Eating a portion of watercress every day could help protect against cancer, according to new research.

Scientists at Southampton University found that volunteers who ate 80 grams of watercress a day - the equivalent of a single vegetable portion - had elevated levels of cancer-fighting molecules in their blood within hours of eating the salad leaves.

Extracts from crushed watercress were also shown to inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells.

The pilot study suggests that eating watercress could help prevent the development of breast cancer while also helping recovering breast cancer victims avoid a recurrence of the disease.

Full article:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7957663/Watercress-may-help-fight-cancer.html

A new study which has been carried out into diabetes has helped to confirm existing beliefs about what can reduce people's risk of developing the condition.

Research published in the British Medical Journal shows that by eating green leafy vegetables people can lower their risk of developing diabetes. The figures in the study showed that eating these types of vegetables can help to reduce the chance of getting the condition by around 14 per cent.

However, nutrition scientist at the Medical Research Council Dr Susan Jebb said that the latest research does not say "anything very new" but rather reconfirms existing ideas.

Full article:  http://www.mediplacements.com/article-800037647-diabetes_study_reconfirms.html

We all enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables especially those we get at the Farmers Market. What most persons do not know is that these fresh fruits and vegetables that are sold contain toxins. When they are grown they are not toxic but end up becoming that way when they are introduced to toxins such as pesticides. If the fruit and vegetables do not say organic, chances are they have toxins. The toxins can affect your immune system and even nervous system, plus they can increase the risk of cancer.

Full article:  http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/6591812-are-we-buying-fruits-and-vegetables-dangerous-toxins

Not since olestra and its unfortunate propensity to cause "leakage" have we seen an industrial food get smacked around like high-fructose corn syrup. Despite protests that it's no different than sugar by groups with P.R.-unfriendly names like the Corn Refiners Association, "waning" would be a polite way to describe its popularity. And with the release of a new study that shows that cancer cells find fructose tastier -- and more nutritious! -- than other sugars, might the bell be finally tolling for the sweetener called, unappealingly, HFCS?

For years, consumers' wariness of HFCS's ubiquity and rumors that it causes anything from obesity to late-stage syphilis have beaten it down like a bag of doorknobs -- and food manufacturers have followed suit with products made with sugar instead. Its sales dropped 9 percent in the U.S. from 2007 to 2009, and are sinking fast. You know you have a P.R. problem when sodas tout themselves as healthy because all their empty calories come from sugar, not your cheaper sugar with a funny name...

Full article:  http://www.salon.com/food/nutrition/?story=/food/francis_lam/2010/08/04/fructose_cancer_high_fructose_corn_syrup

 MORE than 3000 Victorians needlessly die of cancer each year unaware that an unhealthy lifestyle is a major cause of the disease. Most people do not know that a lack of exercise could increase their risk of developing cancer, a Cancer Council Victoria survey found.

Prevention centre director Craig Sinclair said a greater community awareness of how to cut cancer risk would reduce preventable deaths.

"There is a tendency for people to believe cancer risk is down to fate or family history, but in truth one third of all cancer deaths are due to avoidable risk factors and less than one in 10 are caused by known faulty genes," Mr Sinclair said.

The telephone survey of 3003 Victorians found just 55 per cent understood that being overweight greatly increased their risk of the disease, and only one in 10 mentioned check-ups or screening as a way to reduce the risk of cancer.

Full article:  http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/shaping-up-to-cancer/story-e6frf7kx-1225900829810

Who among us doesn’t know somebody who has dealt with breast cancer? I count myself lucky that I know many more survivors than I do those who have lost their battle. Getting mammograms as recommended by your doctor is important for early detection, but you can also take proactive measures to protect yourself from breast cancer.

There are many risk factors for cancer; some, such as family history and age,  can’t be controlled. But other risk factors, such as your weight, are in your control. While the American Cancer Society states that the link between weight and breast cancer is conflicting and complex, factors such as gaining weight in adulthood and carrying more weight around your waist can increase your breast cancer risk. The ACS recommends staying at a healthy weight to reduce your risk.  A light, nutritious diet and a regular exercise routine will help you maintain a healthy weight. But, for added protection, you can also incorporate some diet-friendly foods with cancer-fighting properties.

Full article:  http://mygloss.com/fit/2010/07/23/breast-cancer-protect-yourself-with-nutrition/

Bacteria grow in a wide variety of habitats and conditions. When most people think of bacteria, they think of "disease-causing" organisms. While pathogenic bacteria are notorious for such diseases as cholera, tuberculosis and gonorrhoea, such disease-causing species are a comparatively tiny fraction of the bacteria as a whole.

Because bacteria are so widespread, it is only possible to make the most general statements about their life history and ecology. Bacteria may be found on the tops of mountains, the bottom of the deepest oceans, in the guts of animals and even in the frozen rocks and ice of Antarctica. They have the ability to go dormant for an extended period of time which is a factor that has enabled them to spread so far and last so long.

Full article:  http://www.dontolmaninternational.com/articles/bacteria---the-good-and-bad-.html

EDMONTON — A new University of Alberta study of heart failure patients is casting doubt on a common obesity test, suggesting instead that muscle mass may be a better indicator of such patients' potential lifespan.

The research led by PhD student Antigone Oreopoulos was, in part, an attempt to delve into a medical puzzle known as the "obesity paradox."

The conundrum is that while obesity has been linked to numerous health problems, the trend doesn't seem to hold in all cases. Studies in recent years have found that patients who have experienced heart failure tend to have a better prognosis if they are obese rather than a more lean shape.

In other words, obesity increases the risk of developing heart failure, but those who already have heart failure appear to benefit from the extra body fat.

"It doesn't make sense, because how can obesity be providing protection to people in one case and then in other cases be causing all these problems?" Oreopoulos said. "What are the implications of that? Should we be telling these patients to lose weight or not?"

Oreopoulos began to wonder if something were wrong with the way obesity is measured. She noted the previous studies typically used body mass index, or BMI, a simple equation in which a person's weight is divided by their height.


Full article:  http://www.vancouversun.com/mobile/story.html?id=3306666

When I first learned that agribusiness and the pesticide industry were launching a new PR campaign to discredit EWG and our Shopper's Guide to Pesticides, I thought it was a joke. The Shopper's Guide to Pesticides dissuades people from eating fruits and vegetables?

No way. We at EWG always believe that you should eat as many fruits and vegetables as you can, and organic whenever possible. We put together the Shopper's Guide to Pesticides
 so that you would know which fruits and vegetables are must-buy organic, and which are fine if you go conventional -- information that conventional agribusiness doesn't want you to know.

Full article:  http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Shopping/Food/eat_your_pesticides_1607101009.html

After any illness it will take some time to regain your health and proper nutrition and sensible exercise are two of the most important factors for a speedy recovery. Apart from that, it is also true that a recovering patient would want to do whatever it takes to prevent an occurrence of the disease. Breast cancer can reoccur and while there are some risk factors in cancer that can't be controlled, a nutritious diet is within the patient’s means.

According to Melanie Polk, director at the American Institute for Cancer Research, the research done about the best foods for cancer survivors is much more limited compared to the research done about cancer-preventive foods. She further states that it makes sense to believe that cancer-preventive foods will have the same value for breast cancer survivors as a preventive measurement against a recurrence of the illness.

Full article:  http://www.helium.com/items/1895290-what-food-should-be-eaten-after-breast-cancer-treatment