Cancer Awareness
The past three months have been about focusing on cancer awareness for both men and women, specifically testing for cancer and making treatment available. Obviously not all cancers are the same or will be caused by the same factors, but what if we knew more about preventing the growth cancer early on? What if we were provided with the information to create a diet for ourselves that promoted our natural healing abilities?
A typically western diet high in fat and sugar is known to lead to cell damage, inflammation and tumour development. This diet also increases weight gain this can be dangerous for two reasons. One, higher weight has been associated in some studies with increased cancer risk and cancer reoccurrence. Two, the combination of a high fat diet and obesity can alter the body’s natural ability to remove cancer cells before they develop. Looking at ‘anti-cancer’ diets we see a boost in immunity and reduced inflammation which lowers the above risk factors significantly.
Apoptosis the suicide protocol for cells which are at risk for becoming cancerous, or are damaged beyond repair. This process is less effective once cancer has developed, so it is imperative that we provide nourishment which encourages apoptosis before cancer develops. Natural compounds that have the ability to improve response to oxidative damage and trigger apoptosis are increasingly considered in cancer treatment and prevention.
Resistant starch which is fermented in the colon creates a range of short chain fatty acids, several of which are able to reduce inflammation and lead to apoptosis in the gut and throughout the body. Additionally plants are high in anti-oxidative compounds which activate the process of apoptosis and autophagy, polyphenols in particular are known for this and for regulating the response to cells that have the potential to develop into cancer.
NZFOS+ is a great example of a food source that contains both resistant starch and anti-oxidative polyphenols which promote healing within our bodies. While no single food will change the outcome of illness, knowing that our diet is the single most determining factor in how we control our health, gives us the opportunity to choose whether we feed sickness or health.
