Microwaving is bad, even a child can see!

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A childs' science fair project shows the results when two plants are watered with microwave-heated water and water heated on a stove. Though this isn't a perfect scientific test of the effects of Microwave heating, it is pretty interesting.

Legume Compounds May Help Cancer Treatment

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The ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Legume Research (CILR) screened legumes (plants which obtain useable nitrogen from soil bacteria in their roots) for biological activity and they identified a number of compounds which could potentially prevent the formation of a blood supply to tumours. Without an adequate blood supply tumours stop growing and ultimately can regress.

The anti-cancer molecules are produced by legumes during the early symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria known as rhizobia. Rhizobia induce legumes to form tiny new root organs called "root nodules." The bacteria live in the nodules and provide the plant with useable nitrogen it can convert into proteins.

Legumes comprise the third largest group of flowering plants in the world with more than 18,000 species. Examples of legumes include garden peas, peanuts, clover, lentils, chickpeas and various beans such as soybean and green beans.

Vegetarian Diets Cause Major Weight Loss

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A scientific review in April's Nutrition Reviews shows that a vegetarian diet is highly effective for weight loss. Vegetarian populations tend to be slimmer than meat-eaters, and they experience lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other life-threatening conditions linked to overweight and obesity. The new review, compiling data from 87 previous studies, shows the weight-loss effect does not depend on exercise or calorie-counting, and it occurs at a rate of approximately 1 pound per week.

"Our research reveals that people can enjoy unlimited portions of high-fiber foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to achieve or maintain a healthy body weight without feeling hungry," says Dr. Berkow, the lead author.

"There is evidence that a vegan diet causes an increased calorie burn after meals, meaning plant-based foods are being used more efficiently as fuel for the body, as opposed to being stored as fat," says Dr. Barnard.

Fresh Juices on FitTV

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The channel "FitTV" has a show called "Living Fresh" that encourages people to adopt more "green" habits in thier lifestyle, like organic produce and hybrid cars. The episode airing tonight is called "Fresh Water", and it will talk about fresh fruit juicing! Here is the show description from the site:

Dive right into the most precious natural resource, water! In the kitchen, Sara Snow juices her way to a healthy meal as she shows which fruits and vegetables make the best nutritional sense.

Recipes for two juices are also available from the site: Click Here

Omega-3 Fatty Acids Inhibit Growth Of Liver Cancer Cells

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Two new studies by a University of Pittsburgh research team suggest that omega-3 fatty acids--substances that are found in high concentrations in fish oils and certain seeds and nuts--significantly inhibit the growth of liver cancer cells.

"It has been known for some time that omega-3 fatty acids can inhibit certain cancer cells. So, we were interested in determining whether these substances could inhibit liver cancer cells." said Tong Wu, M.D., Ph.D., a member of the division of transplantation pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, in whose laboratory the research was conducted.

The first study, Abstract number 2679, looked at the effect and mechanism of omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells. The investigators treated the hepatocellular carcinoma cells with either the omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or the omega-6 fatty acid arachidonic acid (AA), for 12 to 48 hours. DHA and EPA treatment resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of cell growth, whereas AA treatment exhibited no significant effect. According to the investigators, the effect of omega-3 fatty acids on cancer cells likely is due to the induction of apoptosis, or programmed cell death.

In the second study, Abstract number 2680, the investigators treated cholangiocarcinoma tumor cells with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids for 12 to 48 hours. Cholangiocarcinoma is a particularly aggressive form of liver cancer that arises in the ducts that carry bile from the liver and has an extremely high mortality rate. Again, the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA treatments resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of cancer cell growth, while the omega-6 fatty acid AA treatment had no significant effect.

Ginger Causes Ovarian Cancer Cells To Die

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Ginger is known to ease nausea and control inflammation. But researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center are investigating a new use for this age-old remedy: treating ovarian cancer.

In laboratory studies, researchers found ginger caused ovarian cancer cells to die. Further, the way in which the cells died suggests ginger may avoid the problem common in ovarian cancer of cells becoming resistant to standard treatments.

"In multiple ovarian cancer cell lines, we found that ginger induced cell death at a similar or better rate than the platinum-based chemotherapy drugs typically used to treat ovarian cancer," says Jennifer Rhode, M.D., a gynecologic oncology fellow at the U-M Medical School.

Body Lacking Vitamin C Can't Turn Fat into Fuel

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A human body lacking enough vitamin C can't depend on fat for fuel, thus increasing a person's likelihood of being overweight and chronically tired, nutrition researchers say.

Food experts at Arizona State University reported at a nutrition conference April 3 that vitamin C in the blood is directly linked to fat "oxidation," which is the body's ability to use fat as a fuel source both during exercise and rest.

"It is important to understand the impact of vitamin C deficiency, because it affects about 15 percent of adults in the United States, up from only 3-5 percent 25 years ago," said Dr. Carol Johnston, a university registered dietitian and nutrition professor who led the research. She blamed the deficiencies partly on food manufacturers' processing methods that destroy vitamin C with light, oxygen and heat.

The four-week study included 20 obese men and women who took either 500 daily milligrams of vitamin C a day or took fake pills for comparison's sake. All were given low-fat weight-loss plans, which contained 67 percent of the 40-milligram recommended daily allowance for vitamin C.

At the study's start, people with the lowest amount of vitamin C in their blood had the highest body fat mass and failed to burn fat for energy when compared to the less obese participants. But vitamin C in the blood jumped by 30 percent for people who took vitamin C supplements and fell 27 percent in the comparison group where members didn't take the nutrient, according to the results.

The human body does not manufacture or store vitamin C, so people must ensure their eating plans include plenty of vitamin C products, according to the National Institutes of Health. All fruits and vegetables contain some amount of vitamin C, but the ones that pack the punch include green peppers, citrus fruits and juices, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli, turnip greens and other leafy greens, sweet and white potatoes, cantaloupe, papaya, mango, watermelon, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, winter squash, red peppers, raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, and pineapples.

Orange juice possesses one of the highest concentrations of vitamin C, but the amounts in popular ready-to-drink brands can drop by 45 milligrams to zero within four weeks.

Case report for the Andressohn Family Trial

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This is really amazing data directly related to the raw vegan diet! A lot of raw vegans have followed the Andressohn trial; where two parents were charged with the aggravated manslaughter of thier 5 1/2 month old infant. Presented in this document is some of the unbiased (I hope) scientific data relating to the diet and health of the infant and her siblings. There are even some charts and tables detailing the diets of the children, and the babys' estimated diet compared to the USDA RDA. Here is some of the data, positive AND negative:

Although the four older siblings were 2.1–4.1 SD below the mean on the USA growth charts, they had none of the clinical or laboratory findings associated with kwashiorkor and marasmus.

Total cholesterol levels of the four children (144, 129, 120, 154 mg/dl) were all below 160 mg/dl, which suggests possible malnutrition in laboratory assessment panels. However, no published article documents any health risks of children or adults having total cholesterols <160 mg/dl due to a vegan diet.

Of the prealbumin tests obtained on the three older children (i.e., 11, 14, and 15 mg/dl), one was slightly below the "normal" range (14–30 mg/dl). According to the Family Practice Notebook, prealbumin < 5 indicates severe protein malnutrition and predicts a poor prognosis.

The nutrient analysis of this infant's diet (Figure 1) shows that it meets the USDA certified recommended daily requirements (RDA) for all nutrients except vitamin B12, calcium, and zinc.

The raw foods vegan diet and possibly inherited small stature from the father's side account for their relatively low heights and weights. Catch-up growth will probably occur on the standard American diet but would have also been expected if they had remained on a vegan diet.

Why am I doing this?

Considering I already run three personal blogs, that's a good question! The other day, I was on a raw foods forum, rawfoodtalk.com, and a new member asked "Where is the proof? I mean scientific evidence. Call me what you will, but I need hard facts."

There are many people that have healed themselves with raw foods. There are many raw vegans that look years younger than they really are. But as far as I know, there isn't any scientific evidence directly linking a raw vegan diet to good health. What I do know, however, is that there is enough scientific evidence and personal experience out there that, when combined, can proove the viability of a raw vegan diet for health and well-being.

Here on this blog I want to highlight medical studies, personal stories, news releases, and documentaries that all provide the small pieces of evidence that I hope will complete the puzzle of proof that you need to believe in the benefits of a raw vegan diet.