The Dark Side of Anti-Oxidants

I read this article this morning on the dark side of anti-oxidants and was very surprised. I have heard all the benefits of anti-oxidants and why it is important to eat them as part of a healthy diet. Some medications are made with antioxidants. Many people rush out and get fresh fruit and vegetables specifically for their antioxidants and benefits.

"There is no question that antioxidants, such as those in fruits and vegetables and other foods, neutralize molecules called free radicals that can damage DNA. That has led to assertions that antioxidants can prevent cancer, since DNA damage can turn normal cells into malignant ones. But studies of whether antioxidant supplements (pills, not foods) can prevent cancer have largely disappointed."

So that last sentence tells us something. A hint that maybe anti-oxidants aren't quite as good as previously thought.

"Because free radicals might also attack cancer cells, scientists are studying whether antioxidants might allow tumors to flourish. The new research, in Science Translational Medicine, found that they can. When scientists exposed lab dishes of human cancer cells (liver, breast, colon, ovarian) to the diabetes drugs sitagliptin (sold by Merck as Januvia) and saxagliptin (AstraZeneca’s Onglyza), the cells migrated more. And when nine mice with human tumors were given either of the drugs, the cells metastasized more and invaded far-flung tissue...."

Did you read that right? Yes you did! The previously thought wonderful anti-oxidants appear to help metastasize cancer! So if you have cancer, your cancer will spread faster with help from the anti-oxidants. Nice! They are off my diet for now.

But the writers add that they did not cause cancer, just that they helped it spread. And this is a mouse test which means that it may not be the same for humans. And more research is needed.

So I am not jumping to any conclusions here. I know its only a mouse test but these results do not make me happy. 

We are supposed to be eating better

We means those of us who are post cancer. A new study claims that all of us who get through cancer develop crappy eating habits.

"Cancer survivors are a bit less health conscious in their eating habits, a large U.S. population-based study found.

Compared with the general population, cancer survivors consumed more empty calories in the form of solid fats, alcohol, and added sugars, reported a research team.... 

In addition, cancer survivors' intake of fiber, vitamin D, and other important nutrients was lower on average than recommended levels, Zhang and colleagues reported in the journal."

Um, first of all I must state that I think I am a relatively good eater. I don't eat a lot of prepared food, I like home made food not premade crap out of the freezer or a can. I like fresh fruit and vegetables.

But, why am I eating healthy to prevent future health issues when I already have them so many? On many levels it doesn't make sense. I do try but then sometimes I wonder why I do. I mean why do I worry about things like cholesterol when one of my other ailments is going to lead to many other issues where cholesterol may end up being so far down the list in impact on my health.

Once you get through cancer many other things become less important. The medications you are given cause so many side effects that  healthy eating during chemo is changed to only eating what will stay in your stomach.

A cancer diagnosis changes everything so let's have our cake now and eat it too.

Cancer causes

Let's see how I do on this one.  The American Association for Cancer Research just announced the preventable causes of cancer in the US.

1. Tobacco - I quit that a few years back
2. Cancer made me fat. I wasn't fat until breast cancer treatment.
3. I have no idea about cancer causing pathogens.
4. I go to the gym 3x each week and get 1 hour of cardio each time followed by 30 minutes of weights, machines, and stretching.
5. Fruits and vegetables every day. A minimum of two pieces of fruit by noon followed by salad and/or green vegetables with dinner. 
6. I have never been to a tanning salon but do go to the beach. I don't remember the last time I got a sunburn.

So let's go back to the 'why me?' question.... No let's not. Anyhow more discussion on this can be found here. I'm doing the best I can.

On the hunt for healthy food

I traveled home yesterday from the wilds of Wisconsin back to Boston. It was a long day as travel is not the best activity for me. My back hurt to sum it up. We had a two hour drive back to the airport (O'Hare), had to return a rental car and didn't really know where we were going. The weather forecast was also for potential severe thunderstorms....

Our plan (pushed later than originally reserved) left at 645 pm. We wanted to get there two hours prior to allow for car rental return chaos, plus two hours for driving, plus extra time to pad for weekend return traffic. We got to the damn airport at 3pm. No traffic, no car rental return hassles. We had plenty of time.

I was with a friend from college. We took turns sitting with luggage and looking for healthy food options to eat either before or on the plane. Finally she found a build your own salad place. I found a Mediterranean place which had a salad with grilled chicken, a few slivered almonds, and some Gorgonzola on a large bed of lettuce. It looked perfect until I looked at the nutritional information - it was listed as having some where around 640 calories and 55 grams of fat. My jaw dropped. I showed it to another woman who was also looking at food choices. She was equally appalled. Then we decided it must be because of the huge (3.25 oz) container of salad dressing.

We checked another item - a sandwich of turkey, brie cheese and red peppers I think - and it had 630 calories and 70 grams of fat.... I'm not even sure that's possible because there are 9 calories in every gram of fat or something like that. I think. I'm not completley sure.

But either the labels were wrong some how. Or the food was just not good for you.

I ate my salad without dressing and it was just fine. But I really hate travel food. Today I am going to the grocery store and I think we will have some salmon for dinner with a salad and maybe some Israeli couscous on the side. That will be much better.

A weekend of eating badly ends

We eat healthy as a rule. We have lots of fruits and vegetables. Breakfast and lunch includes a piece of fruit for both. Dinner always has a green vegetable and salad. We eat fish and chicken. We do all the right things.

This weekend we did not. Friday night for Valentine's Day we had a picnic dinner of cheese, pate, and smoked salmon. I meant to cut up a pear to go with it but forgot. Saturday we met friends for a late lunch at a burger place. I had a grilled chicken sandwich but did eat fries and onion rings. We never had dinner Saturday night because we were too full.

Yesterday we celebrated Valentine's again with a fancy brunch at a restaurant which featured lots of seafood, salads, and the basic breakfasty things. We both felt like we overate again. We didn't have dinner again.

Today we are starting over. We had a nice healthy breakfast - I even had a banana. Lunch will be left over roast chicken something with fruit. Dinner will be left over roast chicken something else with green vegetables and Israeli couscous.

Its amazing how eating too much over all and eating rich food at all can make you feel like crap. I had issues with indigestion all weekend. I didn't feel right. Blach!

I hate to think what all this did to my body.... Never mind fat grams, calories, salt, carbohydrates and more.

But I do not think any of that greatly destroyed my health any further than it already is. And it was kind of nice to eat delicious non-healthy food for a few days.

$1.50/day

It took several government studies years of research and multiple governments speaking up to figure out it only costs $1.50 per person per day to eat healthier. This means make healthier studies like lower fat content in ground beef, etc.

I have a couple caveats:

• This is based on 'normal' portion sizes. This means a serving of beef is 4 oz - or the size of a deck of cards.... If you eat normal sizes, you can expect to spend an extra $1.50/day.
• $1.50 means different things to different people.
• For a family of five on food stamps this would mean another $7.50 each day which quickly adds up.
• For someone who stops for a coffee every morning, we can say skip your morning coffee and there is your extra money

I believe in eating healthy. If money is tight or you just want some variety, try a few of these ideas:

• Frozen vegetables are cheap and don't taste that bad unles they have been used as an ice pack for too many injuries.
• Substitute beans for meat in meals and get some lean protein. How does this work? At the family taco night substitute beans for meat or even use refried beans.
• Buy in bulk or when lean meat is on sale and use your freezer. Last week chicken was on sale for $.88/lb. I put it in the freezer and now it is defrosted and will be tonight's dinner.

And a few shopping tips for saving money:

• Shop early in the day and check the meat section and home made bread section first for expiring items which have been further marked down.
• Store brands, store brands, store brands.
• Fresh produce in season is cheapest.

Now if I haven't bored you and you are wondering how does this relate to breast cancer or any cancer, I'll just say that if you eat healthy you can reduce your risk of getting cancer. I mean I did and look at me, I haven't been diagnosed with cancer in 6.5 years.