best cancer fighting foods

[Monica]

Yes- those would be the ones I would place more stock in myself, seeing as how they demonstrate an understanding of basic physiology.

Agreed. Yes, a lot of them miss this basic understanding and some even mix up acidic and alkaline!

Right! So you know your limits of the technical knowledge.

Yup. I try to avoid discussing chemistry! I don't want to get into trouble!

Hrmm. According to nobelprize.org, Dr. Warburg won the prize "for his discovery of the nature and mode of action of the respiratory enzyme".

That site offers only a single sentence. Here is a more detailed explanation of his discovery:

Biochemist Otto Heinrich Warburg, one of the twentieth century's leading cell biologists, discovered that the root cause of cancer is too much acidity in the body, meaning that the pH, potential hydrogen, in the body is below the normal level of 7.365, which constitutes an “acidic” state. Warburg investigated the metabolism of tumors and the respiration of cells and discovered that cancer cells maintain and thrive in a lower pH, as low as 6.0, due to lactic acid production and elevated CO2.
He firmly believed that there was a direct relationship between pH and oxygen. Higher pH, which is Alkaline, means higher concentration of oxygen molecules, while lower pH, which is acidic, means lower concentrations of oxygen…the same oxygen that is needed to maintain healthy cells.

In 1931 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for this important discovery. Dr. Warburg was director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute (now Max Planck Institute) for cell physiology at Berlin. He investigated the metabolism of tumors and the respiration of cells, particularly cancer cells. Below are some direct quotes by Dr. Warburg during medical lectures where he was the keynote speaker.

“Cancerous tissues are acidic, whereas healthy tissues are alkaline. Water splits into H+ and OH- ions, if there is an excess of H+, it is acidic; if there is an excess of OH- ions, then it is alkaline.”

In his work The Metabolism of Tumours Warburg demonstrated that all forms of cancer are characterized by two basic conditions: acidosis and hypoxia (lack of oxygen). “Lack of oxygen and acidosis are two sides of the same coin: where you have one, you have the other.”

"All normal cells have an absolute requirement for oxygen, but cancer cells can live without oxygen - a rule without exception.“

"Deprive a cell 35% of its oxygen for 48 hours and it may become cancerous."

Dr. Warburg has made it clear that the root cause of cancer is oxygen deficiency, which creates an acidic state in the human body. Dr. Warburg also discovered that cancer cells are anaerobic (do not breathe oxygen) and cannot survive in the presence of high levels of oxygen, as found in an alkaline state.

(This is from a document so I don't have a linked source.)

Right. I was referring to the popular misconception.

Ah, ok.

Yes- according to my understanding it has to do with the "ash" or residue which is left after the food has been metabolized which needs to be eliminated.

Right. And some things, like fresh vegetable juices and alkaline water, do indeed alkalize (or, rather, to be more precise: facilitate homeostasis).

I said largely hokum, and then qualified that by pointing to those who don't understand that pH varies in different fluids and tissues, yet make claims as if it is constant.

Weeeeeeell, I'd say their half-baked arguments might be hokum, but the basis in fact isn't hokum.

Sorry, but I don't see an argument between us here. Sounds to me like we are on the same page. *shrug*

OK! Nothing to be sorry for; being on the same page is a good thing, methinks!

Yes, that is true. In addition, the couple of studies I am aware of that showed an increase in the incidence of certain types of cancer also used synthetic forms of antioxidants. It's a perennial issue with supplement research, I'm afraid.

Yeah, very important distinction!