Eating Indonesian food every day, with fans from children to adults, can lead to cancer because the charred chicken or goat meat contain nitrosamines claimed as one of the cancer-causing.
Instead, a wide variety of vegetables are said to be preventive as anticancer. People who consume lots of vegetables and fruits are healthier with risk factors for degenerative diseases or cancer smaller than people who consume less. After studied, it turns out antioxidants in fruits and vegetables can prevent cancer.
Lycopene in tomatoes, for example, is a powerful antioxidant that can fight free radicals, the cause of degenerative diseases or cancer. Lycopene protection mechanism isn't clear but, in general, to maintain oxidative damage.
A study in experimental animals is conducted by providing 0.2 mg of lycopene in 0.2 ml of olive oil three times during the period of tumor growth in the lungs. The result is, in mice fed lycopene, the tumors decrease compared to controlled mice.
What about cucumber?
This fruit contains saponins, proteolytic enzymes, and glutathione. Cucumber also contains linoleic acids. As a member of Cucurbitaceae family which usually contains cucurbitacins, cucumber may also contains these. Cucurbitacin is a compound having antitumor activities.
Saponins are quaternary ammonium. From various concluded studies, saponins are hypocholesterolemic, immunostimulatory, and anticarcinogenic. Anticarcinogenic mechanisms of saponins include antioxidant and cytotoxic effects directly on cancer cells. Saponins from soybeans are a food source that has been studied to reduce the risk of cancer.
Glutathione is an androgen antioxidant in the body used as an oxidative antidote to free radicals or carcinogens. Oxidative properties of glutathione are capable of doing peroxidations against free radicals in the body. Plants containing sulfur, such as garlic, are able to increase glutathione activities and transferases.
Linoleic acids are included to essential fats found in vegetables and animals. Form of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) is anticancer. From electronic sources, it's noted that the cucumber seeds contain CLA. CLA are antioxidant to fight free radical damage.
Results of research conducted at the Food Research Institute, Department of Food Microbiology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, stated, CLA can inhibit the occurrence of carcinogenesis and atherosclerosis, reduce body fats, and stimulate the growth of young rats.
Of plants, CLA are present in sunflower seeds and soya beans.
In principle, an antioxidant can work as anticarcinogen by reducing oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is a condition where free radicals of oxygen are formed in many numbers. The body is no longer able to negate the effect resulting tissue damage.
Well, because the cucumber along with its seeds are rich in antioxidant, they could play a role in counteracting the occurrence of cancer or degenerative diseases. So, eat cucumbers after you eat a serving of satay.
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