Scientists have said we should be eating more organically produced fruit and vegetables in order to build up better defences against cancer and heart disease, and doing so could be as effective as taking a small amount of aspirin each day.
The vital component of aspirin is salicylate - an anti-inflammatory - which also exists in high volume in fruit and vegetables. One group of people known to have high levels of salicylates in their bodies as well as proven decreased incidents of cancer are vegetarians.
Fruit and vegetables that are produced in traditional ways using pesticides and most commonly found on supermarket shelves are found to have much less salicylates than organically grown products.
In addition to the the presence of this substance in fruit and vegetables, it is also commonly found in specific herbs and spices - a possible reason for vast differences in international cancer rates. The connection between cancer prevention and salicylate levels was reviewed in medical journal The Lancet.
In fact, researchers suggest we should be concentrating more on this substance found in fruit and vegetables than the media hype that has surrounded antioxidants in its ability to fight cancer.
Professor Peter Elwood, of the University of Cardiff’s school of medicine, who was head of the review, said, “I think this is a very exciting area that should be researched in considerable depth.
“Most medical authorities have said for 20 years that it is the antioxidants in fruit and vegetables that account for their protective effects. It leads us to wonder if the beneficial effects of fruit and vegetables are because of the salicylates they contain,” he said.
At the start of the 20th century salicylates were first found to occur in strawberries - they are now known to be present in a huge variety of plants.
It is thought it could have significant defences against colon cancer, but more research is required in order to establish where the best place to get it from, and in what dosage to be really effective.
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Scientists have said we should be eating more organically produced fruit and vegetables in order to build up better defences against cancer and heart disease, and doing so could be as effective as taking a small amount of aspirin each day.
The vital component of aspirin is salicylate - an anti-inflammatory - which also exists in high volume in fruit and vegetables. One group of people known to have high levels of salicylates in their bodies as well as proven decreased incidents of cancer are vegetarians.
Fruit and vegetables that are produced in traditional ways using pesticides and most commonly found on supermarket shelves are found to have much less salicylates than organically grown products.
In addition to the the presence of this substance in fruit and vegetables, it is also commonly found in specific herbs and spices - a possible reason for vast differences in international cancer rates. The connection between cancer prevention and salicylate levels was reviewed in medical journal The Lancet.
In fact, researchers suggest we should be concentrating more on this substance found in fruit and vegetables than the media hype that has surrounded antioxidants in its ability to fight cancer.
Professor Peter Elwood, of the University of Cardiff’s school of medicine, who was head of the review, said, “I think this is a very exciting area that should be researched in considerable depth.
“Most medical authorities have said for 20 years that it is the antioxidants in fruit and vegetables that account for their protective effects. It leads us to wonder if the beneficial effects of fruit and vegetables are because of the salicylates they contain,” he said.
At the start of the 20th century salicylates were first found to occur in strawberries - they are now known to be present in a huge variety of plants.
It is thought it could have significant defences against colon cancer, but more research is required in order to establish where the best place to get it from, and in what dosage to be really effective.
Share and Enjoy: