None — Cancer in the U.S.
The American Cancer Society estimates about 1,529,560 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. during 2010. Among adult men, the most commonly diagnosed new cancers are prostate, lung and colorectal cancers. Among women, breast, lung and colorectal cancers account for the most common sites of new cancers. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in this country (heart disease is the leading cause). This year, 569,490 Americans will die of cancer.
Papaya Fruit
The papaya (Carica papaya) is a tropical fruit that looks like a melon. The inside contains a large cluster of dark-colored seeds and a yellowish-orange flesh. There are several varieties ranging in size (up to 20 pounds), shape (oval, round and pear-shaped) and color (green when unripened to yellow/red-orange when ripe).
Researchers at the University of Georgia report 14 billion pounds of papaya were produced worldwide in 2004. About 25 percent of the world's papayas come from Brazil. Nigeria, India, Mexico and Indonesia are the other top producers of papaya. In the U.S., most papayas are imported from Hawaii.
A one-half cup serving of papaya contains only 25 calories and no fat, cholesterol or sodium. Papaya is also a good source of vitamin C and provides a small amount of vitamin A.
Papaya for Fighting Cancer
Nam Dang, M.D., Ph.D. Researcher with the University of Florida in Gainesville, says in his native Vietnam, some people use papaya as a form of alternative medicine. Anecdotal reports suggest a tea made from the papaya plant may help keep some types of cancer in remission.
According to Dang, the tea is made by drying the leaves in the sun until they turn brown. One leaf is then placed in a pot with boiling water and allowed to steep. The "tea" is consumed over the next two to three days. Then a new batch of tea is made. In the stories he has heard, cancer patients have used the tea for months to years to keep the disease in check and have not experienced any side effects from the homemade brew.
Without any scientific evidence, there is no way to substantiate the claims made by those who drink papaya tea. So Dang and his colleagues decided to investigate the effects of a papaya leaf extract in a laboratory. The leaf extract was used on cancer cell lines, including cancers of the breast, cervix, liver, lung and pancreas.
When the cancer cell lines were incubated with the papaya leaf extract, investigators saw a two-pronged effect. First, many of the cancer cells died. Second, the extract also boosted the immune cells, improving the ability of those cells to secrete chemicals that help the body fight cancer. Another advantage is that the papaya leaf extract had no toxic effects on normal cells.
Currently, Dang is trying to determine what components of the papaya leaf extract serve as cancer fighters. He believes a key source component may be papain, an enzyme found in the fruit and leaves of the papaya. If the beneficial ingredient can be found, it can be synthetically created in a lab. Then investigators could determine what kind of dosage is needed to fight cancer and, potentially, other immune-related diseases. Eventually, a drug made from the papaya leaf may be used in addition with traditional therapies to boost the effectiveness of cancer treatments. Dang hopes to conduct human clinical trials of papaya tea in the next few years.
For general information on cancer:
American Cancer Society National Cancer Institute
For information on healthy eating or papayas:
American Dietetic Association Centers for Disease Control and Prevention