Health News: The Diabetes-Cancer Connection

The relationship between two of today’s most destructive diseases may now be a little clearer. This month, The New York Times reported on the detection of an important link between cancer and diabetes, a correlation so strong it is being compared to the link between smoking and cancer.

The news that Type 2 diabetes patients have an increased risk of developing certain cancers comes from the American Cancer Society and American Diabetes Association and researchers and the National Cancer Institute. One in five cancer patients has diabetes, according to the Times report.

The implication that lowering cancer statistics may hinge on lowering the number of people with diabetes is revealing, but it’s also difficult to hear. That’s because the number of Type 2 diabetes diagnoses today is staggering, and many more cases go undiagnosed. If current trends continue, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, by 2050, 1 in 3 people in the U.S. will have Type 2 diabetes – a diagnosis that is already linked with a long list of health complications, companion diseases, and death.

A Diet for Prevention

While the Times report reveals an intriguing link between these two devastating diseases, in fact, we have already observed a connection between cancer and diabetes from a nutrition perspective. In an interview with Wild About Health this past summer, Dan Nadeau, Medical Director of the Diabetes and Endocrinology Associates of Maine’s York Hospital, explained that diabetes is not a disease that exists in a vacuum. Having diabetes means you are at increased risk of Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart and vascular disease, inflammation, accelerated aging, and many other complications, he said.

Potent, antioxidant-rich, inflammation-fighting foods that provide protective effects to the body are central to the discussion of prevention, according to experts like Nadeau. Because much of one’s risk of Type 2 diabetes depends on being overweight, he advocates for a change in diet built on daily, ongoing healthy choices in an effort to “quiet the storm” of rampant inflammation inside the bodies of those diagnosed with diabetes and the many at risk.

According to Nutrition Advisor to the Wild Blueberry Association Susan Davis, MS, RD, “The typical western diet, high in refined carbohydrates, fats, sugars and calories actually contributes to inflammation while a diet higher in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and omega 3 fatty acids is anti-inflammatory. Vitamins, minerals, as well as plant compounds have both antioxidant as well as anti-inflammatory properties.” For example, wild blueberries, most known for their high antioxidant capacity, contain flavonoids such as anthocyanins, flavonols, and proanthocyanidins that have been shown to protect us from disease caused by low-grade, chronic inflammation such as cancer and diabetes (not to mention heart disease and arthritis). And when the inflammatory storm is quieted, our risk for disease subsides as well.

Protection on Our Plate

Coincidentally or not, a large portion of today’s research into berries and wild blueberries focuses on both cancer and diabetes prevention potential. We know, for example, that daily consumption of whole blueberries have helped people with a high risk for Type 2 diabetes reduce that risk by increasing the participants’ insulin sensitivity. And, a recent study from the Harvard School of Public Health showed that consumption of anthocyanin-rich fruits can reduce diabetes risk. We’ve also reported on the remarkable study conducted by Lynn Adams, Ph.D. and her team at Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope: they demonstrated the potential of blueberries to inhibit the growth of Triple Negative Breast Center (TNBC), a particularly aggressive and hard to treat form of breast cancer.  We have even covered research that supports that wild plants provide protection from cancer.

Davis has frequently shared with Wild About Health readers her view that we should view food as “treatment” for disease. Just as food can be used defensively as a preventative for disease and the effects of aging, it can be used as medicine to fight disease and counteract the damage done by free radicals that cause inflammation. Such advice is as timely as ever with Type 2 diabetes on the rise and its connection to certain cancers beginning to be established.

Making smart choices in the supermarket and at the breakfast, lunch, and dinner table means better health and lowered risk of challenging diseases like Type 2 diabetes. And when we make efforts toward prevention in important areas like diabetes, we are making efforts toward prevention in others as well.

You can find information about diabetes and diabetes prevention at Center for Disease Control & Prevention, the American Diabetes Association, and at the Mayo Clinic.

Read More About Nutrition, Diabetes & Cancer

Diabetes, Wild & “The Newsroom”

Pterostilbene: Big Promise for an Amazing Antioxidant

Dr. Oz’s “Cancer Detective” Makes a Case for Wild

Berry Good News: Blueberries May Cut Diabetes Risk

Anthocyanin Intake Decreases Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Wild Blueberry Research You Should Know About

New Diet, Cancer & Bowel Health Studies You Shouldn’t Ignore

According to Dr. David B. Agus, author of The End of Illness, we are on the cusp of a health revolution.

Through biomedical engineering, understanding our DNA, and mapping the proteins in our blood, we’ll know 1) our predisposition for a variety of illnesses 2) our nutritional deficiencies, and 3) our nutritional prescription for preventing those diseases. According to Agus, this revolution will endow us with the data we desperately need to optimize our individual health.

If we’re lucky, such personalized medicine will be available in our lifetime. But until we all have access to our biological profile, along with the sound medical advice to parse the data and allow us to individualize our nutrition, we must opt for the best health and nutrition advice we have – the kind known to work best for a broad population.

We know that improving the way we eat can be the best preventative medicine. Real foods deliver nutritional benefits the most efficient, safest way: without shortcuts. While we wait for science to help deliver the perfect, tailored preventative diet, eating real food to get the nutrition we need, and staying up-to-date about new technologies that can improve our health is our best strategy.

Part of that strategy includes absorbing health research that applies to you. Not sure what does? You probably already know a lot about your personal health. You may know if you have a genetic predisposition to certain illnesses. You know if you are experiencing health challenges. You also know that you are committed to prevention that will lengthen your life.

That knowledge is the first powerful step toward creating your own personal health profile and eating a diet that prevents and battles illness.

Health News That Might Just Be Crucial to Your Health

What recent research impacts your personal health? The following list includes some valuable new research about health, and their common denominator is wild blueberries. Their anti-inflammatory phytonutrients and powerfully concentrated nutrients make wild blueberries an ideal Rx for general prevention, as well as for body weight issues, maintaining heart health, bowel and digestive problems, and a particularly rare form of breast cancer.

Body Weight & Heart Health. Torching belly fat is not just a matter of looking good– there’s much more at stake than fitting into your skinny jeans. Belly fat is an indicator that you may be at risk of heart disease and type-2 diabetes. Belly fat boosts inflammation and hardens arteries. And, If your waist size is more than half your height, you’re at higher risk for developing diabetes. Phytonutrients, which are responsible for the dark pigment in fruits like blueberries, are uniquely helpful in lowering the risk of heart disease and type-2 diabetes. Wild blueberries in the diet also correlate to lower cholesterol and improved glucose control, and offer concentrated nutrition for few calories (just 42 belly-flattening calories in ½ cup).

Bowel Health. If bowel health is a concern for you, you are among thousands of suffers. As Western diets proliferate throughout the globe, the numbers appear to grow. A new report published in Nutrition
about the nutrition and bowel health connection provides some promising news for those suffering with a common bowel disorder, Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Recent research shows broccoli or blueberries (both were studied in this research performed on mice) may decrease bacteria strains, reduce e. coli, and improve intestinal damage. Colon inflammation tended to be lower for both broccoli and blueberry-fed mice, and tended toward being even lower for those fed blueberries.

This comes on the heels of research into blueberry and gut health that shows that wild blueberries may support intestinal balance and may be helpful in increasing beneficial bacteria (particularly in studies of blueberry powder).

Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. We reported this groundbreaking City of Hope study in a recent post,  which explains the promising conclusions that blueberries may slow down the growth of, or stop, triple-negative breast cancer tumors. Triple-negative breast cancer is one of the most aggressive types of breast cancer. It doesn’t respond to traditional cancer treatment, and there are few effective drugs available to combat it. Such a discovery would have a major impact on those with this devastating disease, and those at risk for it.

But there’s no need to wait to start a disease-fighting regimen: there is overwhelming agreement in the scientific community that efforts to lower the risk of breast cancer should involve eating blueberries, along with a variety of fruits and vegetables. Initial studies credit, again, phytochemicals, found in uniquely high concentrations in wild blueberries, for evidence that they might suppress the proliferation and migration of these cancer cells in humanly-consumable doses. In a world of quick-fix supplements and bottled nutritional tinctures, that a preventative for this deadly form of cancer is widely available seems nothing short of a miracle.

A Bit About Wild

While some research focusing on the power of blueberries utilizes the high-bush berry, many target the wild blueberry, or low-bush blueberry, for their nutritional research. Rightly so. It is important to understand that the smaller wild blueberry (wild blueberries will always include the “wild” moniker) has advantages that the cultivated, or high-bush blueberry doesn’t. If you are interested in amplified nutrition (not to mention amped-up taste), choosing the smaller, nutritionally-concentrated wild is essential.

Wild blueberries have a long health history. They are an indigenous fruit grown wild in barrens of Maine and parts of Canada for hundreds of years, and their natural resistance nurtured by rugged soil and challenging weather has made them an enormously powerful fruit with naturally intense nutritional benefits. There is simply no reason not to choose wild—wild blueberries have an increased concentration of these beneficial phytonutrients, and that means you are consuming more health benefits per serving. Opting for berries other than wild is a nutritionally senseless compromise.

An Ounce of Prevention: Today’s Pound of Cure

While scientists continue to conduct research into cures for challenging illness, they often come up with more mysteries. As many nutrition researchers indict environment, Western diets, and genetics, cures remain elusive. It is prevention that will lengthen our life. Fortunately, prevention is achievable by taking advantage of the readily available foods that surround us, both in their fresh, and equally beneficial frozen states.

Until we can take targeted preventative measures based on our personal health profile, health and nutrition gained through real foods offer their own innate, naturally powerful benefits. Eating wild blueberries as part of a broad color spectrum of fruits and vegetables, may be one of the best preventative tactics we have available to us.

Blueberry Breakdown: Help Berries Help You!

It’s not just a Dr. Oz favorite food. It’s a superfruit people consume as part of favorite recipes or all by themselves the world over. That’s because of their unique taste, versatility, availability fresh or frozen, and big potential for health. Whenever we make an effort to get the most concentrated nutrition in the form of fruit and veggie servings, wild blueberries are the food millions turn to every day.

But as much as we love them, sometimes it’s easy to set our diet on berry autopilot. Maybe you’ve become a little complacent with your eating habits. Maybe your servings count has slipped from five to one or two – on a good day. Maybe your MyPlate plate looks more like a paper bag stamped with a P.F. Chang logo.

It happens. Every once in a while it’s worth taking stock of what the wild blueberries we rely on are doing to help us – inside and out – as a way to rekindle the flame that keeps our daily nutrition smoldering. Knowing the health advantages of wild blueberries is like doing your morning affirmations. Reinforcing the benefits can help keep blues and other healthy foods at the top of your list every day, where they should be. And every effort you make toward better nutrition in the course of a day adds up to big health payoffs over time.

Wild Blueberry Breakdown

Can’t quite recall what the wild blueberries benefits are? Not to worry. Here’s your blueberry breakdown of the five most compelling ways blueberries, especially wild blueberries, are benefiting your health.

1. Your Brain

When it comes to blueberries, the “brain food” moniker is earned, and antioxidants are the key. They protect against inflammation, which is thought to be a leading factor in brain aging, including Alzheimer’s disease. And blueberries, especially wild blueberries, are higher than nearly all other fruits when it comes to antioxidants. In addition, ongoing brain research shows that blueberries may improve motor skills and actually reverse the short-term memory loss that comes with aging. Other fruits and vegetables have been studied, but it was blueberries that were shown to be effective.

2. Your Cancer Prevention Efforts

Blueberries are especially potent when it comes to the body’s battle against free radicals, and research shows that blueberry compounds may inhibit all stages of cancer. Part of the ongoing research into the benefit of blueberries for cancer prevention includes the exciting studies conducted by Shiuan Chen, Ph.D., and Lynn Adams, Ph.D., of the Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, who demonstrated the potential of blueberries to inhibit the growth of Triple Negative Breast Cancer, a particularly aggressive and hard to treat form of breast tumor. Studies into the link between blueberries and cancer continue, but researchers are already taking a stand – most say eating blueberries is akin to a daily dose of cancer prevention.

3. Your Heart

Who knew something so delicious could be such a life saver? Thank the berry’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents for its cardiovascular benefit. Research indicates that blueberries may protect against heart disease and damage from stroke, and scientists have found a blueberry-enriched diet may protect the heart muscle from damage and regulate blood pressure. What’s more, blueberries may reduce the build up of so called “bad” cholesterol that contributes to cardiovascular disease and stroke, making every blue platter a heart-healthy one, cross our heart.

4. Your Diabetes Risk 

If you have an increased chance of getting diabetes (and today, 1 in 10 Americans have Type 2 diabetes, more than ever before) eating blueberries is a smart line of defense. Consuming low Glycemic Index foods causes a smaller rise in blood glucose levels than consuming high GI foods – an important consideration for people with diabetes. Wild blueberries scored 53 on the GI scale making them a clear low GI food and an excellent choice for those struggling with or trying to prevent diabetes.

5. Your Skin

Nature gave us skin damage and wrinkles. It also gave us high antioxidant foods to fight back. The anti-inflammation properties found in blueberries act as anti-aging agents, fighting off environmental hazards to the skin, protecting the skin from sun damage and even preventing wrinkles. Some studies suggest that eating blueberries regularly can even help improve acne-prone skin. Is it any wonder products like Blueberry Eye Firming Treatment are capitalizing on the blueberry benefits?

Wild Blueberries – On Every Plate. 

We know fruit and vegetable intake is important. While all fruits are good, wild blueberries outperformed two dozen commonly consumed fruits like pomegranates, strawberries, cultivated blueberries, cranberries, apples and red grapes. Researchers are continuing their study into the anti-inflammatory potential of the polyphenols in blueberries, since chronic inflammation at the cellular level is at the heart of many degenerative age-related diseases. Besides the benefits listed above, blueberries hold other promise that has scientists engaged in ongoing research into their potential for mood enhancement, weight loss, appetite control, improvements in vision, and as pain fighters.

There are more than enough reasons not to let your nutrition flame-out. One clear solution that you can start implementing today is to put wild blueberries to work for you. Put them on your plate at every meal, and know you are doing something good for your health and disease prevention.

How much do I have to eat? Getting the recommendation amount of wild blueberries to make a difference is so doable! Recommended daily intake differs depending on age and gender, but approximately two cups of fruit is usually recommended for adults – easy to achieve throughout the day in snacks and as part of meals. And, at just 45 calories per serving, wild blueberries deliver substantial nutrients for every calorie consumed.

Find out more about the health benefits and recommended daily intake.

Need recipe ideas to rekindle your diet? Wild blueberries are easy to cook with and add surprising taste variations that make dishes shine. Search the Wild Blueberry Association’s database of recipes. It includes recipes from some of the best chefs and nutritionists guaranteed to refresh your palate and your plate!

Don’t Overlook These 3 Green Leafies

When it comes to greens, the two adjectives to keep in mind are dark and leafy. Green leafies are the most concentrated source of nutrition compared head to head and calorie to calorie with most any food in your diet. It’s the dark color that provides the clues that phytonutrients called flavonoids are close by, and flavonoids have disease fighting properties in spades.

We know from many sources, including Dr. James Joseph’s The Color Code that eating a diet rich in vibrant colors offers outstanding protection against disease. Dark, leafy greens have cancer-protective properties, are found to lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and have great value for those with type 2 diabetes. Putting dark, leafy greens on your plate means not only are you getting important phytonutrients, you’ll be getting a wealth of beneficial nutrients such as vitamin K, iron, and calcium. Best of all, greens comes in a low calorie package.

If your goal is to eat like a caveman  consider this: our cave dwelling ancestors would graze all day on greens, regularly taking in six pounds of leaves per day! It makes getting our 3 cups a day seem a little more achievable. It’s especially easy if you seek out variety. Noticing lots of lettuce on your plate? Is broccoli a mainstay that’s a getting a little too reliable? Get some greens with more gusto! Start by giving these emerald envoys of excellent health a chance.

Broccoli Rabe

Broccoli rabe (rhymes with bob) may have the broccoli moniker but it’s really a turnip. Despite its clusters of broccoli-like flowers among its spiky leaves, it hails from the turnip family and has a flavor to prove it.  Broccoli rabe is an extremely nutritious vegetable that is high in phytochemicals that help the body defend itself against some cancers, and it has the deep green color that we look for when we eat across the colors of the rainbow.

Broccoli rabe is remarkably versatile, too. Its distinctive taste makes it perfect for certain pairings, particularly salty, sweet or acidic foods. Garlic is a popular pairing as is sausage, olives, and tangy veggies like tomatoes and vinegars. It makes a nice addition to many meat and seafood dishes, and even makes brings out the beauty of a pizza.

For truly ingratiating rabe, start here:
Broccoli Rabe And Mushroom Frittata With Grape Tomato Salsa
Broccoli Rabe, Fennel, And Hot Sausage Pizza

Beet Greens

Beet greens are a beloved veggie-top all by themselves, and as part of the beet, they provide a nutritious twofer: you’ll be extracting two dishes from one veggie, and get maximum economical benefit. Mild and sweet, thanks to their natural sugars, they appeal to almost everyone, including kids that may balk at more daring greens.

Beet greens pass the fabulous food test because they are nutritious, delicious, and can be part of your diet in many capacities, including a simple sauté in olive oil, or tossed in a fresh salad. Some beet greens found in grocery stores can be tough and fibrous, so blanching in hot water is required. For use uncooked, consider removing the center, tougher ribs of the leaves and just eat the outer leaves. At farmer’s markets or packaged especially for salads, every inch of the beet green is generally tender and lovely.

Enjoy beet greens with goat cheese, an early summer favorite.
Try them cooked as a side dish.
Delve into this unique beet green pasta.

Kale

When you hear the term “leafy greens”, think kale. Kale is a beloved green that may remind you of cabbage. In fact, kale is part of the cabbage family, and is sometimes even referred to as “black cabbage”.  You know what that dark hue means: it’s packed with vitamins, fiber, calcium and iron and it has huge antioxidant capacity. It’s also a low-calorie way to get big nutrients.

You may be familiar with the supermarket’s curly kale that features ruffled leaves, but you’ll enjoy seeking out some other possibilities at farmer’s markets in an array of blackish, plum-red and purplish colors. Flavors range from somewhat bitter to sweet, so find one you like. It will be worth it for punch of nutrition it packs.

Because this green can be a bit tougher than others, it’s not a good choice for tossing in a salad, but it’s perfect for a soup or a stir fry. Kale can also be simmered for long periods (yielding a delicious liquor for sipping or sopping with bread) or blanched and sautéed in olive oil. Try kale in omelets, or braised or sautéed with onions and garlic. And if you can’t put it on pizza (you can!), then hey, what’s the point?

Get started with Roasted Kale, and go green with Kale Pesto.

Happy Eating!

Revisiting Resveratrol: Where are We with Red Wine Research?

The assertion about the astonishing benefits of red wine has caught fire in the health, nutrition and anti-aging communities. Researchers discovered that making a convivial toast can lower the risk of certain cancers and heart disease, and further research into the compounds in red wine revealed its role in reducing blood pressure, relieving constipation, aiding weight loss, and even reversing the aging process. For those who enjoy red wine, this was welcome news. But it was also confusing – the implication that red wine was good for you went against most health advice about alcohol moderation and abstinence that had been dispensed for years.

The confusion was particularly evident when it came to cancer prevention. Cancer prevention experts caution that limiting consumption of alcohol is crucial for reducing cancer risk. Virtually all studies into alcohol consumption reveal a link between drinking alcohol and increased cancer risk – particularly breast cancer. But in light of the compelling potential effects of red wine, the question rankles: to imbibe or not to imbibe?

A Potent Potable

“The breadth of benefits is remarkable – cancer prevention, protection of the heart and brain from damage, reducing age-related diseases such as inflammation, reversing diabetes and obesity, and many more,” says Biomedical Sciences professor Lindsay Brown, author of the groundbreaking 2009 study about the effects of red wine. The list reads like a top ten of America’s most challenging diseases. Such assertions have brought the compounds responsible for these positive health effects into sharp relief. Red wine contains a complex mixture of bioactive compounds, but the antioxidant resveratrol was the compound that attracted the most interest. It quickly entered the spotlight as the compound responsible for providing wine with its life-giving, disease-preventing potency.

Resveratrol is a polyphenol found in the skins of red grapes. Other foods besides the grape and its popular by-product contain resveratrol, including peanuts, blueberries and cranberries. Research has revealed that resveratrol in these foods may protect the body from cancer by countering the effects of free radicals and preventing damage to cells. Continued research in mice given resveratrol has indicated it might also help protect them from obesity and diabetes, both of which are strong risk factors for heart disease. Consequently, and in some cases opportunistically, resveratrol became popular both in wine and pill form, and continues to be advertised as a long awaited fountain of youth.

Most recently, research from John Hopkins indicates that benefits of the long pour may hold up. Resveratrol, the study indicates, actually prompts cells to defend themselves, a discovery that runs counter to previous theories that resveratrol was “shielding” free radicals. The study also adds protecting the brain from damage following a stroke to its list of potential health benefits. Researchers have yet to understand exactly how resveratrol may be able to “jump start” this protective mechanism within the cells, but the investigation into the process has intensified.

Putting the “No” in Pinot

Along with dietary favorites coffee and chocolate, red wine seems to be in a push-pull purgatory when it comes to determining its status as a true health food. Are these indulgent foods intermittently hyped as healthy because we want it to be true?

One common argument against the benefits for red wine is that the amount of resveratrol that would have to be consumed to see the benefit is prohibitively massive.  It’s a common complaint about scientific data and its translation into the real world. Typically, research is conducted on animals, and resveratrol research is no different. According to the Mayo Clinic, a person would have to consume 100 to 1,000 bottles of red wine a day to extract the benefit. Even the most experienced wine drinker would capitulate. (At the same time, researchers involved with the recent study at John Hopkins speculate that “even a small amount may be sufficient” to “jump-start this protective enzymatic system that is already present within the cells.”)

In addition, a recent review by the Australian Heart Foundation of more than 100 international studies on antioxidants over the past ten years debunks the belief that red wine, coffee, and chocolate are disease preventing foods. According to the report, the evidence is simply not there. Antioxidants responsible for shielding (or prodding) free radicals are present in fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes, cereals, nuts, seeds and green or black tea – and those foods should be favored for preventing heart disease and cancer, the researchers say, not red wine.

Another obstacle to finding good health in a bottle of Sangiovese concerns how to capture and package its benefit. The market for resveratrol supplements has burgeoned following the news of its potential health benefits. Those seeking to avoid the risks of alcohol, not to mention the hangover that would result from 1,000 bottles of wine, have turned to supplements. However, last month, a team of researchers from Johns Hopkins recommended against taking resveratrol supplements as a result of another new study. The benefits, researchers report, are unknown, and it may in fact be “the alcohol in the wine that may be needed to concentrate the amounts of the beneficial compound.” According to the study, recreating these benefits in a lab would be ineffective.

Finally, the biggest challenge for red wine’s bid to be in the health food aisle may be the lack of support from the prevention community. No organization advises someone who does not already drink red wine to do so for their health. Besides the very serious social risks, drinking too much increases risk of high blood pressure, high triglycerides, liver damage, obesity, and certain types of cancer. For a healthy food, that’s a hard pill to swallow.

I’m Red Wine & I’m OK

It may be leggy and chewy, it may be woody and flabby but is it OK as part of a balanced diet?

“Real” food evangelist Michael Pollan suggests toasting to your health rather than putting a cork in it. Partaking is part of Pollan’s Manifesto, a go-to list of rules that includes his famous mantra, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” One of these rules addresses wine consumption and urges having a glass of wine with dinner.

Pollan doesn’t rely completely on the science to make this assertion, but on centuries of tradition and anecdotal evidence. While he doesn’t suggest that red wine is the silver bullet many have hoped for, he does put stock in the unique protective qualities of polyphenols in red wine – resveratrol being one. Pollan states, “Mindful of the social and health effects of alcoholism, public health authorities are loath to recommend drinking, but the fact is that people who drink moderately and regularly live longer and suffer considerably less heart disease than teetotallers.”

With this in mind, he includes a couple of corollaries to the raised glass rule:

1) Drink with food.
2) Drink a little wine a day, not a lot on the weekend.

Mr. Pollan, I think we know what you’re talking about.

Jeers or “Cheers”? Our Bottom Line

While the secrets of resveratrol are worth teasing out, the truth is, we currently have much more compelling data about cancer prevention and heart disease prevention that easily passes the straight-face test.

For example, The American Heart Association states: “No direct comparison trials have been done to determine the specific effect of wine or other alcohol on the risk of developing heart disease or stroke.” While they recognize some benefit from red wine in raising HDLs and preventing platelets in the blood from sticking together, they advise that those who engage in physical activity and supplement with niacin can enjoy even more significant benefits.

The American Cancer Society urges a healthy diet by eating the color spectrum. Cancer fighting foods can be found in the bright blues of blueberries, in leafy greens, and the red of raspberries – foods that support good cell functioning without risk. And, The American Institute for Cancer Prevention states that as many as 375,000 cases of cancer, at current cancer rates, could be prevented each year in our country through healthy dietary choices. In addition to the clear benefits of quitting smoking, eating right, staying physically active, and maintaining a healthy weight, can cut cancer risk by 30 to 40 percent – very compelling data, no trip to Napa required.

Finally, the Mayo Clinic advises those seeking the healthful boost that red wine may provide to drink in moderation — or not at all. The benefits of wine provide a media blitz, but the same benefits can be found in the skins of fruits and other foods.  Our bottom line? Enjoy wine with temperance if you drink it already. Then, devote your prevention efforts toward getting your daily recommendation of fruits and vegetables.