What can we do to prevent cancer?
In the last 40 years, interest in the evaluation and use of natural products to reduce the risk of numerous diseases or to treat them directly has increased.
Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in developed countries.
It is estimated that 30% of cases are due to diet, so we can act every day to prevent it. How? Changing our habits for healthier ones, betting on a healthier and more balanced diet, which includes foods rich in phytochemicals and antitumor compounds, with the capacity to improve our body's immunity.
If you are wondering what foods have these properties, keep reading, because we will tell you.
The Shiitake mushroom or Lentinula edodes is widely used in oriental cuisine and in traditional Asian medicine, it is a food of great popular value.
What's so special? Lentinan is a polysaccharide with an immunostimulant, antitumor and antiviral effect, it stimulates the cells of the immune system to attack cancer cells and those infected by viruses.
In numerous clinical studies, Lentinan has been used as an adjunct to chemotherapy, known to attack cancer cells, but also healthy cells and to weaken the immune system. In the results it was possible to observe how the addition of Lentinan produced favorable effects, such as the improvement of the quality of life, the increase in survival and the reduction of the side effects of the application of chemotherapy.
In a clinical study, 275 patients with recurrent gastric cancer were given chemotherapy, others were given the chemotherapeutic agent (mitomycin C with 5-fluorouracil or tegafur), and another was given Lentinan some time before they were given the chemotherapeutic agent. The analysis showed better results in the treatment with Lentinan, considerably prolonging the life time of the patients.
According to the study carried out by Ooi and Liu (1999), Lentinan is capable of restoring the suppressed activity of helper T cells in tumors to their normal state, leading to restoring the immune response.
In therapeutic doses, these are its main properties:
- Prevention of oncogenesis (the process of formation and development of the tumor)
- Direct antitumor activity against various types of tumors
- Immunopotentiating activity against tumors in combination with chemotherapy
- Preventive effect of metastasis
Consuming it regularly brings many benefits for your health, it will help you prevent cancer, strengthen your immune system and be more energetic. At Planeta Eco you can find fresh Shiitake mushrooms from organic farming throughout the year and shiitake powder with all its properties and nutrients.
