By Rangga Teguh Pratama
Vitamin C is a great team player in the antioxidant defense system. It protects against free radical damage and keeps the linings of our lungs, stomach, and reproductive organs in good repair. In grade school we learned that orange juice is a potent source of vitamin C, but that's just the beginning.
To illustrate vitamin C's importance, let's look at lung cancer. Needless to say, smoking is a big part of the problem. Compared to a nonsmoker, a lifetime smoker has twenty to thirty times the risk of getting lung cancer. Secondhand smoke is dangerous, too, increasing lung cancer risk by 30 to 50 percent. But just as tobacco increases the risk of cancer, foods rich in vitamin C reduce the likelihood that lung cancer will start. In other words, you can protect the delicate linings of your lungs against pollutants with vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables at every meal.
Both non-smokers and smokers benefit from these foods. Let's compare two fifty-five-year-old smokers, Veggie Vic and Pretzel Pete. Veggie's typical menu on any given day looks something like this: oatmeal with fresh berries, a slice of cantaloupe, and a cup of tea for breakfast, a banana and orange juice smoothie for a snack and a veggie sub on wheat bread for lunch and hearty pasta with tomatoes, eggplant, and basil for dinner. With his preference for these healthy and delicious foods, Vic has just one-quarter the risk of dying from lung cancer during the next four years, compared with Pete, who munches on pretzels and other highly refined foods, hardly thinking of eating a vegetable or a fruit.
Vitamin C is a great team player in the antioxidant defense system. It protects against free radical damage and keeps the linings of our lungs, stomach, and reproductive organs in good repair. In grade school we learned that orange juice is a potent source of vitamin C, but that's just the beginning.
To illustrate vitamin C's importance, let's look at lung cancer. Needless to say, smoking is a big part of the problem. Compared to a nonsmoker, a lifetime smoker has twenty to thirty times the risk of getting lung cancer. Secondhand smoke is dangerous, too, increasing lung cancer risk by 30 to 50 percent. But just as tobacco increases the risk of cancer, foods rich in vitamin C reduce the likelihood that lung cancer will start. In other words, you can protect the delicate linings of your lungs against pollutants with vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables at every meal.
Both non-smokers and smokers benefit from these foods. Let's compare two fifty-five-year-old smokers, Veggie Vic and Pretzel Pete. Veggie's typical menu on any given day looks something like this: oatmeal with fresh berries, a slice of cantaloupe, and a cup of tea for breakfast, a banana and orange juice smoothie for a snack and a veggie sub on wheat bread for lunch and hearty pasta with tomatoes, eggplant, and basil for dinner. With his preference for these healthy and delicious foods, Vic has just one-quarter the risk of dying from lung cancer during the next four years, compared with Pete, who munches on pretzels and other highly refined foods, hardly thinking of eating a vegetable or a fruit.
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