Fall is pomegranate season! Here's why you should be eating (and drinking) more of these beautiful red "gems."  Researchers at the City of Hope found that pomegranates contain six compounds that may prevent breast cancer growth by blocking aromatase, an enzyme known to play a key role in most breast cancers. Aromatase converts androgens to estrogens, and most breast cancers depend on estrogen to grow.  “By suppressing the production of estrogen, urolithin B and other phytochemicals found in pomegranates can prevent hormone-responsive breast cancer tumors from growing,” said researcher, Shiuan Chen, Ph.D. Phytochemicals are naturally occurring plant compounds that may benefit health.  The other phytochemicals in pomegranates found to inhibit aromatase activity are urolithin A (UA), methylated UA, acetylated UB, methylated UB and UB sulfate.  Previous research has shown that pomegranate juice is rich in active antioxidants and its compounds may slow growth of human breast and prostate cancer cells.

Fasting has received all kinds of attention in the media these days. In 2018, it was one of the most searched for diet terms on Google.
As you may know, there are many health benefits of fasting.
But did you know that fasting turns the immune system against cancer. In fact, cancer in calorie-restricted monkeys is about 50 percent reduced. Cardiovascular disease is about 50 percent reduced as well.
Fasting not only protects against immune system damage — a major side effect of chemotherapy — but also triggers immune system regeneration.
Isn't this exciting news?  So how and when should you fast?
There are several types of fasting, from prolonged (2+ consecutive days) to intermittent (i.e. 5:2 or alternate day) to time-restricted eating (i.e. 12:12 or 16:8).  For time-restricted, intermittent fasting, It is important to stick close to 12 hours of feeding and 12 hours of fasting. If you eat 15 hours a day or more, that starts to be associated with metabolic problems, gallstone formation, sleep disorders, etc.  Prolonged, periodic fasting, done for several consecutive days has many incredible health benefits but strict, prolonged fasting is hard to stick to and can be dangerous if not done properly.
To help you get through a prolonged fast, you can get many benefits of a 5-day fast with food.  The ProLon® 5-day Fasting Mimicking Diet® has been clinically tested and studied and found to promote beneficial effects in a wide variety of health conditions ranging from excess weight and fasting blood sugar, to growth factors associated with DNA damage and aging.
Not everyone is healthy enough for a prolonged fast.
Message me or visit https://prolon.com/ if you would like more information on The ProLon® Fasting Mimicking Diet and to see if it's right for you.

A recent study suggests that women who’ve been treated for breast cancer who are in satisfying romantic relationships may have a lower risk of health problems after treatment. This is mainly because breast cancer survivors in satisfying romantic relationships felt less stressed and in turn had lower inflammation throughout cancer treatment and after.  But this doesn’t mean you’re compromising your health if you’re not in a relationship. Having a romantic partner isn’t for everyone. Single people can be happy and healthy, too, especially if they have a good social network of family, friends, clubs, hobbyists, or a religious organization.

Interesting new research showing the important link between gut microbiome and cancer treatment outcomes. Good gut health with an abundance of diverse good bacteria is essential to good health and cancer prevention as well.  You can improve your gut microbiome by eating a high-fiber diet, including fruits and vegetables high in fructo-oligosaccharides such as bananas, dried fruit, onions, leeks, garlic, asparagus and artichokes, as well as grains with resistant starches such as barley or uncooked potato starch, for example. Read the new research findings here: http://ow.ly/ooY150B9cdh

Your immune system is one of the major defenses against cancer. Your diet must be balanced to kill cancerous or precancerous cells without causing deficiencies in your immune system or hormonal changes that can make you frail.  Multiple studies have demonstrated vitamin C to possess cancer-fighting properties, although its effectiveness in preventing cancer is controversial. For people at high risk for cancer, Dr. Valter Longo, PhD recommends discussing with your oncologist the option of taking 6 grams of buffered vitamin C or Ester-C® daily for a few weeks every six months. Vitamin C is not known to have major side effects taken at this level for a few weeks every six months.

Let's talk about the magic of mushrooms for breast cancer prevention!
A number of research studies have discovered compounds in mushrooms that were found to inhibit cancerous tumor growth, increase immune cells (particularly in patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment), and inhibit aromatase, an enzyme in breast cancer cells that will produce unwanted estrogen. The most common mushrooms studied are white button, turkey tail, Shitake and Maitake.  Turkey tail mushrooms contain compounds called polysaccharopeptide (PSP) and polysaccharide-K (PSK). PSP and PSK appear to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. The compounds in turkey tail may also offer benefits for gut health. It is not recommended you eat turkey tail in the wild. Turkey tail extract is also available in the form of a powder or tea.  Always follow the dosage instructions carefully. Because turkey tail is a fungus, anyone with a mushroom or mold allergy should not use it.  More common and accessible, research has shown that eating just 5 white button mushrooms a day may be sufficient to suppress breast cancer tumor growth.  Learn more about the research at: http://ow.ly/cCTB50AX5Ix and https://nutritionfacts.org/video/breast-cancer-vs-mushrooms/.

Drinking alcohol in any form raises breast cancer risk.  This may be a hard pill to swallow but I have to give it to you straight when it comes to staying in breast cancer remission.  Alcohol is a recognized carcinogen. It can cause cellular damage that can trigger cancer development.  Alcohol influences blood levels of estrogen and other hormones in ways that may make cancer more likely. Higher intake of alcohol increases circulating estrogen levels. The overall estimated association is an approximate 30-50% increase in breast cancer risk from 15-30 grams/day of alcohol consumption (about 1-2 drinks/day) and and by 46% for ≥45 g/day of alcohol use (approximately more than 4 drinks per day).  Even in women who drink ≤12.5 g/day (≤1 drink/day) there is a 5% increase in risk of breast cancer compared to non-drinkers.  Yes, research shows that drinking alcohol can be beneficial for your heart but if you eat a whole food, plant based diet free of animal foods you will reap the cardiovascular benefits from that.  Bottom line - alcohol is toxic!  Learn more about the research at -http://ow.ly/mXGZ50ARWxE.