The American Institute for Cancer Research states:

Scientists estimate that if everyone ate a healthy diet, was physically active every day and maintained a healthy weight, the number of cancer cases would be reduced by about one-third.

Their recommendations for the prevention of cancer include the following:

• Eat more of a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes such as beans.
• Limit consumption of red meats (such as beef, pork and lamb) and avoid processed meats.

Recently the National Cancer Institute published a study in the Public Library of Science showing a link between eating red meat and a statistically higher risk of certain cancers at multiple sites including: lung, liver, esophogus. The researchers in the study stated "Statistically significant elevated risks (ranging from 20 percent to 60 percent) were evident for esophageal, colorectal, liver, and lung cancer, comparing individuals in the highest with those in the lowest quintile of red meat intake."  (See Public Library of Science - Study of Meat Intake in Relation to Cancer Risk)

For further reading:

• AICR Recommendations for Cancer Prevention
• Foods That Fight Cancer

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You've probably heard that eating fish, especially oily fish (Salmon, etc.) helps improve your brain function and decreases the risk of dementia.  This is one of the things that gets pointed out to us frequently when we tell people we are vegan.  Our doctor, as a practice, recommends an overall vitamin supplement, baby aspirin, and fish oil for all his patients over 40.  Since we're vegans, we skip the fish oil and take a flaxseed supplement instead.  (You should consult your nutritionist for advice on what supplements may be right for you.)

Data from a trial of more than 800 older people initially showed that those who eat plenty of oily fish seem to have better cognitive function.  But factors such as education and mood explained most of the link.

Neil Hunt, chief executive of the Alzheimer's Society, said: "One of the best ways to reduce your risk of dementia is by eating a Mediterranean diet rich in fruit, vegetables, grains, fish and poultry.  "However, we still do not know which components of this sort of diet help the most.

~ Source:  BBC News

So, the jury is still out on fish oil.  We'll be watching to see what the data shows in the next round of testing.  Until then, there is no reason to consider looking to fish to improve your brain power in your later years.

Thanks to Gary at Compassion4Animals.org for pointing us to this study.

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I'm attending the Milken Conference this week.  Much of it is very interesting, some of it not so much.  Eating there is always a bit of a challenge.  Steak and chicken tend to be the usual offerings.  The snack bars they put out have milk in (no pun intended) them.  But I come prepared.  I bring my own food and ask for a simple salad at lunch.  I've learned to always be prepared.  But that isn't what I'd planned on writing about tonight.

One of the panels I attended today was called "Living Longer and Better Through Science, Nutrition and Lifestyle Choices'  The speakers were:

• Scott Berns, Co-Founder, Progeria Research Foundation Inc.; Senior Vice President of Chapter Programs, March of Dimes
• Pinchas Cohen, Pediatric Endocrinology Specialist, UCLA Children's Health Center
• Luigi Fontana, Research Associate Professor of Medicine and Associate Director of the Longevity Research Program, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine

Dr. Fontana's portion of the panel was most interesting to me.  He  spoke about calorie restriction and longevity.  He is currently leading a study which is testing the effects of calorie restriction to find the optimal nutrition for human lifespan. The diet his patients follow consists primarily of a plant-based,  low-fat dairy, whole grains, vegetables and other energy-intensive foods.  According to Dr. Fontana, the calorie-restricted diet improves all biomarkers for cardiovascular disease compared to a typical American diet. Fontana stressed that calorie-restricted diets must be carefully administered to assure that they are nutritious and meet daily requirements for vitamins and minerals.  By this he means that all the refined and processed foods like soft drinks, and sugar, candies, white bread and foods that are packed with partially hydrogenated fat should be avoided.

This to me is the key for anyone.  It is important to eat well.  Eat the best food you can afford to eat.  Eat foods that are nutritionally beneficial.  Avoid junk food.  And of course, we advocate eating vegan.

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According to the World Cancer Research Fund (via New Scientist Magazine), lifestyle changes could cut cancer by 1/3 in developed countries and 1/4 in developing countries.

"People think that somehow cancer comes from heaven, or Darwin, or from their parent's genes, but that's not always the case," says Michael Marmot, chair of the WCRF panel that produced the report. "A third are caused by smoking, and approximately a third are related to diet and physical activity."

Cutting the risk of cancer by a third.  Sign me up.  So what are the WCRFs recommendations?  Nothing you haven't heard before, but they're always worth repeating.

1. Be as lean as possible without being underweight.  WCRF suggests shooting for the lower end of the normal range for your BMI.
2. Be physically active for at least 30 minutes per day.  The recommendation is actually 30 minutes of vigorous activity or 60 minutes of moderate activity.  (Note to self - that doesn't include time spent blogging!)
3. Limit consumption of energy-dense foods (high in fats and/or sugars, and/or low in fiber) and avoid sugary drinks.  In the olden days that would have been guaranteed if you were a vegan, but today there's a proliferation of vegan junk food and vegan processed foods out there, so make smart choices!
4. Eat more of a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and pulses (legumes) such as beans.  "Basing our diets on plant foods (like vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, and pulses such as beans), which contain fibre and other nutrients, can reduce our risk of cancer."
   
5. Limit consumption of red meat (such as beef, pork and lamb) and avoid processed meats.  Obviously, this is not an issue for those of us eating vegan, but it's important info for our omnivorous family and friends.  The WCRF recommendation is to limit consumption of meats to 500g per week.
6. Limit alcoholic beverages to 2/day for men and 1/day for women.
7. Limit consumption of salty foods and foods processed with salt (sodium).  Our daily intake of salt should be less than 6g (2.4g sodium).  To determine how much salt a food contains, multiply the sodium content by 2.5.
8. Don't use supplements to protect against cancer.  WCRF recommends getting nutrients thru whole foods as opposed to eating a lower quality diet and supplementing.

So while the WCRF doesn't come out and recommend a vegan diet, they do stress basing a diet on fruits, veggies, whole grains, and legumes (pulses).   Easy enough to do when you are eating vegan.

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So yesterday we looked at vegan demographics and learned that there are many more females who are vegan than males.  We also learned that most people go vegan for ethical reasons.  Jane likes to point out that this confirms that women tend to be more compassionate than men. Jane also points out that I was vegetarian in my twenties, because of a female... The woman I was dating at the time was vegetarian, and over the course of our relationship, I too became vegetarian.  Now I'm vegan, because of my wife.

So if you're a single female looking for a vegan male, you might have to convert one... and here's some ammunition for you...  A new study says that eating meat significantly increases the likelihood of developing prostate cancer.  Yikes!

Dr. Andrew Roddam of the Cancer Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford, and colleagues compiled the results of 12 studies linking prostate cancer to insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1).  These studies included a total of 3,700 men with prostate cancer and 5,200 without it.  Roddam's findings were  published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Epidemiological studies have established a link between high circulating serum IGF-1 levels and the risk of later developing advanced prostate cancer. -- Source: National Center for Biotechnology Information (NIH)

Prior research has shown a strong relationship between meat and dairy consumption and levels of IGF-1, and strict vegetarians are known to have far lower levels of the hormone circulating in their blood.

Men in the group with the highest IGF-1 levels were 40 percent (emphasis mine) more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than men with the lowest levels. Among men who did develop cancer, higher IGF-1 levels were also associated with a significantly greater rate of tumor spread. -- Source:  Natural News

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, accounting for a quarter of all new cases of cancer diagnosed in men. It is the second most common cause of cancer death in UK men after lung cancer. (Source: Science Daily) According to the National Cancer Institute, 15.78% of men born in the United States today will be diagnosed with cancer of the prostate at some time during their lifetime. In other words, 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with cancer of the prostate during their lifetime.

So ladies, get your guys to go vegan... and you might want to suggest they start taking lycopene which has been shown to help neutralize harmful free radicals that can damage cells.  Lycopene may be valuable in slowing the growth of  cancers in the prostate, lung, and stomach. - Source: American Cancer Society.

Since most of us males are lead around by that certain part of our anatomy, this information could mean that you're twice as likely to convince us!

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One of the Eight Foods To Eat Every Day is blueberries.  Blueberries also happen to be one of my favorite foods.  I will often add them to whatever smoothie I am having for breakfast.  Or I'll drop a handful into my cereal or oatmeal.  I love blueberry muffins.  And, in the summer, when they're in season and plentiful, Jane makes a killer blueberry pie!

The reason blueberries are so good for you is that they are packed with polyphenols which provide blueberries with antioxidants.  However, according to a new study reported in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine, the antioxidant power of blueberries is significantly reduced by consuming blueberries with milk.  This has to do with the protein in milk. The study was conducted using people who consumed their blueberries with milk or water.

The blood work of  people who consumed the blueberries with milk did not show an increase in levels of plasma antioxidant capacity.  The conclusion the authors of the study draw is that  the best way to gain maximum benefits from blueberries (and other fruits eaten for their polyphenol content) is to consume them either one hour before protein is consumed, or two hours after.

So while we're not consuming dairy, we usually eat our blueberries with almond milk, also a source of protein.... We'll have to stop doing that if we want to get the full antioxidant benefits of our blueberries.

Source:  Natural News

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A week or two ago we wrote a post complaining that Tofutti uses partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (trans fats) in their cream cheese alternative.  I was expressing some frustration that Tofutti does make a version of the cream cheese without the trans fats, but the one that is most easily found contains trans fats (something we try to avoid at all costs).  We received a few e-mails questioning why this is so bad.  So here's a brief tutorial...

Partially hydrogenated oils = trans fats.

Trans fats = bad.  Bad enough, in fact, for New York City to ban the use of them in restaurant foods as early as December 2006 (the first city in the US to do so).  Seattle and Boston have jumped on the bandwagon this year as well.  Not to be outdone, California banned the use of trans fats in restaurant food in July, the first state to do so.  It isn't a smooth transition.  Many vendors are complaining.  Trans fats are easier to use, stable longer, and cheaper.  But they are one of the most unhealthy things you can consume.

Why are trans fats bad?  Trans fats are bad for your heart.

Tans fats have also been found in scientific studies to lower high-density lipoproteins, the “good” cholesterol, while increasing low-density lipoproteins, the “bad” cholesterol, high levels of which contribute to the onset of heart disease, the leading cause of death in California and the nation.  Dr. Clyde Yancy, incoming president of the American Heart Association, said a 2 percent increase in trans-fat intake could result over time in a 25 percent increase in the likelihood of developing coronary artery disease.

Source:  The New York Times

The AMA came out with a policy today to support any state or federal effort to  ban the use of trans fats in restaurants and bakeries.  (They're also against texting and driving, saying texting increased the amount of time your eyes are off the road by 400%.  Yikes!  DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE PEOPLE!!!)

According to AMA board member Dr. Mary Anne McCaffree, "Trans fats have been proven to raise LDL (low density lipoprotein), the bad cholesterol, while lowering HDL (high density lipoprotein), the good cholesterol, which significantly increases the risk for heart disease."

According to the comprehensive Nurses' Health Study -- the largest investigation of women and chronic disease -- trans fats double the risk of heart disease in women.

Source:  Trans Fats 101 - University of Maryland Medicine

As Maija commented, it's likely that trans fats will be banned in the next few years, at least in the western world. So why not get a head start...  When you're in the grocery store check your product labels for Trans Fats.  They should read 0 grams.  If they don't, you should look for a healthier alternative.

For further reading:

• Trans Fats 101 - University of Maryland Medicine
• Trans Fats: Avoid This Cholesterol Double Whammy - Mayo Clinic
• The Nutrition Source: Fats and Cholesterol - Harvard School of Public Health (read section on "Very Bad Fats")
• Why Hydrogenated Oils Should Be Avoided at Any Cost - Natural News

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