(DrEddyClinic News) Leukemia is a cancer of the bone marrow. Every year there are 2000-3000 children diagnosed with this cancer in the United States. Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer and is most common in children under the age of 10. But in Asia those statistics look very different. They have a much lower rate of childhood leukemia http://www.dreddyclinic.com/findinformation/cc/leukemia.php than western countries. The Loyola University Medical Center has done research to find out why.
Researchers think the link between the lower amount of childhood leukemia in Asia is due to Turmeric. Turmeric is a spice that is commonly used in Asian cooking. Loyola professor Moolky Nagabhushan said in a statement, "Some of the known risk factors that contribute to the high incidence of childhood leukemia http://www.dreddyclinic.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=78 are the interaction of many lifestyle and environmental factors. These include prenatal or postnatal exposure to radiation, benzene, environmental pollutants and alkylating chemotherapeutic drugs." Nagabhushan went on to say that his studies showed that the principle coloring agent in turmeric, curcumin, mitigated the effects of some of the risk factors.
Western cultures can get these same effects by cooking with turmeric. You can purchase the spice at your local health food store. You can also get the same benefits by taking turmeric supplements.
A study at the University of California Berkley found that eating certain fruits could lower children's risk of developing leukemia. The study, which was called the Northern California Childhood Leukemia Study, looked at 328 children that had been diagnosed with leukemia between the ages of 2 and 14. They compared their diets to children of the same age, gender, ethnicity and region who did not have leukemia. The study found that children who regularly ate oranges and/or bananas during their first two years of life had a reduced risk of developing childhood leukemia. Oranges are full of vitamin C. Vitamin C is a well known antioxidant and is also known for its anticancer effects. Bananas contain a high amount of potassium. Potassium is a mineral that has also shown to have some anti-cancer benefits.
The research showed that the risk for developing childhood leukemia was 51% lower in the children who ate oranges/bananas regularly. The study also showed that drinking orange juice was also found to be protective. The risk dropped 46% compared with children who rarely or never drank orange juice.
Once again studies show that by feeding our children healthy, balanced diets they will have a reduced risk of cancers and all diseases in general.
Resources:
http://bastyrcenter.org/content/view/741/
http://www.acor.org/ped-onc/diseases/leuk.html
http://www.sunrosearomatics.com/research.asp#turmeric
About the author:
Maddie is a health and fitness enthusiast who likes to research and write about all health and green living topics. She writes about herbal remedies http://www.sassafrasstation.com/herbal-remedies/natural-remedy for Sassafras Station, a health and fitness website, and edits the blog at http://www.sassafrasstation.com/blog/ .
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