Apples and Cancer Prevention

Everybody has heard the phrase “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. This is because Apples contain a wide variety of nutrients and active plant compounds. But how powerful are they in terms of cancer prevention?

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”

– Hippocrates

You will probably have noticed that when you cut an apple in half, and expose it to the air, it only takes a few minutes before it starts to discolour. This is because it is rich in enzymes. Our diets do not contain enough enzymes, due to the extensive processing of food, so any enzyme-rich food sources are good news for us.

Apples also contain dietary fibre, vitamin C, phytosterols (which help reduce cholesterol), beta-carotene, a whole range of antioxidants and other vitamins and minerals.

Apples are often included in cleansing diets due to their ability to help clear toxins from the body. This is largely due to their fibre content. The fibre in apples is a water soluble fibre known as pectin, which has the ability to bind up toxins, heavy metals and the bad form of cholesterol to remove them from the body. This makes Apples not only good for your bowels, but good for your arteries.

The flavonoid quercetin, found in apples, also has anti-inflammatory properties and can reduce allergic reactions.

Apples and Cancer Prevention – What do the studies say?

Research at Cornell University in the US, concluded that apple consumption substantially inhibited breast tumour growth in rats. This was put down to the high concentration of phytochemicals found in apples.

The research was carried out over a 24 week period and was based on the deadliest kind of breast cancer tumour called adenocarcinoma. The greater the amount of apple extract the rats received, the better the results. The dose was matched to the human equivalent of either one, three, or six Apples daily. In the low-dose group, tumours were discovered in 57% of the rats, in the medium dose group, 50% exhibited tumours and yet in the high-dose group, only 23% of rats were found to have tumours.

Apples are a substantial source of phenolics, which are a type of phytochemical. Oranges, grapes, strawberries and plums all contain these compounds, but at a lower level.

Apples and Vitamin B17

Another interesting factor is that Apple seeds contain vitamin B17. Vitamin B17, otherwise known as Amygdalin or Laetrile is a nitriloside, which naturally occurs in a range of foods, including some berries, some beans, grasses, leaves, nuts, flax, bitter almonds, beansprouts, millet and certain fruit seeds. In fact it is found in over 1200 edible plants. It is particularly prevalent in the seeds of apples, apricots and peaches.

The subject of vitamin B17 is discussed in Alternative Medicine circles and has been the focus of some research over the years, but it has never received significant traction in mainstream medicine. However, numerous people ascribe their recovery from cancer to vitamin B17 and it is widely recommended by practitioners of alternative medicine.

The mode of action is based upon the fact that each molecule of vitamin B17 contains one unit of hydrogen cyanide, one unit of benzaldehyde and two units of glucose tightly locked together. The cyanide molecule can only become dangerous if the entire B17 molecule is dismantled.

Fortunately, we lack the enzymes necessary to break the molecule down, which makes it harmless to healthy tissue. Cancer cells, however, contain the necessary enzyme called beta-glucosidase. That means that when vitamin B17 disperses throughout your body, it is only broken down into cyanide within cancer cells, thereby creating a targeted therapy.

However, mainstream medicine / the pharmaceutical industry do not concur with the research, which is unsurprising considering that if vitamin B17 were proven to be effective in the treatment of cancer, it would entirely undermine $200+ billion per year in revenues. In my honest opinion, I believe it worthy of significant impartial research. I now eat the seeds of my apples.

If you would like to learn more about preserving your health, consider Cancer Uncensored – Your Step By Step Guide to Cancer Prevention, Early Detection and Cancer Survival.


Cancer Uncensored

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