Preventative
Medicine
By
Lauren Backor, Taylor Marriott, Jessica Schumaker, and
Amy Wurbs
“Let food be your medicine
and medicine be your food.”
-- Hippocrates
Preventative vs. Preventive?
• Is there a difference?
– preventative (adjective) - preventing or contributing to the
prevention of disease; preventive medicine
Synonyms: preventive
– Therefore, the two are generally used interchangeably.
http://define.ansme.com/words/p/preventative.html
So what exactly is preventive medicine?
• The branch of medicine dealing
with the prevention of disease
and the maintenance of good
health practices.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/p1/preventi.asp
A little Background Info…
• Preventive medicine has been a medical
specialty since 1948.
• Board-certification is offered in the areas of:
– General Preventive Medicine and Public Health
– Occupational Health
– Aerospace Medicine
• Until recently preventive medicine was mainly the
domain of the U.S. Public Health Service or state and
local health departments, but it is now viewed as
important by health care providers.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/p1/preventi.asp;
http://www.brainshark.com/brainshark/vu/view.asp?pi=22825&layout=nobanner
Number of Certified Preventive Medicine Physicians Nationwide
3339
3500
3000
Certified in General
Preventive Medicine
2752
Certified in Public Health
2500
2000
Certified in Both
1405
1500
Total of G.P.M and P.H.
836
1000
511
Certified in Other
(Occupational or
Aerospace)
500
0
Statistics based on a study completed July, 2001
http://www.brainshark.com/brainshark/vu/view.asp?pi=22825&layout=nobanner
Areas of Research Involved
• Causes of disease
• Vaccination
against those
diseases for
which the causes
are known
• Environmental
concerns and
health
• Public health and
hygiene
http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/p1/preventi.asp
The Threat of Disease…
1980
2000
Rank
Cause
Deaths
Rank
Cause
Deaths
1
Heart Diseases
761,085
1
Heart Disease
710,760
2
Cancer
416,509
2
Cancer
553,091
3
Stroke
170,225
3
Stroke
167,661
4
Accidents
105,718
4
Lung Disease
122,009
5
Lung Disease
56,050
5
Accidents
97,900
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/tables/2002/02hus032.pdf
Fixing the problem…
“In order to combat the
diseases of this wealthy nation
(namely heart disease, cancer,
and injuries), we need to target
individuals’ poor health choices
and habits and develop
appropriate tools for population
communication which can
effectively change behavior.” Dr. T. Lewis
Medical Director, Community Health and Prevention
Intermountain Health Care, Salt Lake City, UT
http://www.brainshark.com/brainshark/vu/view.asp?pi=22825&layout=nobanner
So where does Horticulture come in?
• It has been found that several nutrients found in common
fruits and vegetables aid in preventing diseases and other
health problems.
• Vitamins C & E and Fiber are a few of these elements that aid
in preventing some of the most dangerous diseases that
plague Americans each year.
L.E. Bounds, Health and Fitness: A Guide to a Healthy Lifestyle
Antioxidants: What are they and what do they do?
• Antioxidants are natural substances in foods,
like vitamins C & E.
• They protect from disease by preventing the
harmful effects of oxygen free radicals on your
body.
– Oxygen free radicals are formed as cells in
your body combine with oxygen to make
energy.
– Free radicals also come from smoking or
being exposed to radiation or sunlight from
the environment.
http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/agepages/lifeext.htm
Preventative Medicine and
Heart Disease
Preventing Heart Disease
• What is heart disease?
– More accurately, Coronary Artery Disease
– Arteries, which nourish the heart, become
clogged.
– 7 million Americans affected
– 1.5 million heart attacks and 500,000 deaths
every year
wwww.mothernature.com/Library/
bookshelf/Books/41/63.cfm
Current Treatments for Heart
Disease
• Heart Disease
– Coronary Bypass Surgery
• 300,000 per year at a cost of $30,000 each
– Disadvantages
• Obviously, the surgery is costly.
• Temporary solution- bypasses clog up too
www.mothernature.com/Library/bo
okshelf/Books/41/63.cfm
Measures to Prevent Heart
Disease
• Treating High blood
Pressure and lowering
Cholesterol
–
–
–
–
–
Quit smoking
Lose weight
More exercise
Stress management
Social support
www.mothernature.com/Library/bo
okshelf/Books/41/63.cfm
Other Preventative Measures
• Plants!
Some Plants that Prevent Heart
Disease
Food
Chemical Element
Prevents
Tomatoes
Lycopenes
Heart Disease
Soy
Isoflavones
High Cholesterol
Brans
Psyllium
High Cholesterol
Vegetable Oils
Alpha-linolenic
acids
Phenolic
compounds and
Flavanoids
Heart Disease
Grapes
www.mothernature.com,
www.utoronto.ca
www.dhushara.com,
www.physsportsmed.com
Heart Disease
Phytochemicals
• Provide protection to plant from sunlight and
environmental factors.
• May also protect humans when consumed.
– Protect by ridding the body of “free radicals”,
which are chemical reaction waste products, in
the blood.
– Free radicals have no known purpose and seem
to be linked to the destruction of healthy cells.
– Phytochemicals produce enzymes that to rid the
body of free radicals
www.keynews.org/archives/a_diet.
htm
Lycopenes
• Members of the carotene
family, pigments that give
yellow/orange color to plants
• Best source of lycopene is
cooked tomato
• Studies show that consumption
of carotenoids, along with
folate, reduces risk of heart
attack by 40%
www.mothernature.com,
www.utoronto.ca
Other Preventative Chemicals
• Alpha-linolenic acid
– Contains vitamin E
– Reduction of inflammation from
exercise and the risk of heart disease
• Phenolic compounds and Flavanoids
– Could explain the “French paradox” of lower
rate of heart disease while most French a
moderate drinkers
– Phenolic compounds found in grape skin and is
protective against LDL cholesterol (bad) more
than Vitamin E
www.mothernature.com,
www.physsportsmed.com
Evidence
• Is there evidence of the benefits of these
phytochemicals for preventing heart
disease?
• YES- Dr. Dean Ornish of California has
given us significant evidence of the
benefits of phytochemicals, especially in
heart disease.
www.mothernature.com
Who is Dr. Ornish?
• Surprised the medical world by being the first
researcher to reverse heart disease!
• How did he do it?
– A combination a low-tech. Methods
•
•
•
•
•
Exercise
Yoga
Meditation
Support groups
Most importantly-a very low fat vegetarian diet
www.mothernature.com
Dr. Ornish’s Approach
• Prevention, Prevention, Prevention
• The National Institutes of Health (NIH)
does recognize the value of prevention,
even to reduce the cost of health care for
expensive heart surgeries
• Ornish’s recommendation for prevention,
as yet unconventional, is vegetable soup
www.mothernature.com
Medistrone
• Garlic, onions, ginger, and red pepper are
added to prevent blood clots that lead to
heart attack
• Tomatoes added for lycopenes and GABA
(gamma-amino butyric acid), which reduce
blood pressure and strengthen heart
muscles
• Other ingredients added to lower
cholesterol (beans, carrots), antioxidants
added to de-clog artery plaque (broccoli,
potatoes)
www.mothernature.com
Cancer Prevention
“Cancer is a prominent killer of Americans—second
only to heart disease—and responsible for more
than half a million deaths yearly. The good news is
that scientific validation for the protective power
of food is accumulating…”
-Jill E. Stansbury, N.D., Nutrition Science News,
8/99
What is Cancer?
• An abnormal cell that begins to multiply
out of control
• These cells form tumors that invade
healthy tissue
• The cancer can then spread to other
parts of the body
• Carcinogens promote the development
of cancerous cells
• Inhibitors can keep the cells from
growing
Foods for Cancer Prevention, Physicians
Committee for Responsible Medicine,
www.pcrm.org
How does your diet affect
cancer?
• According to the National Cancer
Institute, 80% of all cancers are due to
identifiable factors
• NCI estimates that 35% of cancer
deaths may be related to dietary
factors
• NCI attributes more cancer deaths to
diet than any other cause, including
tobacco (30%) and alcohol
-Foods for Cancer Prevention, www.pcrm.org
-Let Food Be Thy Medicine, Michigan State
University Agricultural Engineering Newsletter,
Sept/Oct 2001
5 A Day for Better Health
program
• Encourages Americans to eat 5 to 9
servings of fruits and vegetables every
day for better health
• Sponsored by the National Cancer
Institute
• The program is the largest
public/private partnership for nutrition
education
• Since the program’s beginning in 1991,
an adult’s average consumption of fruits
National Cancer Institute, www.cancer.gov
What does the program
recommend?
• Children ages 2-6 should eat 5 servings
of fruit and vegetables a day
• Children older than age six, active
women, and teens should eat 7 servings
per day
• Active teen boys and men should eat 9
servings per day
• Fresh, frozen, dried, juiced, and canned
fruits and vegetables all count toward
the 5-9 servings
National Cancer Institute, www.5aday.gov
Does this diet help prevent
cancer?
• The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF)
published a report based on 217 observational
studies
• The evidence demonstrated conclusively that
vegetables and fruits protect against cancer
• When consuming a variety of vegetables, 6980% of studies found an inverse association
with cancer risk
• For fruit in general, 64% of studies found an
inverse association with cancer risk
• Consuming at least 5 servings of fruit and
National Cancer Institute, www.cancer.gov
vegetables a day cuts overall cancer risk in
How does dietary fat affect
cancer risk?
• Studies of populations in countries that
consume high-fat diets have higher incidence
and death rates for many cancer types than
countries with low-fat diets
• Fat increases hormone production and can
therefore raise breast cancer risks
• Fat also stimulates the production of bile
acids which have been linked to colon cancer
• NCI recommends that Americans lower the
percent of fat in their diet toLetaFoodmaximum
of
Be Thy Medicine, Michigan State
University
Agricultural Engineering Newsletter,
30%
Sept/Oct 2001
Some foods that may reduce
cancer risk
Food
What They Do
Fiber
Helps body eliminate carcinogens
by moving food quickly through
intestines
Cruciferous Vegetables
Lower the risk of hormonerelated cancers, boost body’s
ability to fight off cancer
(Broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts)
Tomatoes and Eggplant
Prevent carcinogens from
forming, shield cells from
carcinogens
Soybeans
Potential to reduce risk of
developing breast, prostate, and
colon cancer
Garlic
-American Cancer Society, www.cancer.org
-www.aboutproduce.com
May help reduce tumor growth,
Cancer-Preventive Foods
Let Food Be Thy Medicine, Michigan State University
Agricultural Engineering Newsletter, Sept/Oct 2001
Which fruits and vegetables
should I eat?
• The WCRF review supported a broad
recommendation for increasing overall
fruit and vegetable consumption in
order to reduce cancer risk
• The recommendation remains broad
because the specific things in plants
that protect from cancer haven’t been
identified with certainty
• Relevant substances include
phytochemicals, carotenoids,
antioxidants, and vitamins
National Cancer Institute, www.cancer.gov
Anti-Aging
Overlooking the Power of
Prevention
• $654 billion (half the health care budget)
goes to the treatment of degenerative
diseases.
• Less than 5% of that is spent on
prevention!
• Only by improving the quality of our health
can we improve the quantity of our life.
Source: Meyerowitz, Steve. Power Juices Super Drinks. Kensington, 2000.
Free Radicals
•
•
•
•
Most widely accepted theory of aging
Hit healthy cells and oxidize them
Example of oxidation is rusting metal
Damage DNA molecules causing them to
mutate or die
• Because antioxidants render free radicals
harmless, they are considered a
cornerstone of any anti-aging program.
Source: Meyerowitz, Steve. Power Juices Super Drinks. Kensington, 2000.
Enzymes
•
•
•
•
•
•
Are like a fountain of youth
Powerful antioxidants
Found in fresh living foods
Best sources:
Raw fruits, vegetables, and sprouts
All nutrients and vitamins useless without
interaction with enzymes
Enzymes
• Relieve symptoms of aging including
inflammatory diseases such as arthritis
• Enzyme telomerase may control biological
clock – elongates telomere, which
lengthens lifespan of cells and thus human
life itself.
Sources: Steffan, C., et al. Enzyme treatment in comparison with immune
complex determination in rheumatoid arthritis. Zeitschrift fur
Rheumatologie. 44:51-56, 1985. Turning on telomerase to stop cell
aging. Life Extension. 4(2):41-46, 1998.
Plant estrogens
• Similar to human estrogen but without the
side effects.
• 3 types:
• Isoflavanes (fruits, vegetables, beans)
• Lignans (grains)
• Coumestans (sprouts, alfalfa)
Source: “Environmental estrogens and other hormones,” CBR, Tulane, and
Xavier Universities, New Orleans, 1997.
Important Nutrients
• Coenzyme Q10
(retards death of
cells)
• MSM (MethylSulfonyl-Methane)
•
(prevents loss of
collagen in skin)
• Vitamins C and E
(major antioxidants)
Source: Malik, N.S., et al. Vitamins and analgesics in the prevention of collagen aging.
Age and Aging. 25:279-284, 1996.
Foods for Longevity
• Sprouts (alfalfa,
radish, broccoli,
clover, and soybean
sprouts)
• Spinach
• Grapes and Berries
• Cantaloupe
• Garlic
Source: Meyerowitz, Steve. Power Juices Super Drinks. Kensington, 2000.
Herbs for Longevity
• Ginseng (may slow aging process by improving
body’s ability to use and absorb oxygen)
• Ginkgo Biloba (enhances age-related memory
impairment)
• Green Tea (benefits immune system, protection
from cancer and strokes, lowers blood pressure)
Sources: Huguet, F., et al. Decreased cerebral 5-HT1A receptors during aging:
reversal by ginkgo biloba extract. Journal Of Pharmacy and Pharmacology.
46: 316-318, 1994. Serafina, M., et al. In vivo antioxidant effect of green
and black tea in man. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 50: 28-32,
1996.
Lifestyle is a choice.
If you choose to live healthfully
beginning now, it can not only add
years to your life, but life to your
years.