Lentils and kidney beans 'cut bowel cancer risk' by up to a third

Loma Linda are certainly consistent. They have been pouring out claims like this for many years. I seem to recollect that they have some connection with the Seventh Day Adventist church, which is big on vegetarianism.

It's all nonsense of course. Vegetarians probably look after themselves in lots of ways other than their diet -- less drug-taking, for instance. There is no knowing what lies behind the differences reported

Eating pulses, brown rice, green vegetables and dried fruit could cut the risk of bowel cancer. People who consume pulses such as kidney beans or lentils at least three times a week reduce their risk of developing polyps – small growths in the lining of the bowel which can become cancerous – by a third, researchers say.

Eating brown rice once a week cuts the risk by two fifths, while having cooked green vegetables at least once a day reduces it by a quarter.

The scientists from Loma Linda University in California also found eating dried fruit at least three times a week cuts the risk of developing the growths by a similar amount.

The study is one of the first to look at which specific foods can cut the risk of bowel cancer. It used data from a survey of nearly 3,000 people 25 years ago who were asked how often they ate certain foods.

Participants were then asked to complete a follow-up survey which focused on whether they developed polyps, with around a sixth of participants confirming that they had.

The data was adjusted to take into account possible hereditary conditions, how active people were and whether they smoked, drank or ate certain unhealthy foods.

Study author Dr Yessenia Tantamango said that the high fibre content in these foods helped make them potent weapons in the fight against bowel cancer.

Dr Tantamango, whose findings were published in the journal Nutrition and Cancer, added: ‘Pulses, dried fruits, and brown rice all have a high content of fibre, known to dilute potential carcinogens.

‘Additionally, cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, contain detoxifying compounds, which would improve their protective function. Eating these foods is likely to decrease your risk for colon polyps, which would in turn decrease your risk for colorectal cancer.’

‘Our study confirms the results of past studies that have been done in different populations analysing risks for colon cancer.’

SOURCE




Dieting forces the brain to eat itself (and then make you feel hungry)

Another rodent study but there might be something in it

DIETERS, you have a new enemy - your brain. Scientists claim that dieters often struggle to shed the kilos because their brains are secretly working against them.

When the body is starved of nutrition brain cells start eating themselves - a process called autophagy - to keep energy levels up. This in turn causes the body to make fatty acids, which increases feelings of hunger in the brain. Trips to the fridge and biscuit tin ensue.

Writing in the science journal Cell Metabolism, researchers from Yeshiva University in New York said they had successfully managed to stop the chemical reaction in dieting mice.

This kept the mice light and slim, and could lead to successful weight loss treatments for humans. "Treatments aimed at the pathway might make you less hungry and burn more fat, a good way to maintain energy balance in a world where calories are cheap and plentiful," said Dr Rajat Singh, who led the study.

SOURCE