Sauerkraut - Can This Pickled Cabbage Really Prevent Avian Flu And Cancer Too?
Sauerkraut May Prevent Avian (Bird) FluAccording to Sheboygan Press, USA: "The extract from kimchi sauerkraut has been effective in fighting fatal avian flu in infected chickens, according to a South Korean study getting lots of media attention in recent weeks. And other scientific studies have shown that eating several servings of sauerkraut a week can help prevent some forms of cancer. Sauerkraut manufacturers are riding a healthy wave of new popularity for the old standby, known in many areas as a garnish for hot dogs, brats and a side dish for many pork entrees. A one-cup serving of sauerkraut provides a good amount of the daily value of vitamins C and K, and is high in antioxidants. “It’s starting to come back (and) be seen again as the ’superfood’ it really is,” said Chris Smith, vice president for marketing for the Fremont Company, makers of Frank’s Quality Kraut. Sales of sauerkraut are going up as reports of the bird flu study continue to spread around the country, Smith said. Both kimchi and traditional sauerkraut are high in lactic acid bacteria, seen in the Korean study as a possible reason for success against avian flu. Health officials worldwide worry that if the fatal virus mutates to one that can be passed from human to human, a pandemic could result. “It has a long history of having a medicinal effect,” said Smith, whose company is in its centennial year of making Frank’s kraut. In Minneapolis, after a TV station aired the story about how 11 of 13 chickens in Korea started recovering from the dreaded flu after being fed the kimchi extract, Smith said sales of the Frank’s brand in 54 Twin Cities’ stores jumped dramatically. “It was a 77 percent increase in sales just out of nowhere,” Smith said Friday." And Sauerkraut Fights Breast Cancer TooA report from NutraIngredients, France: "Eating sauerkraut and raw cabbage may protect women from breast cancer, said a team of US and Polish researchers last week. They believe that high levels of glucosinolates, compounds already demonstrated to have anti-cancer activity in the lab, are responsible for the association between cabbage and sauerkraut consumption, and a lower risk of breast cancer observed in Polish immigrants living in the US. The observed pattern of risk reduction indicates that the breakdown products of glucosinolates in cabbage may affect both the initiation phase of carcinogenesis -by decreasing the amount of DNA damage and cell mutation -and the promotion phase, by blocking the processes that inhibit programmed cell death and stimulate unregulated cell growth,” said Dorothy Rybaczyk-Pathak from the University of New Mexico. Women who ate at least three servings a week of raw- or short-cooked cabbage and sauerkraut had a significantly reduced breast cancer risk compared with those who only ate one serving per week, they said at the American Association for Cancer Research’s Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research meeting in Baltimore this week. The study was triggered by Pathak’s observation that the breast cancer risk of Polish women rose three-fold after they immigrated to the United States." So, sauerkraut might not be your favorite food, but I am certainly adding it to my diet on a regular basis (we had it tonight). When you think about it, cabbage is in the broccoli family - long touted for cancer prevention. And vinegar has been a 'healing' food for forever, so the combination just might have something going for it. Sauerkraut, it can't hurt.
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Making Sauerkraut and Pickled Vegetables at Home: Creative Recipes for Lactic Fermented Food to Improve Your Health
We urge you to consult with a qualified physician for diagnosis and for answers to your personal questions about sauerkraut and avian (bird) flu.
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