Broccoli is well-known for its health benefits. It’s rich in Vitamin C - just one stalk of broccoli can deliver over 200% of your daily requirement of Vitamin C. Like other dark green and orange veggies, broccoli contains beta-carotene (Vitamin A). Both Vitamin C and Vitamin A are known anti-oxidants which prevent the damage done by free radicals making them cancer-preventative. Add to that the fact that broccoli is high in fiber and you have what seems to be the perfect cancer-fighting vegetable.

Unless you boil it.

Researchers at the University of Warwick say that boiling vegetables such as broccoli can damage their anti-cancer properties, reducing their health benefits.

My mother always told me that if you boil your vegetables, you leave the best part in the water you boiled them in. Turns out, she was right.

Some of the cancer fighting substances in vegetables like broccoli, green cabbage, cauliflower and Bussel sprouts, called glucosinolates, are lost in preparation if the method of cooking is boiling. Cooking fresh vegetables by stir-frying, steaming or microwaving did not have any effect on the glucosinolate levels. Boiling caused a loss of up to 77% of the glucosinolates in broccoli.

The researchers recommend adding these veggies to your diet, but say you will gain the most benefit if you choose to steam, stir-fry or microwave them rather than boiling.

Research Says Boiling Broccoli Ruins Its Anti Cancer Properties

Diet has once more been implicated in the development of breast cancer. An extensive study at the University of Leeds followed 35,000 women for seven years, tracking eating habits and health.

The findings indicate that eating red meat increases a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer and the risk is even higher for post-menopausal women. The higher the intake of red meat, the higher the chance of breast cancer.

For those eating red meat once a day, the risk is 56% higher than those who abstain from red meat.

The risks are even greater for women eating processed meat, such as bacon, sausage or ham. The women eating the highest amount of these meats increased their chance of developing breast cancer by 64%.

Diet does matter when it comes to breast cancer risk. Other studies have shown that, for pre-menopausal women, a diet high in fiber can cut a woman’s risk of breast cancer in half.

Red meat linked to breast cancer University of Leeds

There are some things we just don’t think about too often nor do they come up in everyday conversation. You probably discuss your latest diet with your friends or that nasty cold that lasted three weeks but it’s very rare that the conversation at lunch turns to the health of your colon.

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness month and experts at the M D Anderson Cancer Center want you to think about colon health. Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in men and women.

Reducing your risk of developing colorectal cancer means maintaining a healthy weight and a healthy diet as well as getting screening exams at recommended ages.

Lifestyle recommendations from M D Anderson:

* Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
* Limit fat intake to no more than 30 percent of your total daily calories.
* Exercise regularly.
* Maintain an ideal weight.

In addition M D Anderson recommends the following screening exams for men and women 50 and over:

* Colonoscopy - Every 10 years (preferred by M. D. Anderson).
* Fecal occult blood test (FOBT) - Every year a take-home multiple sample FOBT or fecal immunochemical test (FIT, which also is a take-home test) should be taken.
* Flexible sigmoidoscopy - Every five years.
* Annual FOBT or FIT and flexible sigmoidoscopy - Every five years. Having both of these tests is recommended over either test alone.
* Double-contrast barium enema - Every five years.
* All positive tests (FOBT, FIT, flexible sigmoidoscopy, barium enema) should be followed up with colonoscopy.

Regular screenings can detect and remove colorectal polyps before they have a chance to progress to cancer.

M D Anderson Cancer Center

Getting enough Vitamin D3 could reduce breast cancer risk by half and that of colorectal cancer by two-thirds according to a meta-analysis of two studies on Vitamin D.

The data showed that low levels of Vitamin D3 was associated with the highest rates of breast cancer and the risk decreased as blood levels of the vitamin increased. Co-author of one of the studies, Cedric Garland, Dr.P.H. said, “The serum level associated with a 50 percent reduction in risk could be maintained by taking 2,000 international units of vitamin D3 daily plus, when the weather permits, spending 10 to 15 minutes a day in the sun.”

The findings of the study on colorectal cancer were comparable with the risk decreasing for individuals with higher levels of Vitamin D3.

Vitamin D3 can be increased through diet, supplements and exposure to sunlight or UVB. Sun exposure should not be long enough to cause skin to tan or burn. 10 to 15 minutes in midday sunlight with 50% of skin exposed is recommended for light-skinned individuals, darker skin may need up to 25 minutes of exposure.

2 new studies back Vitamin D for cancer prevention