Can certain foods really protect you against cancer? RealAge thinks so and reports that turmeric is just the spice for the prevention of pancreatic cancer, the very disease that just took the life of The Last Lecture guy Randy Pausch and is giving actor Patrick Swayze a run for his money.

It's curcumin, the yellow stuff found in turmeric, that works wonders on tumor cells. When researchers added the substance to cancerous pancreatic cells, production practically shut down. Thumbs up, then, for the spice that gives curry and other Far Eastern dishes it's strong and distinctive flavor.

These foods also keep pancreas happy: Onions, arugula, fish, eggs, poultry, D-fortified cereal, and dairy.

Source

Although I will expand on Randy Pausch, I imagine you're already well aware of who he is. He's the unstoppable man, who has inspired millions and millions of people around the world by his passion for life while he fights an almost impossible battle with pancreatic cancer. I learned of Dr. Pausch many months ago as Diane Sawyer interviewed him on ABC. He blew me away with his humor, dedication to his family, and outrageous courage.

His journey since his diagnosis put him on stage at the University he was a professor at, Carnegie Mellon, for his Last Lecture. This Last Lecture made it to YouTube (embedded below) and then became a best selling book, The Last Lecture. His outlook on life and stories of his childhood and career have inspired other cancer patients to fight harder and regular people to just be better. Although he's truly only concerned with getting his message across to his three young children, he's positively affected millions of others as a side effect.

Recently, President Bush was compelled to write to Randy Pausch. This can't change Randy's fate with cancer, but as a representative of the American people ... it was a fantastic way to show our appreciation for Randy setting a new standard for 'goodness' and dedicating his life to teaching others.

Source

I'm literally a sobbing crying mess as I write this. I fell in love with a dying man a few weeks ago when I caught wind of him giving an amazing gift to his students, colleagues, friends and family at Carnegie Mellon University. Randy Pausch, a computer science professor gave his Last Lecture now famous on YouTube, on September 18, 2007. Randy's lecture was called "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams." Now, I have my own spectacular husband, but I imagine anyone who knows, or knows of Randy . . . would love him very much.

For a man whose pancreas is being destroyed by a cancer that could take his life within months . . . he was hysterical, energetic, inspirational, and relentless about the idea that life can be wonderful every day, and that his days still are. He told stories of his childhood and made one of the most insightful statements I've ever heard. "Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore? Choose!"

Source

When I learn of a new cancer diagnosis -- my own or someone else's -- it makes me start contemplating life. I admit the thought of death does surface somewhere in my mind but life -- how to approach it, how to best live it, how to appreciate it -- is what mostly consumes my thoughts. That's what's happening now, now that I've heard actor Patrick Swayze has been diagnosed with one of the deadliest forms of the disease: Pancreatic cancer.

The media may want us to believe death is imminent for Swayze -- they give him just weeks to live -- but his doctors tell us otherwise. They say the Dirty Dancing star is receiving aggressive treatment, that he's pressing forward with projects, that he has a limited amount of disease in his body, that his life is not in fact over.

Swayze, 55, may be no closer to death than any one of us who might possibly fall victim to a car accident or a medical trauma. So I say he should make the most of his life, despite -- or in spite of -- his cancer diagnosis. I think you should make the most of yours too. I know I plan to.

Source

Vitamin D is a nutrient that is crucial to bone health. Older Americans greater than age 50 are thought to have a higher risk of developing vitamin D deficiency. It is found naturally in only a few foods like the oily fish salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines and fish liver oil. It is often added to milk, cereals, and orange juice. But sunlight is the main source for most people. The ultraviolet rays from sunlight stimulate the skin to produce vitamin D. Many Americans don't have enough vitamin D in their bodies.

During the winter, sun exposure is considerably less for the average person and vitamin D blood levels are usually lowest from October to April. Many individuals don't spend much time outdoors, even during the summer, and are using sunscreen as a safety measure for skin cancer. But are we at more risk for vitamin D deficiencies or skin cancer. Sunscreens block vitamin D manufacture and decrease natural production even more. In addition, individuals with darker skin make less vitamin D after the same level of sun exposure as a person with lighter skin. Sunscreens decrease natural production of vitamin D even more.

vitamin D lowers the risk of many autoimmune diseases and also lowers the risk for cancers like colon, breast, lung, pancreatic, and endometrial. Taking a daily 15 to 30 minute walk in the sunshine without sunscreen is recommended for your body to produce natural vitamin D.

Source

Yet another lesson on the importance of moderation: Swedish researchers have recently completed a study that ties high-sugar diets with an increased risk for one of the deadliest types of cancer: pancreatic. As a result of following over 77,000 patients for an average of 7 years, the researchers found that people who added five or more servings of sugar to their diet daily (sugar in coffee or tea, cereal, etc) had a 69% increase in their risk for developing the deadly disease. And people who drank 2 or more soft drinks a day increased their risk by 93%, compared to those who didn't drink soda at all.

The connection seems to be that high-sugar diets can lead to increased insulin resistance and an increased workload for the pancreas itself. I think the data about soft drinks specifically is pretty scary, not to mention the fact that I like sugar in my tea! And with pancreatic cancer most often fatal within 5 years of diagnosis, seems like a good reason to try and develop some new habits.

Source