Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/376498
Abby's Magazine - September / October 2014 | Page 35 radicals." He recommends exercising three to four days a week, 30 minutes to an hour at a time. "If you are just starting out, five to ten minutes is better than nothing and you can do it in bits and pieces. Walk instead of taking the elevator." The Right Kind Of Fat The fats known as omega-3s, found in flax, fish, and hemp oils, should be part of your immunity-building tool kit. "Omega-3," says Dr. Slaga, "is absolutely obligatory for life. It helps in almost every aspect of the immune system." "A tablespoon of flax oil a day does a lot to help strengthen the heart and the blood and the immune system. It's very powerful medicine," says Dr. Katanzaro. Other Immunity Nutrients Several other nutrients can also buttress your defense against cancer. Beta glucan, for example, is a complex mixture of carbohydrate molecules arranged in unique patterns that can be found in botanicals such as oats, barley, mushrooms and yeast. "It's best taken as a supplement," says Dr. Katanzaro. "A lot of people have problems with yeast. You don't want to get it from food; it's more as a nutritional agent, so it's better as a single nutrient. It's a powerful biochemical immune modulator." "Beta glucan has a stimulating effect on the immune system to make it healthier to be able to launch an antibody attack against an antigen," says Dr. Slaga. "It also elevates your natural killer cells that allow you to kill cancer cells more effectively." A source of beta glucan that excites many researchers is the maitake mushroom, a native of Japan (Chemo 1990; 38:790-5). Studies have shown maitake may inhibit tumor growth (Chem and Pharm Bulletin 1987; 35(1):262-270). Calcium D-glucarate is a natural substance found in organic fruits and vegetables like apples, grapefruits, grapes; cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and watercress; and in sprouts, like bean sprouts. "It seems to have a health protective effect against cancer, keeping a healthy immune system and decreasing degenerative diseases in general," says Dr. Slaga. "It amplifies the overall detoxification." "Calcium D-glucarate can also be taken as a supplement," says Dr. Katanzaro. Along with boron, it can be used to help with the hormonal metabolism of estrogens. "Colostrum is very important for setting the tone for the immune systems from the beginning," says Dr. Slaga. "It works in so many different aspects of the immune system, making it ready to meet life. The immune system has a memory almost like our brain. If you do a polio vaccine, the immune system recognizes it years later and counteracts it. That's why the colostrum is so important in the first part of life to set everything in motion." In addition, pine bark extracts can also help support immunity. Recent studies on extracts of Pinus radiate, a New Zealand pine, have demonstrated strong antioxidant activity. Similarly, the algae known as spirulina has been shown to support the human immune response. When researchers, in the laboratory, exposed human immune cells to spirulina, they found that the algae increased the production of immune cells (Jrnl Med Food 2000; 3(3):135-140). Your cancer risk continues to grow as you age. So following an anticancer lifestyle takes on more importance every year. "The aging process is occurring in the cells," says Dr. Katanzaro "So we want to use our diet, lifestyle, good balance and nutritional agents to slow down that aging process and keep those cells as resilient as they can be."