Prescription for Healthy Skin: Hot Tea with a Twist

News from the breakfast front...start putting a twist of lemon peel into your hot tea. The reason is a recent study showing that people who drink hot tea with a twist of citrus peel have far fewer cases of squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) than those who do not. Scientists at the University of Arizona studied the drinking habits of 450 people, half of whom had SCC. They found that those who regularly drank hot tea had a 40 percent reduction in the incidence of this common type of skin cancer. But those who added a twist of citrus peel to their hot tea had a remarkable 70 percent reduction. They also had an equivalent reduction in severe sunburn, a predisposing cause of squamous cell and other skin cancers {Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2001 Jun;10(6):667-78}.

The Tucson scientists found no particular benefit (in this regard) to citrus juice or citrus fruit...just the peel. Citrus peels are the major source of a chemical called d-limonene, which seems to have a protective effect against skin cancer.

But why hot (and not iced) tea? The reason seems to be that iced tea becomes too diluted to be of much benefit. {Nutr Cancer 2000;37(2):161-8}

These enterprising Arizonans hope to develop and market food supplements for the prevention of skin cancer. Well, good luck to them. But why would you purchase some expensive tea-and-lemon peel pill when you can brew up a delicious cup of the real thing for a couple of pennies?

So how about drinking more tea right now? I myself prefer organic decaffeinated tea. Just keep a lemon and a vegetable peeler handy. Twist the peel and you can actually see the "zest" spritzing onto the surface of the tea. As to the iced tea question...I brew up a large teapot in the morning and let the teabags soak for a while until the tea gets very strong. I then take that strong tea and let it return to a normal strength as it melts the ice cubes. And then I twist some more lemon peel in for good measure.

Being Overweight Increases Risk of Pancreatic Cancer

Last week I wrote how being overweight increases the risk of breast cancer. Now there is further evidence that obesity significantly increases the risk of pancreatic cancer as well. The good news is that even moderate physical activity can reduce the risk (even among seriously overweight individuals). So says a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association (August 22/29 2001).

"Modifying behaviors may be a way to reduce the risk of developing pancreatic cancer," says lead author Dr. Dominique S. Michaud of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD.

Specifically, obese men and women had a 72 percent increase in risk of pancreatic cancer compared with men and women who were lean. But men and women in the top 20 percent for moderate physical activity had less than half the risk of pancreatic cancer compared with those in the bottom fifth.

"It is increasingly clear," says a JAMA editorial, "that pancreatic cancer...could be prevented through behavioral and lifestyle changes." That's quite an admission from a journal that once categorically denied any connection between dietary changes and cancer.

It's really important to get one's weight under control. I am not suggesting that you fast or do other extreme diets (especially if you have active cancer). However, overweight is a risk factor for a number of diseases including, it now seems, pancreatic cancer { JAMA 2001;286:921-929,967-968}.

Many people feel they can diet on their own. My own personal choice for weight control is Weight Watchers (I'm a lifetime member). It is a reasonable program that has worked for many people. The real struggle, of course, is to keep the weight off...but having a weekly support group is helpful, regardless of which program you use.

Update on Jefferson Conference and Antioxidants Against Cancer

In last week's discussion of my upcoming course at Thomas Jefferson Hospital I forgot to mention another important participant: Steven Halbert MD, Director of Protocol Development, Jefferson Center for Integrative Medicine Medical Director, Medical Healing Arts Center, Doylestown, PA. Steve is an expert on CAM treatments for cancer, in particular the use of antioxidants and chemotherapy.

While on that topic, did you know that that the speech I gave at the recent CAM conference in Denmark is available online? In it, I give a review of the controversy over the concurrent use of antioxidants and chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The article is at: www.cancerdecisions.com/denmark2001.html.

This Week at the Moss Reports

This week I have been concentrating on a type of tumor called a "carcinoid." This is a rare type of tumor that produces hormones and hormone-like substances...at the wrong time and place. Diarrhea and severe flushing of the face are common symptoms of carcinoids. Carcinoids are generally less malignant than their more common counterparts and cures are not infrequent. In the US, England and Sweden carcinoid patients have organized into support groups and understanding of this difficult disease has also increased. Coincidentally, we had requests for reports on three different carcinoid tumors this week.

If you have any cancer diagnosis, no matter how unusual, we probably have a report on particular disease. If not, I can almost always write one. Each report provides an extensive review of the conventional understanding and treatment, including the most promising complementary and alternative treatments. To find out more, please visit our website, www.cancerdecisions.com, or call our patient coordinator, Diane Galbo, at 800-980-1234 (718-636-4433). We can usually have a report sent out to you very quickly.

Till next week...Best wishes for your good health!

Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D.