Dear Healthy Friend,

It affects one in 83 men and one in 131 women in South Africa. But changing your diet and lifestyle are critical to preventing colon cancer from ever striking you. And now there's new support to help you fight against the deadly killer. Find out what it is below...

In the name of good health,

Taryn Strugnell
Managing Editor of Nutrition & Healing

P.S. In Health Bytes on Monday, you read about the benefits of green tea. I asked Dr Wright about Rooibos tea, he delves into the pros and cons of this South African favourite below.

Stop worrying about colon cancer with this friendly bacteria
Christine O’Brien
Contributor to Nutrition & Healing

I have great news for anyone who's worrying about colon cancer.

The British Journal of Nutrition contains a new study from Germany that shows prebiotics could actually prevent the growth, and promote the death, of cancer cells in the colon.

The study shows that when exposing human colon cells representing early and late stages of cancer to prebiotics, the early stage cells respond "more sensitively". Which means prebiotics could actually stop early stage colon cancer.

This research supports animal studies that already show prebiotics (and probiotics) may reduce the risk of colon cancer. But it seems to be the first that's shown that prebiotics could actually stop the development of the cancer.

By now, probiotics (the healthy bacteria that live in your gut) is a household word. But not everyone is as familiar with prebiotics - fermented food that nourishes those friendly bacteria and helps them thrive.

Prebiotics also prove their worth when it comes to boosting the immune system and helping with weight loss.

So get down to your local pharmacy or health shop for a healthy dose of good bacteria today

Caffeine-free... but is it good for you?

Q: Recently, I saw something called "red tea" in the stores with the label saying it was caffeine-free. Could this version give me the same health benefits of tea without the caffeine?

Dr. Wright: "Red tea", or rooibos, isn't actually tea at all. It comes from the plant Aspalanthus linearis that grows primarily in South Africa. True tea comes from the Camellia sinensis plant. The only difference between the various teas - the black, green and white varieties - that come from the Camellia sinensis plant is the amount of time spent in processing. That process affects how much of the original health benefits remain in the tea. Generally, the less processing time, the better. White tea is the least processed of all, and carries the most significant health benefits. Black tea is the most processed and thus has the least of the stellar health benefits - but they are present, nonetheless.

The tricky part here is that the manufacturers are calling rooibos “tea” when, technically, it isn't, and they're saying it has all the health benefits that tea offers without the caffeine. That could be slightly misleading. Rooibos does contain some polyphenols, which have proven to ward off some forms of cancer. But studies show it contains about half as many polyphenols as green tea, although the marketing claims say the polyphenol content is equal. It also appears to have minimal amounts of calcium, potassium, zinc and magnesium than is found in true teas.

This isn't to say that rooibos isn't good for you - we've been using it for years to soothe upset stomachs and relieve hay fever symptoms. But while it might offer its own unique benefits, rooibos clearly is not real tea's health equivalent.