(Foreword: This is our continuation of our response to Amy 468 on her desire to know the cancer fighting foods.)
DEAR Amy 468,
Moving on...Last time, we talked about fighting cancer with grapes. Grapes and grape juice, especially the purple and red grapes, contain resveratrol. The green ones don’t count, then. Resveratrol has strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Laboratory studies showed that it has prevented the kind of damage that can spark the cancer process in the cells. The problem here, is that there is not enough evidence to say that eating grapes or drinking grape juice or wine (or taking supplements) can prevent or treat cancer. But, enjoying grapes and grape juice certainly wouldn’t hurt.
Cut off some alcohol to lower your cancer risk
Don’t you know that cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx, esophagus, liver, and breast are all linked with drinking alcohol? More than that, alcohol may also raise your risk for cancer of the colon and rectum. As a matter of fact, the American Cancer Society recommends limiting alcohol to no more than two drinks per day for men and one for women. Now, Amy, since you are at risk for cancer, since it runs in your family, I feel that if possible, if you can, avoid it. But, if you can’t, be sure that you would get less than the recommended limit per day.
Protect yourself with water and other fluids
The good thing with water is that it does not only quench off your thirst, it may also protect you against cancer of the bladder. This is because water dilutes whatever cancer-causing agents that might be lurking in your bladder. Added to that, drinking makes you urinate more. This would lessen, then, the time that those potential cancer-causing agents would stay in contact with your bladder lining. Well, just be sure that the other fluids that you are drinking are not those sugar laden, like your carbonated drinks. Otherwise, you will have a different story.
Water (certainly!) adds life...and not the drink posted in the commercials. Let’s drink to that.
Opps, again. There are still more to say. But, we are again running out of space for now. So, we’ll continue this in my next issue. Until then again!
Dr. Fritz
(Dr. Fritz Legarde Espedilla is an aesthetic dermatologist and surgeon and a clinical sexologist. She is also trained in hypnotherapy and Medical Acupuncture. She has been in the broadcast media for more than a decade and has written a book based on her 15 year stint with her radio program, “Healthy is Sexy Secrets ni Dr. Fritz.” She is also a faculty in a College of Pharmacy. For your questions, you may send them to Dear Dr. Fritz, c/o Sunstar-Davao Publishing Inc., Ebro-Pelayo Building, Jacinto St., Davao City, (former Department of Foreign Affairs office), across Ateneo de Davao University and beside Holy Child School of Davao, or you e-mail them to dokfritz@yahoo.com. If you don’t wish your letter to be published, we regret that we cannot answer them. Thank you for your understanding.)