Chinese Food Fights Breast Cancer

BBC ^

[nickcarraway]

Two Chinese dietary staples - mushrooms and green tea - may have the power to ward off breast cancer, mounting evidence suggests.

A study of over 2,000 Chinese women in the International Journal of Cancer found large quantities of both in the diet slashed cancer risk by up to 90%.

Research suggests chemicals in the foods block tumour growth and boost the body's natural defences against cancer.

But experts say it is unclear whether the benefits will apply to all women.

It is known that the rate of breast cancer in China is four- to five-times lower than rates typically seen in developed countries, although this is changing as women are adopting Western diets rich in meat and dairy - and piling on the pounds.

Powerful extracts

Researchers have been hunting for what the Chinese secret might be.

Extracts of the mushroom Phellinus linteus have been used for centuries in Easter Ancient medicine where it is believed to refresh bodies and extend life.

And scientists in California have been doing a trial to see if taking a mushroom extract twice a day for a month helps breast cancer survivors remain free of the disease after work showed the extract could halt the growth of breast cancer cells.

The new study of Chinese women, by a team at the University of Western Australia in Perth, found that women who ate at least 10g - around a third of an ounce - of fresh mushrooms daily were 64% less likely to develop breast cancer. Green tea contains polyphenols

Dried mushrooms had a slightly less protective effect, reducing the risk by around half.

And women who combined a mushroom diet with regular consumption of green tea saw an even greater benefit.

The risk among women in this group was reduced by almost 90%.

[TheZMan]

Too easy.

[diamond6]

ping

[GeronL]

pppppsssseeeeuuuudddddooooooo sssssssyyyyyaaannnccceeee

[ModelBreaker]

Well, epidemilogical studies are not the type of controlled experiment that would establish causation. But they are hardly pseudoscience.

[Wooly]

Too many people think that cancer is a disease that you catch and if you just eat this food, take this vitamin, detox your colon or follow some other popular guru. Reality is that for most cancers you are born with a flaw in your DNA that at some point in time causes the reproduction of cells to mutate. Very few cancers seem to be caused from outside reasons alone, such as Lung cancer or skin cancer.
And before you decide that I am full of it, I am undergoing treatment for prostate cancer and my oncologist when ask if there was anything I could have done to prevent this told me that it is almost always hereditary.

[ottbmare]

I’m sorry about your prostate cancer. In your case, doubtless your oncologist is right. On the other hand, cancer is a lot of different diseases. Breast cancer in particular appears to be not only genetically linked, but susceptible to external influences. The fact that it is more prevalent here and now than it was in other epochs or other cultures suggests there may be mediating influences that trigger whatever predisposing genetic flaws may exist. For example, there is some evidence that having an abortion may lead to a higher risk of breast cancer. It’s not unlikely that eating foods that contain estrogen-mimicking compounds could also influence one’s risk of developing female reproductive cancers, and the matter is worth investigation.

[SunkenCiv]

It is known that the rate of breast cancer in China is four- to five-times lower than rates typically seen in developed countries

The jokes write themselves.

[dervish]

“It’s not unlikely that eating foods that contain estrogen-mimicking compounds could also influence one’s risk of developing female reproductive cancers”

Yet Chinese also eat a lot of Tofu/Bean Curd which is known for its Estrogen mimicking compounds.