Hook Up With Health

Let’s face it – eating healthy is not easy and it’s not always convenient. That’s why many look to supplements to bridge the gap. Supplements can play a positive role in your health, but the real question is this:

Can Supplements ALONE replace the protection and benefits of Whole Foods? 

Between 1985 & 1993 The National Institutes of Health funded one of the biggest health studies ever conducted. It was known as the ATBC Cancer Prevention Study. It tested the theory that vitamin A & vitamin E supplements would prevent lung cancer in smokers. After following 29,000 male smokers for six years, the stunned researchers found a higher incidence of lung cancer among the men who received the supplements. The results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1994.Many years later, the data was re-analyzed to study the impact of whole foods. Amazingly, the researchers found that the male smokers who simply ate more whole foods had a decreased risk of lung cancer. The most benefit was attributed to whole foods that offer high levels of the carotenoids Beta Carotene, Lycopene, Lutein, & Zeaxanthin.

With each passing year new studies continue to deliver astonishing discoveries that are shedding a bright light on the true power, innate complexity, and preventative nature of raw whole foods. And when it comes to the latest research, green foods are taking center stage!

Spirulina are blue green algae that grow naturally in lakes with high pH levels and it is very high in antioxidants. Immunologists at the University Of California Davis School Of Medicine added Spirulina to some cultured immune system cells. The result was a significant increase in the production of cancer & infection fighting cells called cytokines. The findings were published in the fall 2000 issue of the Journal of Medicinal Foods.

Chlorella is a single cell fresh water alga that gets its name from the high amount of chlorophyll it possesses. Chlorophyll is the pigment in plants that makes them green. This exciting nutrient is also the focus of cancer prevention studies around the world.

Wheat grass juice is high in chlorophyll, iron, oxygen, and enzymes and is one of the richest known sources of vitamins A, B, and C. Studies of wheat grass by Dr. Chiu Nan Lai of the University Of Texas Cancer Center showed it to be a potent inhibitor of several cancer causing agents. He applied low levels of the extract to cancer causing mutagens and found that the activity in the mutagens diminished by up to 99%.

Spinach and other deep-green leafy vegetables contain a carotenoid, called Neoxanthin. Research published in the September 2004 issue of the Journal of Nutrition shows that Neoxanthin fights human prostate cancer it two different ways. First, it induces prostate cancer cells to self-destruct. Then, in the intestines, Neoxanthin is converted into additional compounds called Neochromes. Neochromes prevent the replication of prostate cancer cells.

Sea vegetables, such as Dulse and Kelp, are nature’s richest sources of iodine. Iodine is an essential component of thyroid hormones which regulate all aspects of your metabolism and other bodily functions. An iodine deficiency can have a devastating impact on your health and well-being. A common sign of thyroid deficiency is an enlarged thyroid gland, commonly called a goiter. Goiters are estimated to affect 200 million people worldwide, and 96% of these cases are preventable through proper nutrition.¹

Barley grass is known to contain an active ingredient called proanthocyanidin – a powerful plant chemical that supports the body at the cellular level. More recently, researchers from the School of Bioresources at the University of Andong in Korea have isolated yet another potent plant chemical in barley grass called lunasin. Lunasin is renowned for its ability to prevent skin cancer cells from multiplying. When the Korean researchers conducted further laboratory studies they found that Lunasin was able to inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells as well.²

A new study done in conjunction with U.S. Department of Agriculture identified a class of compounds isolated from citrus peels that shows promise as a potent, natural alternative for lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol without the dangerous side effects of prescription drugs.

The compounds, called polymethoxylated flavones (PMFs), are similar to other plant pigments found in citrus fruits that have been increasingly linked to health benefits, including protection against cancer, heart disease and inflammation. The study is believed to be the first to show that PMFs can lower cholesterol. The findings were published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in May 2004.

And it’s not just the foods or the research. The researchers themselves are seeing the dawning of a new day. They’re not talking about supplements or new prescription drugs… they’re talking about food!

Jeff Prince is the vice president for education at the American Institute for Cancer Research. In his August 2004 interview with The Washington Post he said that “the thousands of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals in whole foods act synergistically together to create a more powerful effect than the sum of their parts, producing a result which cannot be recreated by supplements”.

At a recent American Institute for Cancer Research meeting, Dr. Rui Hai Liu, a PhD researcher from Cornell University said that “different plant foods have different phytochemicals; these substances go to different organs, tissues and cells, where they perform different functions. What your body needs to ward off disease is this synergistic effect – this teamwork – that is produced by eating a wide variety of plant foods.”

Well… what if it was easy and convenient to give your body a wide variety of green plant foods every day, including all of the foods you’ve just read about and more! Would you be interested?

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. 

Get your Whole Foods at Hook Up With Health today!

Reference:

1. Goldbeck N, Goldbeck D. The Healthiest Diet in the World. Plume (Penguin Putnam Inc.) NY, 2001, pp 378-80

2. Jeong HJ, Lam Y, de Lumen BO. J Agric Food Chem 2002, 50(21):5903-5908