A clinical nutritionist, Professor Grace Fadupin, has said that inclusion of watermelon, fresh and pureed tomatoes, chilli pepper, carrots and other yellow-reddish fruits observed to be good sources of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, in daily meals are protective against cancer.
Professor Fadupin, in an inaugural lecture entitled ‘Whither Lies the Bedrock of Preventive and Curative Health?’ at the University of Ibadan said evidence has linked diet rich in antioxidants to prevention and management of cancer.
She declared that these locally available fruits and vegetables are good sources of powerful antioxidants which protect cells from cancer-causing agents.
According to her, studies found fruits and vegetable intake as well as ascorbate blood levels of patients with breast cancer to be very low, and thus emphasising the importance of taking fruits, especially yellowish-reddish fruits, to prevent cancer.
Professor Fadupin said food, diet and adequate nutrition are basic to good health and life as studies have emphasised the relationship between diet and the prevention and the occurrence of diseases, including non-communicable diseases as cancer and diabetes.
She added that “80 per cent of all cardiovascular diseases, 90 per cent of all type 2 diabetes and 30 per cent of all cancers could be prevented by eating healthy diets, increasing physical activity to prevent overweight and obesity and avoiding excessive intake of alcohol and smoking of cigarettes.
The don declared that diet therapy is also critical for the treatment of kidney disease to slow its progression and ameliorate the symptoms experienced by patients.
“Controlled dietary restrictions using local low-protein diet was effective in ameliorating the progression of kidney insufficiency without inducing malnutrition.
“It is recommended that a low-protein diet containing egg-white and fish be offered to patients suffering from early to moderately severe chronic kidney failure as a conservative dietary therapy in ameliorating the symptoms experienced by patients with kidney insufficiency.
‘Plant proteins such as cowpea products should be excluded or given sparingly in the diet of patients with chronic kidney failure.”
Professor Fadupin, however, declared that humans need to take a variety of foods from all the food groups to ensure they adequately provide the nutrients required by the body cells.
The don declared that the healthiest eating pattern is the Mediterranean diet that is associated with favourable health outcome, reduced risk of chronic degenerative diseases and enhances a better quality of life.
The expert, who remarked that obesity, excessive alcohol intake, smoking, and physical inactivity affect the maintenance of good health, said that individuals should choose to be healthy by choice and not by chance.
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