STOP: Heart Disease, Stroke,
Cancer, Diabetes
by Lee Tucker with Laura Goldstein
Stock
up on these “miracle” nutrients and protect yourself from the top four
killers.
There’s
a certain sameness to nutritional advice: Eat fruits and vegetables. Have fish
twice a week. Don’t eat red meat. Cut back on fats. Yada, yada, yada.
Hey,
it’s all good advice. But like any generic “prescription,” it may not
necessarily be the best advice for you.
What
if you could customize your eating plan for your own needs? For example, what if
you have a family history of colon cancer or heart disease? What if you’re
like me: someone whose dad developed diabetes in his 50s? Is there a way to
tailor that general advice to protect yourself from whatever disease is in your
family tree, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, or diabetes— killers
that claim almost 2 million lives a year?
There
is. Solid new research suggests there are nutrients—familiar ones such as
vitamin E, strangers such as lycopene—that can turn an ordinary healthy diet
into one that’s literally death-defying.
HEART
DISEASE & STROKE
To
lower your risk, you need these nutrients:
Folic
acid (400 micrograms [mcg] per day). A Harvard study of 80,000 nurses found
that those with the highest intake of folate (another name for folic acid)
reduced their risk of heart disease by 31%. Folic acid helps protect you by
decreasing blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine, an emerging risk factor
for heart disease and stroke, says Eric B. Rimm, ScD, assistant professor of
epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and lead
author of the study. Lots of foods contain folate, including orange juice,
kidney beans, broccoli, and spinach. But to make sure you get 400 mcg, Prevention
recommends taking a multivitamin that contains that amount.
Vitamin
B6 (3 mg per day). The same nurses study found that those
who consumed the most B6 lowered their risk of heart disease by 33%.
Like folic acid, B6 helps reduce homocysteine levels. Supplements
are probably a good idea, since many people don’t even get enough to cover the
2 mg Daily Value (DV), says Walter Willet, MD, DrPH, chairman of the department
of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health. Foods containing B6 include
bananas, avocados, lean chicken, brown rice, and oats. The same multivitamin
that provides your DV of folic acid can ensure that you get 2 mg of B6.
Vitamin
E (400 international units [IU] per day). There’s no shortage of studies
showing that vitamin E in amounts ranging from 100 to 800 IU may reduce your
risk of heart disease by about 40%. In one study of people with established
heart disease, those who took 400 to 800 IU of vitamin E reduced their risk of a
nonfatal heart attack by an astounding 77% (Lancet, Mar 23, 1996). Doctors believe that the antioxidant
properties of vitamin E stop changes in your “bad” low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
cholesterol that make it more likely to clog your arteries. To get the necessary
amount of E, you’ll probably need a supplement. The best sources of the heart
vitamin are vegetable oils, nuts, and wheat germ, but you’d have to eat
unhealthy quantities to even approach the amount recommended to prevent heart
disease.
Omega-3
fatty acids (3 ounces of salmon, mackerel, haddock, or another “fatty”
fish once a week). That one meal could reduce your risk of cardiac arrest by 50
to 70% (Journal of the American Medical
Association, Nov 1, 1995). Fatty fish is packed with omega-3 fatty acids,
substances that are believed to reduce heart spasms and the clumping of blood
platelets, a process that leads to dangerous clots in your arteries.
FROM
THE CUTTING EDGE
Lycopene.
A lot of people think of this as the spaghetti nutrient because it’s so
abundant in tomatoes and tomato products. In the last year or so, studies have
shown that Iycopene (one of a large family of carotenes of which beta is the
most well-known) may help prevent heart disease and cancer. In one study, men
who had heart attacks had much lower tissue
levels of lycopene than men with healthy hearts (American Journal of Epidemiology, Oct 1997). Just one or two
servings a day will boost your lycopene levels into the high range. Cooked
tomato products are higher in lycopene than raw, and it helps to consume a
little fat, such as olive oil, to help
your body absorb it.
Flavonoids.
Think grapes. This fruit contains flavonoids shown to have blood-thinning
abilities. One study found that drinking a 5-ounce glass of purple grape juice
twice a day reduced the tendency for blood to clot by 60%. That was 50% better
than the anticlotting ability of aspirin, considered the gold standard. If
you’re taking aspirin, however, it’s still too soon to banish it to the
medicine cabinet in favor of grape juice. You may also want to eat more apples
and onions, two other foods that contain high levels of flavonoids. Finnish
researchers found that people who ate the greatest amounts of apples and onions
had the lowest risk of heart disease. Tea also contains abundant flavonoids.
CANCER
To
lower your risk, you need the following:
Fruits
and vegetables. Five or more servings a day—but make them different foods of different colors.
“It’s well established that fruits and vegetables contain
cancer-protective substances and that each individual fruit and vegetable has
its own phytochemical profile,” says Melanie Polk, RD, director of nutrition
education at the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington. Why
vary the colors? Variety is the best way to get all of the phytochemicals (phyto
means “plant”) associated with lower cancer risk. And when you hear
“five or more,” pay close attention to that word “more.” To fight
cancer, more fruits and veggies really
are better.
Research
has also identified some fruits and veggies that may fight specific cancers. For
example...
Apples
may protect you from lung cancer. Finnish researchers found that men and women
who ate the most apples were 58% less likely to develop lung cancer than those
who ate the least apples. The protective ingredient in apples is quercetin, a
flavonoid with antioxidant effects (American
Journal of Epidemiology, May 1997). Antioxidants attack free radicals, the
damaging compounds that your body naturally produces when it breaks down the
food you eat.
Broccoli
sprouts contain 20 to 50 times the amount of sulforaphane, a phytochemical that
helps mobilize your body’s natural cancer-fighting ability, that was first
found in studies using mature broccoli. These three-day-old broccoli babies look
and taste something like radishes. Early sulforaphane studies found it effective
in preventing breast cancer in rats.
Selenium.
Men who took the mineral selenium in daily doses of 200 mcg for four years
lowered their rates of lung, colorectal, and prostate cancer by more than half
on average than men who didn’t take it (Journal
of the American Medical Association, Dec 25, 1996). Selenium’s protective
effects are probably due to its antioxidant properties. Don’t exceed 200 mcg
total, including the amount in your multi supplement. (Most multis contain
less than 70 mcg.)
Carotenoids.
These include beta-carotene and lycopene, found in many red, yellow, and orange
fruits and veggies. Carotenoids have been linked to a decreased risk of many
cancers, including prostate, lung, stomach, and endometrial cancers.
Less
fat. Reduce to 20% or less.
Vitamin
E (200 IU). Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in
Seattle found that men and women who took 200 IU of vitamin E per day had less
than half the risk of getting colon cancer.
Vitamin
C. Diets high in vitamin C from fruits and veggies appear to protect against
the risk of stomach, esophageal, mouth, and cervical cancers. We recommend
adding 500 mg a day from a supplement too.
FROM
THE CUTTING EDGE
Resveratrol.
This substance found in ordinary grapes (again!) inhibits cancer growth by preventing
three things: the start of DNA damage in a cell, the transformation of a normal
cell into a cancerous one, and the growth and spread of tumor cells.
Although
the study was done on laboratory mice, the results were so promising that the
researchers believe this substance merits testing in humans as a potential
cancer-preventing drug (Science, Jan
10, 1997).
Catechins.
These are the antioxidants found in tea, especially green tea. In animals,
catechins inhibit a wide variety of tumors; ongoing human studies are now
testing green tea against breast, prostate, and several other cancers.
SOY.
Tofu and other soy-based foods contain high amounts of substances called
isoflavones. At least in the test tube, researchers found that isoflavones could
stunt the growth of human breast cancer cells by up to 30%. Another study found
that women who eat lots of soy products have less than half the risk of
endometrial cancer as women who don’t eat soy foods. (For more about the
benefits of soy, see “This Pudding Could Save Your Life,” Prevention, Nov 1998.)
DIABETES
(TYPE 2)
If
you’re at risk, you need the following:
Lots
of fiber, little fat. Your diet should derive about 60% of calories from
carbohydrates, preferably high-fiber, complex (unrefined) carbs such as fruits,
vegetables, beans, and whole grains. You should also get no more than 25% of
calories from fat, preferably unsaturated vegetable oils ormonounsaturated olive
oil, and 15% from protein.
High-fat
diets increase your risk for obesity, the number one risk factor for diabetes.
Refined carbohydrates that are rapidly absorbed, such as white bread, white
rice, pasta, fruit juices, and soda, cause your blood sugar to shoot up, putting
excessive stress on your pancreas to produce more insulin, explains David M.
Nathan, MD, director of the diabetes center at the Massachusetts General
Hospital at Harvard Medical School in Boston and chairman of the Diabetes
Prevention Program. If you’re overweight and eating a poor diet, eventually
your cells may become less sensitive to the effects of insulin (which helps
them use energy) and your pancreas will work less efficiently. Unrefined
foods high in fiber, by contrast, studies have shown that lycopene (one of a
large family of carotenes of which beta is the most well-known) may help prevent
heart disease and cancer. In one study, men who had heart attacks had much lower
tissue levels of lycopene than men
with healthy hearts (American Journal of
Epidemiology, Oct 1997). Just one or two servings a day will boost your
lycopene levels into the high range. Cooked tomato products are higher in…
Chromium.
This mineral helps make your cells receptive to insulin. Some studies show that
it can help normalize glucose and insulin levels too. Since it’s hard to get
the DV of 120 mcg of chromium from your diet, make sure you’re getting 120 to
200 mcg from your daily multivitamin / mineral supplement. If you’ve been
diagnosed with glucose intolerance, a condition that often leads to diabetes,
USDA chromium expert Richard A. Anderson, PhD, recommends taking 200 mcg of
chromium picolinate two or three times a day. Discuss with your physician first.
Magnesium.
You need 350 mg total from your supplements. If your diet is deficient in
magnesium (most are), you may be more resistant to insulin, putting you at risk
for diabetes. Harvard researchers
found that the more magnesium in your diet, the less likely you are to get
diabetes. Foods high in fiber are also high in magnesium. They include
cereals, spinach, black-eyed peas, and beans.
Lee
Tucker writes about health and nutrition for many national publications.
There’s
no shortage of studies showing that vitamin E in amounts ranging from 100 to 800
IU may reduce your risk of heart disease by about 40%.
Researchers
found that isoflavones could stunt the growth of human breast cancer cells by up
to 30%.
PREVENTION
I DECEMBER 1998
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