Food nutrients in apples and grapes found to halt the systemic inflammation that causes cancer
06/25/2017 / By Isabelle Z.
On the surface, you might think inflammation isn’t such a big deal. It might not sound like a walk in the park, but it doesn’t sound like a death sentence, either. Unfortunately, however, chronic inflammation due to autoimmune disease, infection or even obesity damages your cells, thereby raising your cancer risk. That’s why inflammation within the body is something that you want to avoid at all costs.
Inflammation can be caused by eating foods like refined sugar, charred food, pesticides, processed foods, GMOs, and food additives, in addition to environmental toxins like mercury and electromagnetic radiation. While it’s best to avoid these foods as much as possible, there are ways to reduce their influence on the body and help reduce your cancer risk.
Just as eating the wrong foods might have gotten you into some trouble with inflammation, consuming the right ones can turn things around for you. Scientists have found that certain food chemicals can help minimize the inflammation that can lead to cancer, and two of these compounds have been making headlines recently for their ability to starve prostate cancer when combined with turmeric: red grapes and apples.
Keeping the doctor away
The magic of apples is found in the peel in the form of a compound called ursolic acid. In addition to being a potent anti-inflammatory, it has also been linked to weight loss and improvements in metabolic dysfunction. It does this by increasing brown fat, which is known for its calorie-burning ability. It also prevents obesity-related fatty liver disease.
If you want to increase your intake of ursolic acid, you need to consume apples with their skin intact. When eating whole fruit, it is absolutely vital that you eat organic so that you do not consume inflammation-inducing pesticides. In addition to apple peels, ursolic acid can also be found in rosemary.
Meanwhile, red grapes get their inflammation-fighting ability from resveratrol. This compound has long been known to promote health and longevity thanks to its ability to suppress inflammation and its antioxidant properties. This compound is the reason that red wine has often been praised for having many health benefits. Like apples, this beneficial compound is found in the skin, so resist the urge to peel your grapes before you eat them. You should also be sure to opt for organic varieties.
In one study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, researchers found that resveratrol can produce a selective action targeting malignant cells to be destroyed without harming healthy cells. In addition, resveratrol plays a role in insulin resistance and reducing oxidative stress.
Therefore, it should not be too surprising that these two powerhouse compounds were the stars of a groundbreaking recent study that discovered the combined effect of ursolic acid from apple peels and resveratrol from red grapes can stop prostate cancer cells from taking up glutamine, which is something that they need to survive. Best of all, the nutrients are readily available and inhibited tumor growth in mice without being toxic to normal cells.
This promising new research could be excellent news for those with prostate cancer who are hoping to avoid the dangers of chemotherapy, and it highlights the importance of eating healthy fruits to prevent disease. Moreover, it could inspire researchers to take a look at many of the other plant compounds growing on our planet to explore safe treatments and preventive measures for many of the illnesses facing modern society.
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