A SENIOR Doctor in Microbiology and Immunology from Taiwan warns of the precarious health situation Bruneians are in with regards to their eating habits and the water they consume.

Dr Andy Sun, a senior physician in National Taiwan University Hospital and an authoritative figure in the field of immunology, is in Brunei to conduct two seminars on cancer prevention and immunology. The seminars are scheduled for 2pm today, and 7.15pm tomorrow.

Speaking on local delicacies like nasi katok (fried chicken rice), pisang goreng (fried bananas), currypuff, poh-piah (fried spring rolls) and satay, Dr Sun said that these are some of the most unhealthy, even deadly food that anyone can take.

"These deep fried or barbequed delicacies are the main culprits for people getting cancer. One of the main reasons for people getting cancer is saturated fatty acids, which is aplenty in these foods," said Dr Sun.

Asked if there are any ways to neutralise the toxins being consumed from these delicacies, Dr Sun said that people should ensure at least 50 per cent of vegetables and fruits in their daily meals.

"We should eat at least 20 per cent of fruits and 30 per cent of vegetables in our daily consumption. Food like tomatoes, chilli, ginger, onions and garlic are useful to help with neutralising or clearing toxins from the body," said Dr Sun.

"Fruits like orange, grapefruit are top of the list of fruits that are useful. Usually, the colour of the food can be a sign to gauge how useful it is against toxins.

"The top colours to look out for in vegetables and fruits are purple, red and black, next will be green, followed by yellow, light yellow and white."

"Immunity is another important aspect to preventing cancer, and food with nucleic acid, like seafood and various types of beans are richest in providing that," added Dr Sun.

When asked about water, which is also an important avenue for detoxification, Dr Sun then commented on distilled water and reverse-osmosis (RO) water, the most common drink of Bruneians.

"Many people have the misconception that such water is very healthy. However, besides being clean, such water is not exactly healthy for the human body," said Dr Sun. As distilled and RO water have almost zero minerals, they are not useful to build immunity and to maintain the body system.

According to Dr Sun, studies had already been carried out many years ago by scientists on different types of water namely, water of different levels of "hardness".

Taiwan's Dr Andy Sun is in Brunei to conduct two seminars on cancer prevention and immunity system todayand tomorrow. Water contains minerals, mainly calcium and magnesium. Water with 100 parts of calcium and 100 parts of magnesium content will have a "hardness" of 200 milligrams per litre of water.

Results of lab tests from scientists have shown that distilled and RO water are the worst, followed by water with hardness of 1,000, 500, 300.

It was said that a water "hardness" of about 50 to 80 is best for the human body.

"This is something I want to address badly, as many people think that such 'pure' water is good for our health.

"But while not really harming the body, such water deprives us of minerals that our body need on a daily basis," said Dr Sun.

"The whole system of controlling your diet, eating the right food, drinking the right water is the key to clearing our body toxins and building our immunity system.

"It is a little complicated, but if you spend a little time, you will understand it, and understand your body better."

-The Brunei Times/Asia News Network