Linking Angiogenesis and Health
Angiogenesis is the name given to the growth of new blood vessels in your body. A healthy body uses angiogenesis to help heal wounds, rebuild a woman’s uterine lining each month and nourish a fetus during pregnancy.
However, researchers have also linked angiogenesis to the growth of cancer cells and tumors along with over 70 different chronic illnesses. Studies show inflammation in your body can lead to excessive blood vessel growth and hinder the body’s fight against debilitating and life threatening illness.
Decades of research have concluded that certain foods can help your body control inflammation and the healthy growth of blood vessels leading to the prevention of diseases such as cancer. This is called chemoprevention, a term first used by Dr. Michael Sporn in the mid-1970s. There term describes the use of natural or man made substances that block or slow the onset of disease. Mounting evidence on the role of whole food guides the list of produce we place at the center of our education, farming and research programs.
Where did it all start and where is it going?
Early in the 1970s, Researcher and Pediatric Surgeon Judah Folkman, founded the field of angiogenesis, concentrating his studies on cutting off the blood supply to cancer cells. Today the field has advanced dramatically:
- More than 1,000 laboratories worldwide study angiogenesis.
- More than 10 new anti-angiogenic cancer drugs are on the market (2011).
- More than 1.2 million patients worldwide receive anti-angiogenic therapy.
Researchers study, angiogenesis in relation to more than 70 chronic illnesses including:
- Cancer
- Heart Disease
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Macular Degeneration
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Alzheimer’s Disease
- Parkinson’s Disease
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Osteoporosis
- Asthma
- Ulcers
- Lymphoedema
- Infertility
- Lou Gehrig’s Disease
- Crohn’s Disease
- Glaucoma
- Psoriasis
- Stroke
- Diabetic Neuropathy
- Vascular Dementia
- Nasal Polyps
- Bone/Cartilage Destruction
Research & Resources
Dr. Jack N. Losso
Louisiana State University Agricultural Center
“At the present level of scientific knowledge, the best strategy to cure chronic degenerative diseases is to prevent them. Our foods including fruits, herbs, nuts, and vegetables contain naturally occurring biologically active compounds that can safely inhibit angiogenesis, a key step in the development of several chronic degenerative diseases. Let’s grow good food and enjoy it as our daily pill.”
