And now, nutrients that fight cancer

To continue with last week’s loaded topic on fats, Dr. Angel Respicio Jr., nutrition adviser at The Sleeplab, Hawaii Medical Center-West, prescribes this formidable list of nutrients to ward off the Big C:

• Vitamin A: Strengthens the immune system. Essential for mineral metabolism and endocrine function, it helps detoxify. True vitamin A is found only in animal foods such as cod liver oil; fish and shellfish; and liver, butter, and egg yolks from pasture-fed animals. Traditional diets contain 10 times more vitamin A than the typical modern American diet.

• Vitamin C: An important antioxidant that prevents damage from free radicals. It is found in many fruits and vegetables but also in certain organ meats prized by primitive people.

• Vitamin B6: Deficiencies are associated with cancer. It contributes to the function of over 100 enzymes and is mostly available from animal foods.

• Vitamin B12: Deficiencies are associated with cancer. Found only in animal foods.

• Vitamin B17: Found in a variety of organically grown grains, legumes, nuts, and berries.

• Vitamin D: Required for mineral absorption, it is strongly protective against breast and colon cancers. Found only in animal foods such as cod liver oil, lard, shellfish and butterfat, organ meats and egg yolks from grass-fed animals.

 • Vitamin E: Works as an antioxidant at the cellular level. Found in unprocessed oils as well as in animal fats like butter and    egg yolks.

• Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA): Strongly protective against breast cancer. Found in the butterfat and meat fat of grass-fed ruminant animals.

• Cholesterol: A potent antioxidant that protects against free radicals in cell membranes. Found only in animal foods.

• Minerals: The body needs generous amounts of a wide variety of minerals to protect itself against cancer. Minerals like zinc, magnesium, and selenium are vital components of enzymes that help the body fight carcinogens. Minerals are more easily absorbed from animal foods.

• Lactic acid and friendly bacteria: Contribute to the health of the digestive tract. Found in old-fashioned lacto-fermented foods.

• Saturated fats: Strengthen the immune system. Needed for proper use of the essential fatty acids. The lungs cannot function without saturated fats. Found mostly in animal foods.

• Long-chain fatty acids: Arachidonic acid (AA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) help fight cancer on the cellular level. They are found mostly in animal foods such as butter, organ meats, cod liver oil, and seafood.

• Co-enzyme Q10: Highly protective against cancer, it is found only in animal food.

* * *

More buzz on the mosquito trap

Dear Consumerline,

This concerns the dengue mosquito trap made from cut-up plastic bottle and filled with sugar solution and yeast. We are glad many people have gotten interested in this homemade trap. In the US and Singapore, the mosquito trap is widely used and offers a variety of ways to attract and kill mosquitoes. First, you lure them with the scent of CO2 and heat for all mosquitoes plus stagnant water for pregnant mosquitoes. Second, you can kill a mosquito by electrocution, insect shredder, adhesives, and the use of lethal insecticides. Another way is to deprive the hatched mosquito larvae of air, so that they die of drowning while in the aquatic stage.

My father and I have been cutting up plastic bottles and canister recyclables, and doing research for more than six years now. We have made many prototypes of mosquito traps. These are pesticide-free, inexpensive, easy to maintain, and a unique Filipino invention. Our trap uses a liter of rain and a patented canister invented by my father Narlo M. Abenojar. For more details, go to www.ipophil.gov.ph and search for the name of the invention “mosquito larvicidal device using water.” Here, you can also see a sketch of the old prototype of the trap. E-mail me if you need more information at lukeabenojar@yahoo.com.

Why a sugar solution with yeast? When mixed together, it releases an odor that is intended to attract mosquitoes to the trap. The recipe is for a mosquito attractant and not for a pesticide (the cost of the yeast and sugar will pile up because you need to replace the yeast and sugar from time to time). What really kills the mosquito is the cut-up bottle filled with water. This homemade trap works like our patented canister, but it is not easy to maintain and mosquitoes may escape if not used properly.

Our trap invention is also called autocidal ovitrap. It has a canister filled with a liter of rainwater and below the water level is a series of barriers. When the female mosquito deposits her eggs, hundreds of wriggler hatchling/larvae emerge from the eggs. These tiny larvae swim down to the bottom of the trap to feed and go up to breathe air. The unsuspecting larvae go deeper into the trap. At one point, the larvae will be unable to surface to breathe and die of drowning.

We hope that this Pinoy version of dengue control via the disruption of the mosquito life cycle will help in reducing juvenile deaths among Filipinos and mosquito nuisance. — LUKE ABENOJAR

We’d love to hear from you. E-mail us at ching_alano@yahoo.com.