Simon Mills and Kerry Bone
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 SAPONINS Phytochemistry
Saponins are phytochemicals which produce a foam when dissolved in water. Their name derives from the same root as the word soap (Latin sapo = soap). Like soaps or detergents, saponins are large molecules which contain a water-loving (hydrophilic) part at one end, separated from a fat-loving (lipophilic or hydrophobic) part at the other. In aqueous solution, the saponin molecules align themselves vertically on the surface with their hydrophobic ends oriented away from the water. This has the effect of reducing the surface tension of the water, causing it to foam. |
Laurie Deutsch Mozian, M.S., R.D.
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 They also contain tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Both phytochemicals help to offset high blood sugar and some of its long-term negative side effects. When beans are digested, their glucose is released slowly into the bloodstream, helping to keep blood sugar relatively level if measured against another carbohydrate source that is comparable in calories.
Recently, scientist have discovered that tyrosine kinase inhibitors that are found in many types of beans in the form of genistein may help impede the premature cardiovascular disease that occurs with diabetes. |
Janet Zand, LAc, OMD, Allan N. Spreed, MD, CNC, James B. LaValle, RPh, ND
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 These healthy foods provide valuable vitamins and minerals and contain antioxidant phytochemicals that protect all the cells of the body, including those of the eyes, from free-radical damage.
¦ Eat clean, lean protein foods such as chicken and fish. Both protein and vitamin A are needed for healthy eyes.
¦ Limit your consumption of sugar and caffeine. These substances contribute to eye irritation and worsen the symptoms caused by many eye problems.
NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS
¦ Beta-carotene is a strong antioxidant that prevents free-radical damage. |
Jean Carper
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 Pierson says: "The beauty of citrus is that several classes of phytochemicals are highly likely to act more power-
RAW OR COOKED FOR ANTICANCER POWER?
Eat vegetables both raw and cooked. Many studies identify raw vegetables as more anticancer. However, this is not always true with foods high in beta carotene. A little heat changes the form of beta carotene so it is more easily absorbed. Thus, you are likely to absorb more beta carotene from lightly cooked vegetables than raw ones, says researcher John Erdman, Jr., Ph.D., at the University of Illinois in Urbana. |
the Editors of FC&A Medical Publishing
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 More research needs to be done, but scientists are focusing on substances in legumes called lignans and phytochemicals — natural cancer fighters.
&lack bean salad
1 15-ounee can black beans
1 15-ounce can com
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Drain and rinse beans and corn. Mix with other ingredients.
Chili for at least an hour. Makes 4 to €> servings.
Dr. |
| Ginger contains phytochemicals called gingerol and shogaol, which give it its antioxidant power.
Animal studies show ginger not only lowers LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, it also prevents LDL oxidation. On top of that, ginger also keeps your blood from clotting by reducing the stickiness of your platelets.
Avocados
According to legend, a Mayan princess ate the first avocado in 291 B.C. Fortunately, you don't have to be royalty to reap the rewards of this tasty tropical fruit.
Avocados, nicknamed "alligator pears" because of their bumpy exteriors, come in several varieties. |
| They even have lots of phytochemicals — antioxidants that can help prevent cancer.
Despite their star quality, many people shun beans. In fact, the more modern a country is, the less likely its people are to eat beans. Bean consumption is often directly related to income, with richer people eating less. And as you probably know from the rhyme you chanted as a child, legumes are famous for their ability to cause gas. Between their image as a food for poor people, and the gas issue, beans have a serious public relations problem. |
Simon Mills and Kerry Bone
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| Craig WJ. Phytochemicals: guardians of our health. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 1997; 97 (2): S199-204
2. Jenab M, Thompson L. The influence of flaxseed and lignans on colon carcinogenesis and B-glucuronidase activity. Carcinogenesis 1996; 17 (6): 1343-1348
3. Blumberg JB. Considerations of the scientific substantiation for antioxidant vitamins and beta-carotene in disease prevention. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1995; 62: S1521-1526
4. Knekt P, Jarvinen R, Sappanen R et al. Dietary flavonoids and the risk of lung cancer and other malignant neoplasms. |
| In contrast, phytochemicals are of natural origin and may exhibit unusual or poor bioavailability, which may be further compounded by the choice of dosage preparation.
In this discussion, the issue of the bioavailability of some of the archetypal plant constituents will be emphasized. For pharmacokinetic details on individual herbs, see the monograph section of this book (or a recent review).302
Some practitioners and students of herbal medicine question the value of studying herbal pharmacokinetics. The following premises should be considered. |
Earl Mindell
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 Carotenoids
Carotenoids are powerful phytochemicals that act as antioxidants and have strong anticancer properties. They are the fat-soluble pigments found in orange, yellow, red, and green fruits and vegetables that protect them from constant exposure to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays and other environmental carcinogens, preventing the formation of dangerous free radicals. There are at present 600 known carotenoids, and about 50 can be found in edible fruits and vegetables. |
Mark Stengler, N.D.
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 But studies done in the 1990s demonstrated that phytochemicals in cranberry—known as proanthocyandins—prevent bacteria from attaching to the bladder wall and urinary tract. Researchers also discovered that the sugar molecule fructose helped prevent a certain strain of £ coli from adhering to the urinary tract cells. Finally, a 1998 study in The New England Journal of Medicine demonstrated that cranberry prevents the fimbriae (analogous to arms and hands of bacteria) from attaching to the urinary tract walls. In research, cranberry's cousin blueberry was found to have a similar action. |
Dr. Mary Dan Eades
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 These can be eaten raw or cooked; the healthy properties of phytochemicals are not affected by cooking.
• People with high intakes of vitamin C are less likely to develop stomach cancer. Some researchers believe that one of the major causes of stomach cancer involves the damaging effect of a certain class of chemicals, called nitroso compounds, on the stomach. Among these, the nitrosamines that are produced when meat is fried or burned on the grill have already gained national news attention as potential cancer-causing substances. |
| What all this means is that these phytochemicals may well be natural cancer-protective compounds.
Choices during menopause are very personal; it all boils down to what you are interested in and willing to try. With no side effects, it's certainly worth trying out the phytoestrogens. These, taken in combination with a well-balanced diet, could very well improve your comfort, health, and sense of well-being during menopause. Always consult a physician before trying any therapy or treatment.
What makes it worse? |
| It relaxes the muscles and promotes glandular balance in women. The phytochemicals help the body balance hormone levels. This herb also nourishes the digestive system and the nerves.
Medicinal uses—
• Because it reduces inflammation, this herb is useful in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
• At one time, wild yam was the sole source of the chemicals that were used for contraceptive hormone manufacture. It is good for treatment of many female disorders, including PMS and menopause-related symptoms. |
| Isoprenoids
These phytochemicals neutralize free radicals. However, rather than neutralize them themselves, they grab the free radicals and pass them off to other antioxidants.
Tocotrienols and Tocopherols
These two are cousins and occur in grains and palm oil. Tocotrienols seem to inhibit breast cancer cell growth, though they have been most widely studied for their ability to lower cholesterol.
Lipoic Acid and Ubiquinone
Lipoic acid and ubiquinone (more commonly known as coenzyme Q10) are antioxidants that work to extend the effects of other antioxidants. |
| Phytosterols block the uptake of cholesterol and help excrete it from the body, thus making these phytochemicals valuable in preventing cardiovascular disease. Research indicates that phytosterols also halt the development of tumors in colon, breast, and prostate glands, though why they do this is unclear.
Phenols
Another widely studied phytochemical class is phenols. Phenols protect us from oxidative damage. The blue, blue-red, and violet pigments found in berries, grapes, and eggplant come from to their phenolic content. Phenols have the ability to block the enzymes that cause inflammation. |
| Nutraceuticals and — Phytochemicals: Brand-new
Terms, Same Old Foods _
Nutritionally dense foods are not new to the natural food industry—health-food stores have carried lecithin, brewer's yeast, and soy products for over 60 years. What is new is the amazing research that points to the disease-preventing abilities of these and other foods. The term nu-traceutical was coined by Dr. Stephen Felice, director of New York's Foundation for Innovation in Medicine, to describe specific chemical compounds found in foods that may prevent disease. |
Earl Mindell
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| SOY ADVANTAGES OVER ANIMAL PROTEIN
• Lower in fat • No cholesterol
• High in phytochemicals • Good source of fiber
• Good source of minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and the B vitamins thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin.
{Note: Soybeans—with the exception of tempeh, a fermented whole soybean product—are a poor source of vitamin B12. Vegetarians should take supplementary vitamin B12.}
POTENTIAL SOY BENEFITS
• Antioxidants present in soy foods may protect against many forms of cancer as well as premature aging. |
Patrick Quillin, PhD,RD,CNS
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 Among the phytochemicals in cruciferous vegetables that have been researched, sulforaphane is one of the more promising as a cancer fighter. It was Professor Lee Wattenburg of Minnesota who found that cabbage extract has the ability to prevent the initiation and promotion of cancer cells. |
Earl Mindell
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| Flavonoids
These antioxidant phytochemicals form the water-soluble colors of vegetables, fruits, grains, leaves, and bark. (Biologically active antioxidant flavonoids are bioflavonoids.) There are many types of flavonoids, and different plants contain varying concentrations of them. In fact, studies have shown that some flavonoids possess up to 50 times more antioxidant activity than vitamins C and E—and those in red grapes are more than 1,000 times more powerful than vitamin E in inhibiting oxidation of human LDL cholesterol! |
Patrick Quillin, PhD,RD,CNS
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| It was the cabbage family that was first highlighted in this new and exciting field of phytochemicals. Although the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, taught us 2400 years ago "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food", modern medicine has only recently begun to accept the importance of this ancient truth. For instance, researchers in the Cold War era of 1950 fed two different groups of animals either beets or cabbage and then exposed them to radiation. The animals fed cabbage had much less hemorrhaging and death from radiation. |
Earl Mindell
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| There are phytochemical-enriched foods, for example snack bars fortified with soy phytochemicals (phytoestrogens) to alleviate symptoms such as hot flashes in menopausal women and to prevent prostate problems in men, nutraceutical-enriched margarine to lower blood serum cholesterol, as well as phytochemical-enriched candy for children who don't care for vegetables. There are a lot more ways, these days, to get what's good for you into you.
/ have a mitral valve prolapse and take antibiotics often. I've heard about probiotics, but don't know what they are. Should I be taking them? |
| See sections 28, 43,45, and 65)
High in many cancer-fighting phytochemicals (See section 129.)
HIGH-RISK CANCER FOODS TO DECREASE IN DIET
Food
Comments
Bacon
Luncheon meats Frankfurters Knockwurst Smoked fish
Butter, margarine, mayonnaise, oils
Coffee (regular or decaffeinated)
Liver and high-fat meat
Tobacco
Contains nitrite, an additive that can interact with natural chemicals in our foods and bodies to form nitrosamines, potent cancer-causing substances.
Same as bacon above. Same as bacon above. Same as bacon above. Same as bacon above. |
Ralph W. Moss PhD
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 There is also a strong association between some of the phytochemicals in these herbs and cytotoxic or antitumor activity in the laboratory.
There have been one or two studies on a limited number of patients that have shown promising results (24). One of these was a prospective cohort with no controls. It was carried out by Steve Austin, ND, with survival as the endpoint.
During 1983-1984, he conducted a site visit to three alternative clinics in Tijuana—that of Gerson, of Contreras, and the Biomedical Center of Mildred Nelson, which utilizes the Hoxsey formulas. |
| Of course, the vast majority of phytochemicals now known to reside in plants and herbs (many with unique physiological effects) were undreamed of in Fishbein's day. To put it colloquially, he was simply blowing smoke. While the AMA was successful in eliminating most competition, Fishbein became concerned, and then obsessed, by "the worst cancer quack of the century," Harry Hoxsey (403).
Confrontations in Taylorville
The AMA sent copies of its blistering article on Hoxsey to every member of the Taylorville Chamber of Commerce. |
Donald R. Yance, j r.,C.N., M.H., A.H.G., with Arlene Valentine
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 Onion/garlic (Alliaceae)
By including vegetables from each family, you receive the full spectrum of phytochemicals. It's a simple and natural way to provide a healthy diversity of vegetables in your diet.
Carotenoids
Eat at least one or two servings of carotene-rich vegetables, such as carrots, yams, squash, pumpkin, tomatoes, melons, and other deep orange or red-colored vegetables as well as dark leafy greens such as collard greens, kale, and dandelion every day; season your foods with paprika or cayenne pepper. |
| If there are imbalances of the essential macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fats), micronutrients (vitamins, minerals), and other phytochemicals in our dietary choices, the accurate transcription of genetic messages may not take place, disrupting the cells' adaptation capabilities. |
Mark Stengler, N.D.
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| Asthma
Onions have been traditionally used for the treatment of asthma Animal studies have shown that phytochemicals within onions such as thio-sulfinates and cepaenes inhibit inflammatory compounds associated with inducing asthma.
Nutrition-oriented doctors commonly prescribe high dosages of supplemental quercitin (1,500 to 3,000 milligrams) to help prevent asthma. As I've mentioned, onion is a natural source of quercitin. |
Larry Trivieri, Jr.
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 Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, in Seattle,Washington, has identified inositol as one of 15 different classes of phytochemicals that have shown anticancer activity.93 In fact, it may be one of the key reasons why a high-fiber diet has a protective effect against cancer.94 One of the best forms of inositol to take supplementally is inositol hexaphosphate or IP-6. |
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