Whole Grains | Cancer

Whole Grains Reduces Cancer Risk

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You can prevent not only heart disease and diabetes but also deadly cancers like pancreatic cancer by eating two portions of whole grains like whole meal bread, corn, whole wheat, oats, and brown rice on a daily basis, according to a recent study done by the University of California in San Francisco.

The study found that those who ate at least two helpings of whole grains a day – the equivalent of a cup of brown rice or porridge, or two slices of whole meal bread (or more than 0.9oz (26.5g) of fiber a day) – were 40 per cent less likely to develop pancreatic cancers than those who ate less than one portion.

The study looked at whole grain intake among 532 people with pancreatic cancer and 1,701 people without the disease among the San Francisco Bay area population. The two groups were similar in age, gender, and body weight, and had a similar history of diabetes. It was found that those with pancreatic cancer were also more likely to be current smokers.

The study also showed that eating more refined and sweetened grains – such as two or more servings of doughnuts a week – raised the risk of pancreatic cancer. Doughnuts are notorious for its high amounts of sugars and fat/trans fat made even more potent by the frying process. Similar to doughnuts, cooked breakfast cereals such as oatmeal were also poises similar health risk indicating the body’s inability to distinguish between sweetened or ‘instant’ cereals and less refined cereals.

The study led by Dr. June M. Chan of the University of California in San Francisco and colleagues was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, November 15, 2007.

Whole Grains vs Sugar Intake

A scientist affiliated with foodconsumer.org, on the other hand, suggested that people who ate larger amounts of fiber and whole grains were more likely to be highly health conscious people who ate lesser amounts of simple sugars such as table sugar than other less health conscious people who ate comparatively lower amounts of fiber and whole grains but higher amounts of sugar.

The scientist further noted that while increasing the consumption of fiber and whole grains can reduce the risk of cancer, the reduced risk of cancer could also be due to the lower consumption of sugars and other simple sugars by this group of health conscious people.

This argument supports our view that both the increase in whole grains intake and the reduction in sugar intake have beneficial health effects.

What is “Whole Grain”

The term “whole grain” means that all three parts of the grain kernel (germ, bran and endosperm) are included. Like fruits and vegetables, eat grains whole – the way nature (or God, if you are a religious person) had made them.

Refined grains, on the other hand usually have the bran and germ removed, leaving only the starchy endosperm.

Brown rice is a whole grain, white rice is not. Other whole-grain foods include wheat breads, rolls, pasta and cereals; whole grain oat cereals such as oatmeal, popcorn, wild rice, tortilla and tortilla chips, corn, kasha (roasted buckwheat) and tabouleh (bulghur wheat). Of the whole grains tested, corn had the highest total antioxidant activity at 181, followed by whole wheat at 77, oats at 75, and brown rice at 56.

Benefits of Whole Grains

Whole grains are rich in fiber, vitamins, minerals and hundreds of natural plant compounds, called phytochemicals, which protect cells from the types of damage that may lead to cancer. In addition research suggests that specific substances in whole grains have been linked to lower cancer risk, including antioxidants, phenols, lignans, phytoestrogens and saponins.

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A whole grain diet also helps your digestive tract to digest food and prevent constipation and inflammation (diverticulosis).

Moreover, whole grains not only adds more texture and flavor to the diet, it is also rich in anti-oxidants like vitamins, minerals and other phytochemicals which prevents colorectal, breast and prostrate cancers.
Introducing whole grain diets to your children early in their lives can help them avoid childhood obesity. Children are also less likely to develop asthma and wheezing if they eat more whole grains and fish.

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Whole grains are also sources of fermentable carbohydrate or “resistant starch,” so called because it is less digestible in the small intestine and does not actually break down until it reaches the large intestine. Here, the resistant starch is used by bacteria to form compounds (butyrate and other short chain fatty acids) that are thought to be protective against the formation of cancerous tumors.

How you can increase your Whole Grains intake

Here are some simple ways to boost your whole grains intake everyday:

1. Eat whole grain breakfast cereals, such as wheat flakes, shredded wheat, muesli, and oatmeal. Bran cereals are not actually whole grain cereals but their high fiber content also makes them a good breakfast choice.
2. Eat whole grain breads, rolls, tortillas, bagels, pita pockets and crackers instead of those made from refined grains.
3. Eat whole wheat pasta or pasta made from 50% whole wheat and 50% white flour instead of conventional pastas.
4. Eat wild or brown rice instead of white rice.
5. Add barley to soups and stews.

How to read ingredients labels

It is important to read food Ingredient Labels and Nutrition Lists to get the most nutritional value from your food budget. Here are some tips on how to read food ingredient lists:

1. The top 3 ingredients on the label are what you are basically eating. Make sure these 3 key ingredients are the targeted foods / nutrition you are paying money for.
2. Though ingredient labels do not state the presence of harmful chemicals, it does not necessarily mean they are not present in small amounts. Such chemicals may have originated from the farms before the food was processed and packaged. Buy fresh produce which are minimally processed or go organic. These are less likely to be contaminated with harmful chemicals like pesticides, solvents and other toxic chemicals.
3. If you don’t recognize the ingredients, don’t eat the product. Ingredients with long, chemical-like or unpronounceable words may contain toxic substances you want to avoid.
4. Higher quality natural foods are described as “sprouted” or “raw”. Whole grains are better than “enriched” grains.
5. Make sure you buy “whole grain wheat flour” product instead of “wheat flour” product. “Wheat flour” products are processed, bleached and stripped of most of its nutrients.
6. Herb-like ingredients listed way down the ingredient list are mere marketing tricks to get you in buy the product. These ingredients are so meager, it is not going to add any health benefit to the product.
7. Brown products are not necessarily better than white products. For example, brown sugar, brown eggs, brown bread etc may just be coloring and have nothing to do with the perceived natural ingredients.
8. Small serving sizes do not necessarily mean that the number of calories, grams of sugar or fat in the product are lower.

If you have not switched to whole grain foods yet, now you have good reasons for doing so – if you value your health.

Here is a 2-minute YouTube video on Whole Grains – How You Can Have A Healthy Diet on a Busy Schedule. Enjoy:

© teamrich.wordpress.com- whole grains reduces risk of cancer

MSG | Heart Diseases and Cancer

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What is worst than alcohol, nicotine and drugs? Can be found on your kitchen shelves and sold in school canteens, supermarkets etc? It is MSG (MonoSodium Glutamate) a flavoring ingredient for foods. But they are only used in Chinese food right? Wrong! MSG can be found in most common foods as it boosts the marketability of food products (like salt and sugar) and is a cheap food flavoring agent.

 

MSG can be found in soups, biscuits, meats and even infant milk formulas, in fact, most processed foods and in junk foods. You won’t find MSG on food product labels but the following ingredients could indicate the presence of MonoSodium Glutamate:

• Gelatin
• Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP)
• Yeast Extract
• Malted Barley
• Rice Syrup or Brown Rice Syrup
• broth, casein, autolyzed, etc, making MSG very difficult for even the most sophisticated health conscious shoppers to detect simply by reading the food label.
• if the food tastes good, chances are it may have MSG in it.

 

MSG is said to be linked to obesity, the risk of heart attack, stroke, type 2 diabetes, insomnia, cancer etc. At the very least, it can give you a heartburn – so called because of a burning sensation near your breastbone caused by gastric juices over-reacting because of MSG.

Studies showed that 40% of the population reacted adversely to high levels of MSG.

Aspartame has similiar compounds as MonoSodium Glutamate.

Our article was featured in CNN.com website on 3 October 2007.

 

 

Watch this three-part YouTube video by Dr. Russell Blaylock, a board-certified neurosurgeon, who says that MonoSodium Glutamate is a dangerous excitotoxin that can make you fat triggering the Big 2 Diseases – Cancer and Heart Disease. According to Dr Blaylock, MSG overexcites your cells to the point of damage, acting like a poison and causing free radical damage.

 

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