percent of all cancers can be prevented via eating an appropriate diet.
Studies such as this have led development in the area of “
chemopreven-tion,” a new and promising strategy to
prevent cancer by using natural and/
or synthetic substances that block, reverse or retard the process of carcino-genesis.
An ideal chemopreventive agent
should: 1) have little or no toxicity, 2)
have high efficacy in multiple sites, 3)
have the capacity for oral consumption, 4) have known mechanisms of
action, 5) be of low cost and 6) be acceptable to humans.
Nuts and seeds contain a large
number of bioactive phytochemicals,
including many with mechanisms of
action reported to have antioxidant,
anti-inflammatory and anticancer
properties. Many of these foods exert
their chemopreventive properties by
interfering with multiple cell-signal-
ing pathways, cell proliferation and apoptosis (programmed cell
death).
Bioactive Antioxidants in Nuts and Seeds
Many people don’t realize that nuts and seeds are also some of the
most antioxidant-rich foods. Antioxidants bind free radicals that cause
“B“Beta-carotene found in pumpkin seeds can help rotect the body from skin cancer.”
oxidation and lead to inflammation and diseases including cancer and
heart disease, among many others.
Nuts and seeds contain many different antioxidants with complementary mechanisms of action and different redox potentials (ability
to interact with free radicals and bind reactive oxygen) that often work
synergistically.
Some antioxidants are water soluble and can flow in the blood-
stream to vital areas like the lungs and heart, while others are fat solu-
ble and do their protective work in layers of fat, such as the epidermal
layer directly underneath your skin. For example, studies have shown
