How Can You Reduce Your 1 in 3 Cancer Risk Part 3, What Do Antioxidants Do by Melissa Stockman

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How can you reduce your 1 in 3 cancer risk? 
Part 3:  What do antioxidants do?
By Melissa Stockman RN, BC-ANP, PNP                                                                                                            Medical Director of TimeToPlay ,                                                                                                                       Board Certified Nurse Practitioner & RN                                                                                            Email: rejuvn8melissa@aol.com
According to the NCI (National Cancer Institute), “At high concentrations, ….free radicals can be hazardous to your body, including the DNA…The damage to cells caused by free radicals…play a role in cancer & other health conditions”.   Diets rich in antioxidants defend against oxidation of LDL (lipids) & plaque formations that clog arteries & cause CAD.   As per Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center “In small clinical trials, reishi (Reishi is derived from specific mushrooms)…enhanced immune responses in cancer patients.  In another study, …reishi…appeared to suppress development of colorectal adenomas.  Remission of hepatocellular carcinoma was reported in a few cases in a single study.  Another case study suggests benefits of gastrointestinal cancer patients….further research is needed.”  “Reishi …stop the growth & prevent the spread of cancer cells in laboratory & animal studies”, says K. Simon Young, manager of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s “About Herbs” website.  “The mushrooms can also play a role in cancer prevention, says Daniel Silva, Senior Investigator of Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital’s Cancer Research Laboratory in Indianapolis.  I personally take herbal supplementations derived from mushrooms.      
 Antioxidants interact with & neutralize the free radicals to stop that chain reaction of free radicals damaging more nearby atoms or molecules.  Antioxidants donate an electron (-) to end the stealing of electrons which then ends the chain reaction.  Thus, each antioxidant can prevent many many many many free radicals from forming.  The body makes some antioxidants but not enough to keep up with the demand of free radical chain reactions.   Remember, free radical damage accumulates with age.  I believe that since antioxidants stop & slow down free radical formations & their chain reactions, they promote health, slow down oxidation aka aging, promote weight loss, reduce your risk of cancers & other diseases.  Patients of mine who have raised their antioxidant levels seemed to lose their excess weight quicker too.  When we starve ourselves of calories, our bodies compensates by burning the calories slower to conserve energy.  I believe the same thing happens when we don’t get enough nutrients.   
Learn more about preventing free radical damage by reading future parts of this article, joining our “Reduce your 1 in 3 Cancer Risk” 
*Join Melissa for her monthly “Be Healthy Program” at the Time to Play Office located at 1075 Rte 112 Port Jefferson Station starting on Tuesday, February  21st and every 3rd Tuesday of each month. Call 631-331-2675 for details or email Melissa at  rejuvn8melissa@aol.com  Hope to see you there!
 
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