Posts Tagged “pancreatic cancer”
Carrots and other vegetables are rich in beta carotene and zeaxanthin, which may lower the risk of pancreatic cancer, according to a recent study.
The study drew on data from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study, an examination of chronic disease in ten European countries, according to a news release from Westlake Village, Calif.-based Dole Food Co.
Study participants who originally had the highest levels of beta-carotene or zeaxanthin in their blood had only about half the risk of developing pancreatic compared with those who had the lowest levels. The study also found that with each doubling of beta-carotene, sum of carotenoids or zeaxanthin in the blood, the risk of pancreatic cancer was reduced by 15%, 22% and 19%, respectively.
Dole recommends consumers eat carrots, sweet potatoes, squash and pumpkin to get their beta carotene. For zeaxanthin, the company recommends spinach, kale, romaine, broccoli, and brussels sprouts. In Dole’s Kale and Carrot Tart recipe, dark green and orange vegetables are combined for an entrée packed with beta-carotene and zeaxanthin.
Kern County, California in the Bakersfield area is shipping carrots and potatoes – grossing about $6700 to Baltimore.
By American Pistachio Association
FRESNO, Calif. —According to a long-term women’s health study recently published, women in the study who ate a one-ounce serving of tree nuts two or more times a week had a reduced risk of pancreatic cancer compared to those studied who did not include nuts in their diet. This is the first study to measure the association between pancreatic cancer risk and nut consumption. Pistachios were among the tree nuts included in the study.
More than 75,600 women were followed in the widely-recognized Nurses’ Health Study. It shows that those who consumed a 28-g (1 oz.) serving of nuts two or more times per week, significantly reduced their risk of developing pancreatic cancer, the fourth most common cause for cancer-related deaths in the U.S.
Results of this large prospective cohort study can be found online in the British Journal of Cancer. The lead author is Ying Bao, MD, ScD, from the Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass. Dr. Bao states these results were independent of established or suspected risk factors for pancreatic cancer including age, height, obesity, physical activity, smoking, diabetes and dietary factors. Also, participants could have no previous history of cancer.
In addition to pistachios, the nuts consumed by the women in the nurses study included almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts and walnuts. Documentation began in 1980 with follow up every four years through 2010. The study also showed that women with more frequent nut consumption were generally leaner, more likely to exercise, and less likely to smoke. Earlier studies have linked tree nut consumption to a reduced risk for diabetes.
The long-running Nurses’ Health Study was funded by research grants from the National Institutes of Health. This study specifically examining the association between tree nut consumption and pancreatic cancer was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and by a grant from the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation. It was also supported in part by a micro-grant from the Biomedical Research Institute at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. State cancer registries also helped with the study. The sponsors did not participate in the design and analysis or any other parts of the study or approval of the manuscript.
Pistachio Facts
Pistachios are nutrient rich and full of antioxidants, vitamins, protein and fiber. A one-ounce serving of pistachios equals 49 nuts, more per serving than any other snack nut. They are cholesterol free and contain just 1.5 grams of saturated fat and 13 grams of fat per serving, the majority of which comes from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat. In addition, they contain a significant amount of potassium, 300-mg per serving.
About American Pistachio Growers
American Pistachio Growers (APG) is a non-profit voluntary agricultural trade association representing more than 550 grower members in California, Arizona and New Mexico. APG is governed by a democratically-elected board of directors and is funded entirely by growers and independent processors with the shared goal of increasing global awareness of nutritious American-grown pistachios. American pistachios are the “Official Snack” of USA Water Polo, big mountain snowboarder and 2013 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year Jeremy Jones, British pro cyclist Mark Cavendish and Miss California. For more information, visit AmericanPistachios.org.
Celery, artichokes, and herbs, especially Mexican oregano, all contain apigenin and luteolin, flavonoids that kill human pancreatic cancer cells in the lab by inhibiting an important enzyme, according to two new University of Illinois studies.
“Apigenin alone induced cell death in two aggressive human pancreatic cancer cell lines. But we received the best results when we pre-treated cancer cells with apigenin for 24 hours, then applied the chemotherapeutic drug gemcitabine for 36 hours,” said Elvira de Mejia, a U of I professor of food chemistry and food toxicology.
The trick seemed to be using the flavonoids as a pre-treatment instead of applying them and the chemotherapeutic drug simultaneously, said Jodee Johnson, a doctoral student in de Mejia’s lab who has since graduated.
“Even though the topic is still controversial, our study indicated that taking antioxidant supplements on the same day as chemotherapeutic drugs may negate the effect of those drugs,” she said.
“That happens because flavonoids can act as antioxidants. One of the ways that chemotherapeutic drugs kill cells is based on their pro-oxidant activity, meaning that flavonoids and chemotherapeutic drugs may compete with each other when they’re introduced at the same time,” she explained.
Pancreatic cancer is a very aggressive cancer, and there are few early symptoms, meaning that the disease is often not found before it has spread. Ultimately the goal is to develop a cure, but prolonging the lives of patients would be a significant development, Johnson added.
It is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths, with a five-year survival rate of only 6 percent, she said.
By Phyllis Picklesimer, Univ of Il College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences