There is a lot of spin when it comes to carrot juice and cancer. One side notes that Steve Jobs put aside traditional therapy for cancer and instead used alternatives such as drinking carrot juice for his cancer, ultimately causing his demise. Others are proponents of the benefits of carrot juice when it comes to cancer. Which one is right?
Steve Jobs, Alternative Medicine & Carrot Juice
In the matter of whether Steve Jobs opted to use only alternative medicine, such as carrot juice for cancer, he did not. He had a surgical removal of the cancer, a rare form of pancreatic cancer that responds well to surgery. The doctors diagnosed his condition in 2004, according to a commencement speech he gave at Stanford in 2005 and noted that the medical community only gave him three to six months, originally, but the type of pancreatic cancer he had, was far more treatable than first suspected. While there was a lot of hoopla that Jobs never received traditional treatment but opted only for alternative treatment, it's wrong information according to Jobs' own speech.
He eventually received a liver transplant and speculation is that the cancer spread to the liver. The transplant itself may have caused his demise since there's a number of immunosuppressant drugs given to insure the transplant success. The immunosuppressant drugs may have allowed the pancreatic cancer to return. When it does return, it returns with a vengeance.
Did Jobs harm himself by eating healthy and even drinking carrot juice? The answer is no. While carrot juice may provide nutrients necessary for a healthy body and a healthy body can rid itself of cancer, carrot juice doesn't substitute for good medical care. It will help you survive longer by simply giving your body more nutrients.
Carrot Juice and Cancer Treatment
There is a potential for carrot juice and cancer treatment because of the carotenoids, alpha carotene and beta-carotene, both powerful antioxidants. A study called, Medicinal Use of Citrus, noted that carotenoids were important cancer fighting phytonutrients. While the study was on citrus fruits, the cancer fighting properties of carotenoids remains the same regardless of the fruit or vegetable. Carrots also contain other nutrients such as calcium, vitamin B complex, K, C, D and E, in addition to phosphorous manganese and iron. When you drink one cup of carrot juice, it's like eating five cups of carrots when it comes to nutrition and there's a lot less chewing.
There are anecdotal stories of cures for leukemia and stomach cancer with carrot juice, but unfortunately very few scientific studies that includes data to back up the claim. However, there are studies that show that the precursor of vitamin A, beta-carotene, is beneficial to the prevention of cancer.
One study showed that beta-carotene from fresh produce increased the blood levels of beta-carotene and they had lower incidence of lung cancer.However, the same was not true of those who simply took a beta-carotene supplement. In fact, the opposite was true in smokers and others at high risk of cancer. The conclusion was that you experience the benefits of the beta-carotene only when it comes directly from the source, which would be carrots or other fruits and vegetables containing it.
Is there a link between carrot juice and cancer fighting? The answer is yes, but the link is more a preventative than treatment. However, supplementing the diet with carrot juice won't cause vitamin A toxicity and can prove beneficial for your health. While there's minimal evidence that carrot juice can cure cancer, there is evidence that it can lower your risk of cancer and make you healthier without any side effects.
