Can an allergy be a sign of having a natural relief for cancer and other serious illnesses?
According to a recently published study from Texas Tech University, it probably can. Dr Zuber Mulla, an epidemiologist at Texas Tech University, who led the study team, said, "More work is still needed, but the numbers show that allergy is a statistically significant protective factor."
The studies were into the causes of ovarian cancer, and it found that the chances of allergy sufferers succumbing to cancer were much lower than those of non-allergy sufferers. The only possible reason they could suggest was that adverse reactions to things such as pollen or dust mites stimulate the immune system and make it more effective in fighting off true enemies such as cancer.
We've known for years that omega-3 fatty acids are good for the heart. These healthy fats down-regulate inflammation, and may help reduce the risk and symptoms of disorders influenced by inflammation, including heart attack, stroke and several forms of cancer. Now researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, have found another action of omega-3s that may help explain why they offer benefits for the heart. The investigators found that the more omega-3 consumed by patients with coronary heart disease, the slower the structures called telomeres at the ends of chromosomes shrank. (Telomeres have been likened to the caps on the ends of shoelaces that prevent the laces from unraveling. In cells, telomeres prevent chromosomes from fusing with one another or rearranging - undesirable changes that could lead to serious diseases.) The more times a cell divides, the shorter telomeres become, a change that makes them a marker of biological age. The California investigators followed about 600 patients with coronary artery disease and measured their blood levels of omega-3s and telomere length at the beginning of the study and again five years later. They found that the higher the blood levels of omega-3s, the slower telomeres shortened, suggesting that the rate of biological aging - as mirrored by telomeres - decreased.