In my book, “Let’s Stop ‘Killing’ Our Children” (www.philipSchua.com), I have discussed the amazing value of vegetables (and exercise, fruits, nuts, fibers) in lowering the risk for cardiovascular/metabolic diseases, Alzheimer’s, and various forms of cancer.
Since man roamed the earth, vegetables have been hailed as a great health food. And even before modern science came out with the medical data proving their value, parents, especially mothers, around the world, from different cultures and traditions, had already been encouraging their children to eat vegetables, especially, broccoli, kale, spinach, garlic, the multi-colored leafy veggies, fruits, nuts, and to be active.
In this new era of health consciousness, vegetables have once again been thrust to the centerstage, under the spotlight, not only as a great food item, but one that has remarkable medical powers that bolster the immune system and prevent diseases, including cancer.
A Mayo Clinic study showed that eating lots of vegetables lowers the risk of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL). This clinical investigation revealed the following eight findings:
“Those who ate a higher number of vegetable servings per week had a 42 percent lower risk of NHL than those who ate the lowest number. Those who ate the most servings of green leafy vegetables and cruciferous vegetables had a 40 percent lower risk compared to the lowest intakes. Those who had the highest intake of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin had a 46 percent lower risk of NHL. Those who had the highest intake of zinc had a 42 percent lower risk. Those who ate a higher number of vegetable servings per week had a 42 percent lower risk of NHL than those who ate the lowest number. Those who ate the most servings of green leafy vegetables and cruciferous vegetables had a 40 percent lower risk compared to the lowest intakes. Those who had the highest intake of the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin had a 46 percent lower risk of NHL. Those who had the highest intake of zinc had a 42 percent lower risk.”
Researchers postulated that vegetables contain antioxidants that help the body repair the damages in the DNA caused by oxidative stress, which is one of the risk factors for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. And eating vegetables at least 3 times a day, if combined with a healthy lifestyle that includes daily exercise, confers an even a greater degree of immuno-protection. The antioxidants in vegetables also help neutralize the free radicals produced during exercise.
The following are some of the nutrients in vegetables that help lower the risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma and cancers, in general: Lycopene, Lutein, Folic Acid, Zeaxanthin, Gluoinolates (which are converted into isothiocyanates). Apparently, the protective substances induce a phase II detoxification pathways which minimize and help repair the damages in our DNA caused by our unhealthy and self-destructive lifestyle.
Besides preventing cancers, some vegetables appear to show some promise in treating some forms of tumors in experimental mice. When this is confirmed by clinical studies in humans, this could be a big boost in the management of cancers in people around the globe.
Di-indolylmethane (DIM) is a natural compound found in vegetables (like broccoli, cabbage, turnips and mustard greens), which has not only been associated with cancer prevention, but, more amazingly, with the potential ability to treat cancer. Obviously more extensive laboratory studies and, later, clinical application in humans, are needed to validate this research observation.
While eating a lot of vegetables every day could protect us from diseases, including cancer, eating red meat and processed foods reduces the benefits conferred by the vegetables we eat. Besides being loaded with saturated fats and cholesterol, red meat and processed foods have also been implicated in the increased risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and cancer. Fruits, especially berries, fiber, and nuts; also help in reducing our risk for cancer, and other major diseases. Physical exercise plays a major role in the prevention of cardiovascular/metabolic diseases, Alzheimer’s, and various cancers.
Man has always been searching for the formula for optimal health and longevity. The market is full of non-prescription herbal or “food supplement” pills, potions, and lotions, each claiming to effective against a host of medical conditions, as preventive or as a “cure.” Not only are these items not approved by government sentinel agencies like the U.S.-FDA and the BFAD, but are cost prohibitive, ineffective, and potentially dangerous.
The manufacturing companies concerned hide behind the legal technicality by marketing their products, NOT as drugs, but as herbals or “food supplements”to escape the stringent requirements, although their infomercials state that their “health” products “are effective for” a variety of medical illnesses. If they have pharmacologic (chemical) effects, then they should be considered as drugs, and be subject to the rigorous testing and clinical studies required for drugs, prior to their approval and acceptance as safe and effective for public consumption.
It is rather most unfortunate that the government appears to be simply powerless in dealing with the perpetrator companies and dealers and their unsubstantiated claims and deceptive practices, who are bilking the unsuspecting and ignorant victims of their hard-earned money.
Disease-inducing personal bad habits and unhealthy lifestyle include smoking, high-cholesterol, high fat, high-carbohydrate diet, inactivity (lack of physical exercise), alcohol abuse, and poor stress management. These factors, which are really within our control, are responsible for about 75% of all diseases afflicting man. Indeed, only 25% of these illnesses we have today are beyond our control. Most of our health problems are self-inflicted and self-induced, and therefore, preventable to a large extent.
Medical literature is replete with clinical outcomes that justify this caveat: Eating vegetables prevent diseases while regular consumption of red meat and processed foods is associated with increased risk of debilitating and deadly illnesses, including cancer. Need we say more?
Isn’t it time to start loving our body and be proactive in protecting it to maximize our health and longevity?
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Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana and chairman of cardiac surgery from 1997 to 2010 at Cebu Doctors University Hospital, where he holds the title of Physician Emeritus in Surgery, is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Philippine College of Surgeons, and the Denton A. Cooley Cardiovascular Surgical Society. He is the chairman of the Filipino United Network – USA, a 501(c)(3) humanitarian foundation in the United States. Email: [email protected]
