moments."

But by properly balancing both omega-3 and omega-6, the team said, you can help slow the aging of some very important brain regions, including two that play a big part in problem solving and memory.

The difficulty with omega-6, however, is that a lopsided intake of omega-6 to 3 is one of the big problems with the typical Western diet, which is often tilted at 20:1 -- or higher -- on the side of omega-6.

Many experts say that 3 and 6 should be equally balanced, with any margin of error on the side of omega-3s.

Too much omega-6 in your diet is linked to autoimmune and heart diseases, asthma and many types of cancer. And you always want to get your omega-6 from healthy sources -- such as organic beef, eggs and dairy -- and not from highly processed and genetically engineered oils such as corn, soy and cottonseed.

As for omega-3s, there are many excellent food sources, which include fatty fish like wild salmon and sardines, cold pressed flaxseed oil, chia seeds and walnuts.

And taking a high-quality fish-oil supplement daily (around 1,000 milligrams) is an excellent way to make sure your brain is getting all the benefits those omega-3s, EPA and DHA have to offer.

My Comment:

Two things that everyone should do to protect their health is:

1. Avoid using or eating vegetable oils such as corn, soy and cottonseed. All processed foods contain these oils because they are cheap. So we ingest a high level of omega-6 even if we don’t know it. Use olive, flax, coconut and avocado oil as much as possible
2. Take a high quality fish or Krill oil supplement. Or an omega-3 supplement.

Avoid sugar-spiking foods to save your aging eyes 

Well, well... looks like the best way to shrink your belly and protect your heart can do something else that's every bit as important. 

It can preserve your vision! 

New research finds giving up all the crummy foods that boost your blood sugar will also help prevent macular degeneration and even stop this disease cold if you have it. 

That's the number one cause of vision loss in older folks, so devastating the most docs won't even try to sugarcoat it when they break the devastating news. 

They'll tell you to take a good look around and savor the view while you can -- because it could all start to fade, and there's almost NOTHING you can do to stop it. 

Sure, you might not go completely blind with this condition. But you won't be able to take in those sweeping mountain vistas anymore, and there will almost certainly come a time when you'll have to give up your car keys. 

And forget about reading. Even large-print might not be good enough. It's audiobooks or nothing from now on. 

But not if you make a few quick changes to your diet! 

The new study on rats focused on what's called the glycemic index, which measures how rapidly foods transform your bloodstream into a river of sugar straight out of Willy Wonka's factory. 

High-glycemic foods will cause glucose to spike rapidly, while low-glycemic foods will do it much more slowly. 

In the study, the critters were fed a high-glycemic diet until AMD kicked in. Then, half were switched to a low-glycemic diet. 

The ones that kept eating those sugar-spiking foods saw major damage in the cells in the back of the eyeball that suck up light and help you see. That's one of the hallmarks of the "dry" form of AMD. 

But that didn't happen to the rats that switched to a low-glycemic diet. You know what DID happen? The damage literally STOPPED -- something no drug in the world can do in humans. 

Obviously, this was a study on critters and not people -- but human studies show pretty much the same dang thing. 

In one study a few years back, researchers found that folks who ate high-glycemic foods were 40 PERCENT more likely to develop macular degeneration.

The best way to avoid high-glycemic foods is to avoid carbs in general. Sure, some of them are better than others, but none of them are GOOD for you.

Skip 'em all -- as much as you can anyway -- and you'll have a good shot at keeping eagle-sharp vision into your 70s, 80s, 90s, and beyond. 

My Comment:

Eating carbs with higher fiber helps offset the "net" carb effect. Some high-glycemic foods that you should try to avoid or reduce are:

1. Sugar 
2. Flour (especially white flour)
3. Rice (especially white)
4. White potatoes 
5. Raisins
6. Many breakfast cereals, including puffed rice and corn flakes
7. Bread
8. Soda
9. Cookies and crackers 

Until next time, stay healthy and happy

JD Roma

The information on this blog is provided for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical care, and medical advice and services are not being offered. If you have, or suspect you have, a health problem you should consult your physician (preferably a Naturopath).