fruits – watercress words by Dr Aletha

What is watercress? It depends on who you ask.

Watercress contains significant amounts of iron, calcium and folic acid, in addition to vitamins A and C. Many health benefits are attributed to eating watercress , such as that it acts as a mild stimulant, a source of phytochemicals and antioxidants, a diuretic, an expectorant, and a digestive aid. It may also have cancer-suppressing properties,…

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exploring the HEART of watercress

And I always appreciate your sharing this and all my posts on social media and linking to it on your blog and newsletters. Just please don’t use it as medical advice or recommendation, it’s for information and inspiration as we explore the HEART of health.

a cup of coffee surrounded by fall leaves

Dr Aletha

How diet may effect cancer risk

High red meat consumption is associated with increased risk for colorectal cancer (CRC), and high fiber intake is associated with lowered risk; however, the effect of various types of meatless or vegetarian diets is uncertain.

a plate of food-fish fillet, green beans — Fish, vegetables, whole grains- healthy choices or not?

In a North American prospective study, researchers identified dietary patterns and CRC occurrence in nearly 78,000 adults over 7 years. A prospective study is one in which the study group is observed over a continuing period of time, usually years.

During that 7 years, 490 people developed cancer.

The people in the study ate one of 5 diets based on eating questionnaires-

Vegans: No eggs, dairy, fish, or meat
Lacto-ovo vegetarians: Eggs and dairy, but no fish or meat
Pescovegetarians: Eggs, dairy, and limited fish, but no meat
Semivegetarians: eggs, dairy, and limited fish plus meat (≤1 time per week)
Nonvegetarians: eggs, dairy, and fish plus meat (>1 time per week)

After considering certain personal and clinical factors, they reported that all 4 vegetarian groups had a 22% lower risk of colon cancer than non vegetarians.

Most impressive was a 43% lower risk for the pescovegetarians.

They concluded that any diet in which fruit and vegetable intake is emphasized has health benefits, including lower risk for CRC in certain circumstances.

And that eating fish in particular may be even more beneficial in regard to colon cancer.

So are vegetarian diets healthy?

Vegetarian diets are popular for various reasons, some related to health, some related to concern for animals or the environment. Most physicians and laypersons believe there are health benefits, but proof is elusive since

Documenting a person’s diet for any length of time relies on self-reports which may be inaccurate or even inflated.
Comparing vegetarians to nonvegetarians requires people to voluntarily eat meat
asking someone to deliberately eat a diet high in red meat would be unethical since we believe it is not healthy (even without hard proof).

This study does not “prove” that red meat causes colon cancer or that eating vegetables prevents it. These diets seem to be associated with a higher or lower, respectively, risk of this cancer.