Recently the internet overflowed with claims of 1962 Nobel Prize laureate Dr. James Watson that super foods not only do not help in control or rid of cancer, but might cause it. His statement went worldwide. Some missed the fine print though. He also advised on a healthy diet.
These kind of statements serve well in keeping the public in a state of confusion as to what decision to make in regards to good eating habits, especially when cancer is in the equation. Super foods comprises a very long list of fruits and vegetables. Among those listed are the following: Pineapples, Apples, Broccoli, Onions, Avocado, Oats, Prunes, Tomatoes, Spinach, Grapefruit, Lemon, Lime, Asparagus, Strawberries, Watermelon and Kiwi. Also Canola Oil, Dark Chocolate and Green Tea, among many others. All of these now, according to respected Dr. Watson could be causing cancer instead of preventing it. If one is to follow his advice on a “healthy diet” it would be virtually impossible to achieve it without including any of the foods above.
So far, there is no natural remedy against cancer approved by the Federal Drug Administration in spite of numerous studies, clinical trials and several scholarly reports published on a worldwide level.
Watson won the Nobel Prize for cracking the DNA code. Maybe we could crack the code of his expert opinion. He said that vitamins A, C and E and minerals like selenium do not show any significant impact in preventing stomach cancer, for example.
In 1996, the World Cancer Research in London published results from 206 human epidemiologic studies and 22 animal studies. The results? Fruits and veggies may help against cancer. They did not state it could cause it.
In 2005, scientists from the National Institutes of Health confirmed that “vitamin C is selectively toxic to cancer cells”. It did not state that vitamin C could cause cancer. Many of the super foods are rich in vitamin C, if they cause cancer like Dr. Watson states, is he implying that vitamin C causes cancer?
By the 2020, cancer treatment costs are expected to more than double in some areas of the United States. Cancer prevention is key, prevention does not necessarily means a mammogram or routine check-ups, but eating right, following doctors’ orders. Do not fall for the frenzy. In October 2006 something similar happened with the coconut, then labelled by the FDA as a nut. A coconut is a fruit, not a nut, and one of the most complete foods around, in fact also a super food, unlikely to have any adverse effects in the organism. So eat your fruits and veggies and keep hydrating properly.
