About a book and its author. This is a book, published in 2019, whose title “Eat to beat disease” speaks for itself. Really its full name is even more expressive “Eat to beat disease: the new science of how your body can heal itself’. It offers practical insight and research-based strategies for harnessing the power of nutrition to prevent and fight disease. May be the better and more realistic name for this book will be “Eat to Prevent Disease”, many people would benefit from paying heed to this book. Its author, Dr. William W. Li is a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. W. Li completed his internship, residency, and fellowship training in General Internal Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. He authored more than 100 scientific publications in leading medical science journals and textbooks. He has served on the faculties of Harvard, Tufts, and Dartmouth. He is an international expert on health and disease fighting based on diet, lifestyle, and treatments that keep the body’s blood vessels in balance.
How our food influence our health. Let us give an example how food is able to influence our health. It is a true fact that you are developing cancer right now, microscopic tumors start growing when your body’s cells divide incorrectly. Fortunately, your body has a natural defense system that stops these cancers from ever becoming a problem. Usually your body grows and maintains blood vessels. Under normal circumstances, your blood vessels support you by carrying nutrients and oxygen to your body’s organs. However, if blood vessels grow irregularly, then they’re just as likely to deliver this nourishment to your microscopic cancers instead, providing them with the fuel they need to grow, spread and eventually invade your organs. We may succeed to stop this from happening by controlling where and when blood vessels grow. Thus tumors are stopped from becoming dangerous. This process is called angiogenesis. “Angiogenesis” is the term used to describe the growth of blood vessels, and consequently “anti-angiogenesis” is the impairment of blood vessel growth. And encouragingly, you can boost this cancer-starving defense system by eating certain foods. Tumors need nutrients to grow and they generate blood vessels through which these are supplied. In theory then, any factor that has anti-angiogenesis effects can rob a tumor of nutrients and cause it to shrink. Soybeans, for example, have been found to have a powerful influence on angiogenesis. Soy foods contain genistein, a potent cancer-fighting substance that suppresses the blood vessels that feed nutrients to tumors. It is found you’ll need to consume a daily portion of at least 10 grams of soy protein to enjoy the cancer-fighting benefits. And if you’re not a fan of soy, then don’t worry, because broccoli has also been found to have a potent effect on angiogenesis too. Anti-angiogenesis factors are to be found also in salmon, tomatoes, onions and blueberries. Eggplant encourages the growth of “good” blood vessels.
How food may influence our health. Dr.W.Li describes, correctly, that health depends on a number of factors that include a properly functioning immune system, diversity of gut bacteria, an ability to eliminate cancer stem cells, effective repair of damaged DNA and impairment of the growth of blood vessels that feed tumors while enhancing the growth of “good” blood vessels such as the ones that feed the heart. And he gives many recommendations what to eat to keep these systems healthy and active. Another case, mentioned by Dr. W. Li, is stem cells. Our body is made up of around 37 trillion cells. Of this gigantic number, only around 0.002 percent are classified as stem cells. But don’t let their small number fool you, because stem cells are absolutely crucial to your health. Stem cells form the basis of one of your body’s key health defense systems: your regenerative system. Stem cells can regenerate, replace and repair dead cells almost anywhere in your body, keeping your organs in tip-top shape. Stem cells also protect our cardiovascular health by repairing damaged blood vessels from heart attacks. Cocoa is good for stem cells. It contains flavanols, a substance which improves stem cell circulation. Flavonols are well known as antioxidants that help in scavenging free radicals that could cause serious heart diseases and cancer growth. In one study, people who drank cocoa with flavanols twice a day doubled their stem cell count in their bloodstreams. Sauerkraut stimulates stem cell growth in the intestines, which decreases gut inflammation.
Some useful advices from Dr. William W. Li. Pomegranate and cranberry improve immune system, lower gut inflammation, and fight obesity. White button mushrooms are good for our immune systems. Extra virgin olive oil contains substances that enhance our immune systems. Mushrooms and olive oil help your immune system fight everything from colds to cancer. Immune system activators also are to be found in broccoli sprouts, peppers, garlic. Our DNA (DeoxyriboNucleic Acid - the molecule that carries genetic information for the development and functioning of an organism) gets damaged as we age, but telomeres, the ends of DNA that protect the DNA, slow down the damage similar to how the plastic caps at the ends of shoelaces stop fraying. Studies found that berries and nuts strengthen and lengthen telomeres, and thus prolong healthy DNA. Beer contains xanthohumol, which has anti-cancer properties and stunts fat cell growth. Eating spicy foods can improve your health. One large-scale study found daily spicy food consumption was associated with a 14% lower risk of dying from any disease, including stroke, heart disease and cancer. Small amounts of cheese in the diet are associated with lower risk of heart attacks. Furthermore, consuming small amounts of hard cheeses like Emmental, Gouda and Edam reduces risk of prostate cancer and lung cancer due to their high levels of vitamin K2. Studies found that daily consumption of seafood reduced likelihood of breast cancer and bowel cancer. Feed your body’s health-giving bacteria with fruit, sauerkraut and cheese. Walnuts, yogurt, sauerkraut, beans, kiwis and cocoa encourage the growth of “healthy” bacteria in the gut.
A brief explanation to Dr. Li’s recommendations. The problem, though, is that the studies from which all this information is drawn come from laboratory studies using cells or animals. Extrapolating these studies to humans is not totally unreasonable, but is sometimes not fully substantiated. But there is nothing harmful about Dr. Li’s recommendations. Indeed, they are pretty well in step with what most researchers recommend, namely a diet based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, extra-virgin olive oil and fish with limited meats and processed foods. There is absolutely no doubt that along with exercise and favorable
genetics, diet is a key preventative when it comes to disease. to people eating too few nuts, seeds, seafood omega-3, vegetables, People to feel themselves healthy should eat fruits and grains and not to eat too much sodium, processed meat, unprocessed red meat, and sugary beverages.
The main health factor is food we eat everyday. Let us repeat that the body has five natural defense systems that, if functioning well, can protect you: angiogenesis (growing new blood vessels), cell regeneration, the microbiome (the full array of microorganisms that live on and in humans), DNA protection and immunity. The healthy working of each has been found to be intimately connected to the foods we eat. How to remain healthy? There are more than 200 foods that you can incorporate into your life today to help you live longer, Dr. William Li proposes a simple 5 x 5 x 5 framework, inviting you to choose five foods and eat them five times a day, to fortify your five defence systems. It is not about dieting or cutting out – it is about having the confidence to incorporate the healthy foods you already love into a plan for life-long change. It could improve your life. Dr. William Li explains that your body was designed to fight threats and we have radically underestimated how food can be used to amplify this hidden power – and the findings are sometimes surprising. Is your diet feeding or defeating disease? We are at a turning point in our understanding of how to prevent and fight disease. Rates of cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, obesity and other common health problems are skyrocketing. However, the latest scientific research and clinical evidence is revealing that the power to protect ourselves against these threats and resist them lies in a simple solution: the foods we eat everyday.
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