When I got hooked up to papaya, I swear I almost thought about becoming a modern day Dr. George Washington Carver, doing with papaya what Carver did for the peanut, that is, create hundreds products and uses from one plant.
The papaya, and all that is can do, seems almost a never ending list, I'm totally immersed in this miracle fruit. I just wanted to touch upon a very important benefit of papaya, in that studies mainly in the Far East show that papaya, when consistently consumed with green tea, dramatically reduce the risk of prostate cancer (and assumedly other forms of cancer, since a scientific theory has recently taking root that all forms of cancer are the same thing, it just attacks a different part of the body).
Prostate cancer was the subject of a study in Australia that looked at 130 prostate cancer patients and 274 hospitalized controls. The scientists found that men who consumed the most lycopene-rich fruits and vegetables such as papaya were 82% less likely to have prostate cancer. In this study, green tea also exerted a powerful anti-cancer effect. When lycopene-rich foods were consumed with green tea, the combination was even more effective, an outcome the researchers credited to their synergy. (Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2007)
It seems the studies imply not only papaya, but other lycopene rich fruits and veggies such as the tomato were part of the lycopene studies, but I got the impression that since these studies were mainly performed in the Far East, the papaya, although with lesser amounts of lycopene than the tomato, got more attention, being a more popular Far Eastern plant than the tomato, the tomato of course being the lycopene champion in the west.
Nonetheless, my daily smoothie consumption allows me to get this dynamic duo into my routine on a daily basis, by making green tea and saving it in glass containers as one of the liquids in my power smoothies, and I throw in some frozen papaya chunks as well. I wasn't clear if the two had to be consumed at the same time, and although I do in my smoothies, I wouldn't guess that is necessary.
Unlike the dynamic duo honey and cinnamon, where they know the chemical reactions that take place between the hydrogen peroxide produced from honey and the essential oils from real cinnamon (real as in Ceylon Cinnamon), I couldn't find the scientific analysis of why these two powerhouses have such an exponential effect on prostate health and cancer fighting when combined.
……but, no need for me the find every piece of scientific data before getting started, this dynamic duo has extensive research to back it up, so the green tea/papaya dynamic duo has been part of my daily regiment ever since I heard about it
A good link pertaining to this subject
Tea and lycopene protect against prostate cancer
WARNING ABOUT HAWAIIAN PAPAYA – More than one third to half of Hawaiian papayas have been genetically engineered to withstand the papaya ringspot virus, so take purchasing precautions while shopping if you are concerned about GMO foods, like I am. Unfortunately, there seems to be some accidental "cross-pollination" on organic Hawaiian papaya farms, so I will avoid Hawaiian papaya totally as a precaution. Luckily, the Whole Foods I shop at is not selling the Hawaiian papaya, it is from Belize or Guatemala. They are not certified organic, so I don't know if they are sprayed or not, but better that than GMO.
Papaya-Ginger, Green Tea Smoothie
2 1/2 cups frozen papaya chunks (avoid Hawaiian GMO papaya)
1 cup ice cubes
2 cups more or less cold or room temperature green tea
handful of diced banana, preferably frozen (to give smoothie a frothy, milkshake texture)
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
dash of Ceylon cinnamon
1 tablespoon quality honey, my fav is Manuka Honey
Juice of 2 lemons
16 fresh mint leaves, plus 4 sprigs for garnish
Blend papaya, ice, cold or room temperature green tea, ginger, honey, banana, and lemon juice in a blender. Add more green tea until mixture is smooth and thinned to desired consistency. Blend in mint leaves. Garnish with mint sprigs.
~stay healthy~
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My Top 10 Prostate Health Superfooods Go to all my articles in "Eat Smart", the science of food
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