HealthBeat News

Category: Cancer

  • Two Foods That Make You Stoopid ("False Dementia")

    By Dr. Dana Myatt

     

    A brief survey of my Ketone Zone book reviewers revealed that cancer is not their most-feared disease. It ranks second. The biggest fear is dementia. No one wants to lose their marbles to Alzheimer’s or some other non-Alzheimer’s brain fog.

    So let’s talk about two foods that can dumb you down just as surely as opium and related compounds. [NOTE: in very specific pain situations, such as post-surgery or advanced cancer pain, opium and related opioid compounds are good drugs. But for those who are not in pain, these drugs just make you stupid.]

    All simple carbohydrate foods can be stupid-making. High blood sugars, whether high enough to be outright diabetes or just high-normal "borderline diabetes,” increases the risk of dementia.

    High blood sugars also increase the risk of many cancers by as much as 200%.

    Eating simple carbohydrates increases blood sugar levels; higher blood sugar levels increase the risk of the two most common health concerns, dementia and cancer. Why risk it? Just decreasing simple carbohydrate intake drops these risks dramatically. I’ve warned about the dangers of carbs for a long time. Here’s a good summary of these dangers: 10 Dangers Of Carbohydrates

    However, the two foods I’m talking about right now are not just simple carbohydrates. These two foods act like opium in the body. Opium is a natural narcotic. Drugs in this class – opioids – are used to treat moderate to severe pain. Medications in the opioid class include hydrocodone (Vicodin), oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet), morphine (Kadian, Avinza) and codeine. Heroin is also in this class.

    One of the side effects of drugs in this class is confusion. That’s why a person using such drugs for pain is advised to exercise extreme caution when driving. I’d say better yet, if you are taking drugs in this class, you should not be driving at all. In children, these effects can manifest as autism. In both children and adults, schizophrenia is also a possible result.

    You may not be using any of these opium drugs, but many people eat foods on a daily basis that acts like opium because it binds to the opium receptor in the body, stimulating similar effects. Are you a drug addict and don’t know it? Could that be the cause of your memory problems?

    The two "offender foods" are wheat (gluten) and dairy (casein). Specifically, an inability to completely digest gluten (found in wheat, rye barley and oats) and/or casein found in milk can result in the production of neuropeptides that are chemically similar to morphine. A neuropeptide is a small protein molecule that acts as a neurotransmitter. Neurotransmitters are "brain hormones." Other neurotransmitters that are more familiar to most include serotonin, dopamine, epinephrine (adrenaline).

    These peptides, called gliadorphin and casomorphin, can have effects similar to opium in the body and brain. Notice the "orphin/morphin" in their names. They are so named because they bind to the same receptor as morphine. They stimulate the morphine receptors, causing morphine effects.

    How does this happen?

    Gliadin and casein are proteins that are often not completely broken down by the human digestive tract. Instead, they are only partly broken down into peptides, or protein fragments. That might not be such a bad thing, except that the peptides from these particular proteins are opioids. Opioids are morphine-like substances with effects on the brain and other organs.

    Gliadorphin (also known as gluteomorphin) and casomorphin are known to have opiate effects and are ingested when one eats grain or dairy products.

    It’s not just the obvious foods like bread or pasta or that healthy breakfast cereal or milk or yoghurt or cheese – but foods that you might never suspect to contain wheat or dairy products.

    French fries or potato chips should be OK for someone with a gluten / gliadin sensitivity, right? Wrong – many commercial fries are dusted with wheat flour during manufacture to prevent them from sticking together. And casein is a common food additive that is often found in imitation sausages, infant formula, processed meats, soups, energy bars, drinks, and many other packaged foods – even toothpaste!

    Not Everyone Is Sensitive

    Some people digest these foods past the "opioid peptide" stage and do not suffer opioid effects. This is similar to "lactose intolerance" where some people can digest the sugar in milk and some cannot, based on what enzymes we naturally produce.

    At this point, however, it appears that a surprising number of people are gluten and/or casein sensitive, meaning they cannot fully digest these substances and will therefore suffer the opioid effects of these foods.

    How Can You Know If These Foods Are Affecting Your Memory?

    If you have ANY symptoms that are similar to opium/morphine/heroine, including memory problems, there are several ways to find out if gluten or casein (wheat or dairy) is a contributing factor:

    1. avoid these foods entirely and see if it helps (this can be difficult because there are many "hidden" sources)
    2. get tested for the enzymes and find out if you are lacking in either. The Gluten/Casein Peptides Test  requires a small amount of first morning urine to evaluate for both gluten and casein peptides.
    3. At the very least, take digestive enzymes as a replacement for what you might be missing.

    Since both wheat and dairy (especially milk) are high in carbohydrates which causes a host of other health problems, there is good reason to avoid these foods. That is the least expensive and overall healthiest option.

    Avoid gluten-containing foods and dairy, save your health, save your brain. Isn’t it great when those two get "saved" together?!

    References

    Crane P.K., Walker R., Hubbard R.A, et al. Glucose Levels and Risk of Dementia. N Engl J Med. 2013 Aug 8;369(6):540-8.

    Crawley DJ, Holmberg L, Melvin JC, Loda M, Chowdhury S, Rudman SM, Van Hemelrijck M. Serum glucose and risk of cancer: a meta-analysis. BMC Cancer. 2014 Dec 19;14:985.

    B.Windham (Ed), Autism and Schizophrenia subgroup related to blockage by toxic exposures of enzymes processing gluten and casein. 2008. http://www.flcv.com/autismgc.html

    Review of the potential health impact of β-casomorphins and related peptides. Report of the DATEX Working Group on β-casomorphins. Issued on 29 January 2009
    [Nurse Mark Comment: This European government paper is working very, very hard to find that these casomorphins are not worth following up on – "don’t worry, be happy…" But there is a vast amount of information within the paper that contradicts that position – and all well referenced.] http://www.bezpecnostpotravin.cz

  • From Toxic Herb To Anti-Aging Wonder Drug – A Cinderella Story

    By Nurse Mark

     

    How a toxic plant may have become the anti-aging, anti-cancer wonder-drug of the near future.

    Ancient middle-eastern sheep and goat-herders couldn’t help but notice that when their animals ate a certain plant they produced more milk. The pretty, summer-flowering Galega officinalis was known variously as galega, goat’s-rue, French lilac, Italian fitch, or professor-weed and while initially native to the Middle East it also spread to Europe and some parts of Asia and Pakistan and can now be found throughout the Americas where it was introduced as a forage plant. It now grows wild in only one part of Utah and is considered to be an agricultural pest by the federal government.

    During the middle ages, healers found that teas and extracts of the plant could stimulate milk production in new mothers, but that it had to be used carefully as it could also be toxic – not only to the mother, but also to the baby. More importantly, ancient physicians also found that it had value in treating the thirst and frequent passing of sugary urine that were the symptoms of the disease we now know as diabetes.

    However, all was not so well with the use of this plant, and the ancient healers found that if too much was given the patient could experience some very dangerous side effects such as spasms or even seizures, pulmonary edema (a buildup of fluid in the lungs) and tracheal and pharyngeal frothing and coughing, hypotension (low blood pressure), and even paralysis, coma, and death if high enough doses were taken! This was not a remedy to be used lightly…

    Unbeknownst to the ancient healers, goat’s rue contains large concentrations of a substance related to guanidine which certainly decreases blood sugar but is far too toxic to be used safely in humans.

    Still, the historical use of goat’s rue for treating diabetes did not escape the notice of early 20th century physicians and researchers, and around the time of the First World War a less toxic alkaloid, galegine, was identified in goat’s rue by French researchers. Galegine was found to have a positive action on blood sugar in diabetics and was indeed less toxic than the other guanidines in goat’s rue. Unfortunately the duration of action was very short and although there were a few human studies in the 1920’s, it was not a practical answer.

    Researchers persevered however, and their efforts led to the synthesis of biguanides which were related to the guanides but were far less toxic. The biguanides were seen as compounds with greater potential and three of them, phenformin, buformin, and metformin, would go on to be offered as drugs for the treatment of diabetes. Phenformin and buformin were eventually withdrawn because of undesirable side effects, but Metformin has proven to be safe and effective and is now considered a first-line drug for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes.

    Though Metformin was developed and approved for use in England in 1957 our own FDA took another over 3 decades more to approve the drug for use in the US. Well over a half century of use has not only proven Metformin to be effective and safe in the treatment of diabetes, it has given doctors and researchers ample opportunity to discover some of the drugs other, non-diabetes related benefits.

    Unfortunately for Metformin some patients using the related but dissimilar drug Phenformin went on to develop a dangerous condition called lactic acidosis which in a few cases led to death. Phenformin was promptly withdrawn from use and Metformin, even though very different in its metabolism and having never been associated with lactic acidosis, was banned along with Phenformin by several countries. This cast a chill over the use of Metformin that would take it years to recover from.

    It took until 1995 for Metformin to once again find favor in the US, and since then doctors have found that besides blood glucose control, metformin use reduced the risks of myocardial infarction (heart attack) and all-cause mortality. Additionally, nephrologists (kidney specialists) believe that metformin is helpful in kidney disease. Metformin is now also being used to treat polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), gestational diabetes and is showing significant promise in the prevention and treatment of cancer.

    With all these benefits coming to light you might think Metformin could comfortably rest on its laurels, but no, there’s more – there is growing evidence of its potential to extend lifespan and wellness in humans. This evidence has become so strong that the mighty FDA has bowed to pressure and has now approved not one, but 2 long-term clinical trials intended to validate in humans the results of earlier studies that prove longevity extension in lab animals.

    There you have it – a “rags to riches” story – from helpful but toxic herb to a drug that may extend our human lifespan.

    Is it any wonder that progressive doctors like Dr. Myatt feel that this is such an important drug? Dr. Myatt has been recommending Metformin to her patients, especially her longevity patients and cancer patients, for many years.

  • Vitamin K – A Longevity Vitamin

    By Nurse Mark

     

    Vitamin K is well known for its role in blood clotting. So much so that otherwise well-meaning but under-informed doctors sometimes warn their patients away from Vitamin K and from foods containing Vitamin K out of fear that it might somehow make them have blood clots. Those are invariably the doctors who are also quick to prescribe Coumadin (AKA “Warfarin” – the rat poison) at the least hint of a DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) or atrial fibrillation.

    But did you know that Vitamin K – “the clotting vitamin’ – can also help you to live longer, have stronger bones, and have less risk of  “hardening of the arteries” (arterial calcification) as you age? Not only that, there are studies that show Vitamin K improves insulin sensitivity in both healthy subjects and in those with Type II Diabetes and that Vitamin K has a powerful cancer-preventative effect!

    Here are some quick facts about Vitamin K:

    Discovered in 1935 it is actually two related substances: Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) is the main form of the vitamin that we get from diet. Vitamin K2 (menaquinone-7 and menaquinone-4) is obtained in lesser amounts from diet and is mostly a product of our bodies conversion of Vitamin K1 to Vitamin K2. It is becoming clear to researchers that each of these forms of Vitamin K is vital to our health, and that each form has very different actions.

    How important is Vitamin K?

    In one study published in 2014, in a group of more than 7,000 people at high risk for cardiovascular disease, the people with the highest intake of vitamin K were 36 percent less likely to die from any cause at all, compared with those having the lowest intake. (1)

    In another study, researchers found that people with the highest intake of vitamin K2 were 57 percent less likely to die of coronary heart disease compared with those with the lowest intake (2) showing the importance of both forms of Vitamin K.

    In yet another study, women with the highest intake of vitamin K2 were found to be at a 20 percent lower risk for coronary artery calcification (hardening of the arteries)  than women with the lowest intake. Interestingly, that same study found that vitamin K1 had no significant impact – once again showing the importance of obtaining both forms of Vitamin K. (3)

    Vitamin K has been recognized by the European Food Safety Authority (Europe’s version of our FDA) as being important to bone, heart and blood vessel health. (4)

    Along with its proven effect at lessening arterial calcification, Vitamin K has been shown in study after study to reduce osteoporosis and bone loss, and to increase bone density (and thus strength) in the spine and in hip bones – two places where osteoporosis is most likely to hit aging people, especially aging women, the hardest.  (5, 6, 7, 8)

    Diabetes is a condition that is often characterized by high levels of body-wide inflammation. In addition to being at lower risk for fractures related to osteoporosis, diabetics with the highest Vitamin K1 intakes show reduced inflammatory markers related to diabetes. (9) Additional studies related to diabetes have shown increased insulin sensitivity and improved blood glucose control even in non-diabetic, healthy people and even a reduced risk of ever developing Type II diabetes! (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)

    Cancer is a threat to anyone, young or old – but as we age we run an ever-increasing risk of developing some form of this dread disease. Can Vitamin K come to the rescue? While it is not a “silver bullet” against cancer, Vitamin K was shown in a large European study to slash the risk of death from cancer by a whopping 28 percent for those taking the higher amounts of Vitamin K versus people taking the lowest amounts. (15)

    Men, Vitamin K is for you too: A related European study found an amazing 63 percent lower risk of advanced prostate cancer in men taking higher doses of Vitamin K2. (16)

    Colon cancer may prove to be vulnerable to the health-giving effects of Vitamin K: a study that placed human colon cancer cells into laboratory mice found that Vitamin K induced apoptosis (cell death) and suppressed the growth of the implanted tumors. (17, 18)

    And liver cancer, often a tragic result of AIDS or alcoholism or an infection with the hepatitis B or C virus, can be helped: several human studies have shown that supplementation with Vitamin K after the surgical removal of the hepatocellular carcinoma cancer lesion reduces the recurrence and improves survival in those stricken with this aggressive and deadly cancer. (19, 20)

    But is it safe? In a word, YES.

    Even for people using blood thinners, Vitamin K supplementation is safe.

    The blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin) actually works by suppressing the normal, healthy effects of Vitamin D, and recent studies are proving that those using this antiquated “blood thinner” are actually at increased risk for developing arterial calcification – actually putting them at increased risk of having the very cardiac or cardiovascular disasters that the drugs were meant to prevent! (21, 22)

    The effects of more modern blood thinners  like Pradaxa (dabigatran) and Eliquis (apixaban) are not affected by vitamin K intake and so it is safe and appropriate to take full-dose vitamin K without worry of counteracting the desired anticoagulant effects of the drugs.

    In any event – DO NOT stop taking any anticoagulant drug without talking with your doctor first!

    You can find a very high quality Vitamin K supplement that provides both the Vitamin K1 and Vitamin K2 (Vitamin K2 in both the longer-acting menaquinone-7 and more immediate-acting menaquinone-4 sub-types. Yes, that is very important!) at Dr. Myatt’s Wellness Club. Dr. Myatt recommends one softgel capsule daily of Super K, or as directed by your health care practitioner.

    For any of us, and especially those of us who are getting a little older and concerned with atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, diabetes, and cancer, Vitamin K is a great way to help address and minimize many of the leading causes of death facing us in today’s modern American.

     

    Find Dr. Myatt’s recommended Vitamin K supplement here:

     

    References:

    1.)    Juanola-Falgarona M, Salas-Salvado J, Martinez-Gonzalez MA, et al. Dietary Intake of Vitamin K Is Inversely Associated with Mortality Risk. J Nutr. 2014 May;144(5):743-50.
    2.)    Geleijnse JM, Vermeer C, Grobbee DE, et al. Dietary intake of menaquinone is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease: the Rotterdam Study. J Nutr. 2004 Nov;134(11):3100-5.
    3.)    Beulens JW, Bots ML, Atsma F, et al. High dietary menaquinone intake is associated with reduced coronary calcification. Atherosclerosis. 2009 Apr;203(2):489-93.
    4.)        http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/1228
    5.)    Braam LA, Knapen MH, Geusens P, et al. Vitamin K1 supplementation retards bone loss in postmenopausal women between 50 and 60 years of age. Calcif Tissue Int. 2003 Jul;73(1):21-6.
    6.)    Purwosunu Y, Muharram, Rachman IA, Reksoprodjo S, Sekizawa A. Vitamin K2 treatment for postmenopausal osteoporosis in Indonesia. J Obstet Gynaecol Res. 2006 Apr;32(2):230-4.
    7.)    Knapen MH, Schurgers LJ, Vermeer C. Vitamin K2 supplementation improves hip bone geometry and bone strength indices in postmenopausal women. Osteoporos Int. 2007 Jul;18(7):963-72.
    8.)    Knapen MH, Drummen NE, Smit E, Vermeer C, Theuwissen E. Three-year low-dose menaquinone-7 supplementation helps decrease bone loss in healthy postmenopausal women. Osteoporos Int. 2013 Sep;24(9):2499-507.
    9.)    Juanola-Falgarona M, Salas-Salvado J, Estruch R, et al. Association between dietary phylloquinone intake and peripheral metabolic risk markers related to insulin resistance and diabetes in elderly subjects at high cardiovascular risk. Cardiovasc Diabetol. 2013;12:7.
    10.) Yoshida M, Booth SL, Meigs JB, Saltzman E, Jacques PF. Phylloquinone intake, insulin sensitivity, and glycemic status in men and women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Jul;88(1):210-5.
    11.) Ibarrola-Jurado N, Salas-Salvado J, Martinez-Gonzalez MA, Bullo M. Dietary phylloquinone intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in elderly subjects at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Nov;96(5):1113-8.
    12.) Yoshida M, Jacques PF, Meigs JB, et al. Effect of vitamin K supplementation on insulin resistance in older men and women. Diabetes Care. 2008 Nov;31(11):2092-6.
    13.) Choi HJ, Yu J, Choi H, et al. Vitamin K2 supplementation improves insulin sensitivity via osteocalcin metabolism: a placebo-controlled trial. Diabetes Care. 2011 Sep;34(9):e147.
    14.) Beulens JW, van der AD, Grobbee DE, Sluijs I, Spijkerman AM, van der Schouw YT. Dietary phylloquinone and menaquinones intakes and risk of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2010 Aug;33(8):1699-705.
    15.) Nimptsch K, Rohrmann S, Kaaks R, Linseisen J. Dietary vitamin K intake in relation to cancer incidence and mortality: results from the Heidelberg cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Heidelberg). Am J Clin Nutr. 2010 May;91(5):1348-58.
    16.) Nimptsch K, Rohrmann S, Linseisen J. Dietary intake of vitamin K and risk of prostate cancer in the Heidelberg cohort of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Heidelberg). Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Apr;87(4):985-92.
    17.) Ogawa M, Nakai S, Deguchi A, et al. Vitamins K2, K3 and K5 exert antitumor effects on established colorectal cancer in mice by inducing apoptotic death of tumor cells. Int J Oncol. 2007 Aug;31(2):323-31.
    18.) Kawakita H, Tsuchida A, Miyazawa K, et al. Growth inhibitory effects of vitamin K2 on colon cancer cell lines via different types of cell death including autophagy and apoptosis. Int J Mol Med. 2009 Jun;23(6):709-16.
    19.) Kakizaki S, Sohara N, Sato K, et al. Preventive effects of vitamin K on recurrent disease in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma arising from hepatitis C viral infection. J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2007 Apr;22(4):518-22.
    20.) Mizuta T, Ozaki I, Eguchi Y, et al. The effect of menatetrenone, a vitamin K2 analog, on disease recurrence and survival in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after curative treatment: a pilot study. Cancer. 2006 Feb 15;106(4):867-72.
    21.) Price PA, Faus SA, Williamson MK. Warfarin causes rapid calcification of the elastic lamellae in rat arteries and heart valves. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1998 Sep;18(9):1400-7.
    22.) McCabe KM, Booth SL, Fu X, et al. Dietary vitamin K and therapeutic warfarin alter the susceptibility to vascular calcification in experimental chronic kidney disease. Kidney Int. 2013 May;83(5):835-44.

  • Breast Cancer Month: My Thoughts

    By Dr. Dana Myatt

     

    In recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I offer the latest medical updates on breast cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment with my "No B.S." (Bad Science), take-no-prisoners commentary. Let’s start with prevention.

    Bogus Prevention: Mammograms

    Mammograms are not prevention; they are “early detection.” But they’re not even good at what they are supposed to do.
    In addition to the 30-50% of women who have unnecessary biopsies for “false negative results,” several large meta-analyses have shown NO DECREASE IN BREAST CANCER MORTALITY due to Mammograms (1).

    Even if mammography was effective in lowering breast cancer rates, the 5-year overall survival rates for women with stage II breast cancer is 83.6%. This means that 16.4% of women diagnosed with stage II breast cancer will not live for 5 years.(2)

    And guess what? One study this “pink ribbon” month of Oct. has shown that previous use of conventional hormone replacement therapy is not only associated with a significant increase in breast cancer risk, but the type of breast cancer is the more advanced, more difficult to treat kind, already metastasized to lymph nodes. (3)

    More Problems with “Early Diagnosis”

    An unbelievable 59% of women who die from breast cancer don’t actually die from the cancer, they die as a result of complications of surgery, typically within the first 30 days. These deaths are not currently counted in the “cancer-related deaths” statistics.(4)

    If you read my “Why the Little Pink Ribbon Has Me Seeing Red” article, you already know that conventional diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer have lowered the mortality rate by a whopping 1.7% in the last decade or so, and all of this benefit appears due to women flocking away from conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in 2002-2003, not from mammograms or new treatments.

    Instead of the “big deal” of 1.7%, let’s talk about some truly meaningful numbers ¬ ways to reduce breast cancer risk by upwards of 50% or more, all natural.

    REAL Prevention:

    1.) Maintain a normal weight. If you won’t do that, at least consider losing some of your extra fat. Fat cells manufacture estrogen, and excess estrogen is a “smoking gun” for breast cancer. How much can you lower your risk? A Whopping 57% decreased risk for 22 pounds lost, even if you have much more than 22 extra pounds of fat. Learn more about the huge prevention benefits of weight loss, including the numbers, in my Little Pink Ribbon article.

    2.) Exercise: even a little bit, which has many other health benefits besides, can dramatically lower your breast cancer risk. A total of 5 hours per week of moderate exercise, like walking, can lower breast cancer risk by an unbelievable 47%.

    3.) Correct hormone imbalances, especially high estrogen, and avoid use of conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and birth control pills. (5,6) Get the full story here in my Little Pink Ribbon article.

    4.) Nutritional supplements:

    I.) Vit D: Women with vitamin D levels above 52 ng/ml have as much as a 50% reduction of breast cancer rates.(7)
    Vitamin D testing is simple and inexpensive. So are vitamin D supplements.

    II.) Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s – a.k.a. fish oil): One study found a 32% lower incidence of breast cancer in women taking fish oil supplements. (8,9) Because fish oil (specifically, EPA and DHA) are also beneficial to the heart, brain and bones, supplementation for every reason is recommended. Recommended dose: Maxi Marine O-3: 2 caps per day. “Regular” fish oil (lower potency): 6 caps per day.

    III.) Lignans are a special type of fiber found in certain plants including flaxseed, pumpkin, sunflower and poppy seeds, whole grains (rye, oats, barley), fruits (especially berries) and vegetables. Flax seed is one of the highest sources of lignans.

    Lignans inhibits estrogen production, blocks estrogen receptors in a manner similar to tamoxifen, increases 2-OH estrone (considered a “good” kind of estrogen because it does not stimulate the growth of breast cancer), and lowers the risk of metastasis.(10,11)

    An easy way to get high lignans in the diet is to consume ground flax seeds (flax seed meal). Try Dr. Myatt’s Bread recipe or Dr. Myatt’s Blueberry muffins for a quick, delicious way to get a big dose of nutrients, including flax seed meal, into your diet.

    IV.) DIM’s: Diindolemethanes, the “magic” found in cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and other cruciferous veggies, helps the body process and clear excess estrogen. (12,13)

    It is difficult to get enough DIM’s from diet alone, both because you would need to eat a large amount of cruciferous vegetables AND because heat destroys the active ingredient. Also, high doses of crucifers can lower thyroid function. Obtaining DIM’s from supplements is an easy way to achieve meaningful levels of DIMs without lowering thyroid function or turning into a Brussels sprout.

    V.) Turmeric. Research has shown that turmeric inhibits breast cancer cell growth, prevents tumors from invading surrounding tissue, causes cancer cell death and increases effectiveness of chemotherapy while protecting against negative side effects. (14-17)

    Other natural substances which show promise in breast cancer prevention: green tea, medicinal mushrooms, calcium glucarate.

    Summary:

    Maintenance of a healthy weight, moderate exercise and a good diet supplemented with a few simple nutrients is far more powerful at preventing breast cancer than 100 mammograms and billions of dollars spent on cancer research.

    References:
    1.) Gotzsche PC, Nielsen M. Screening for breast cancer with mammography. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2006, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD001877. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001877.pub2.
    2.) National Cancer Institute; http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/breast.html#incidence-mortality (see “Stage and Survival).
    3.) Chlebowski, R. TheJournal of the American Medical Association, Oct. 20, 2010; vol 304: pp 1684-1692.News release, American Medical Association.Bach, P. The Journal of the American Medical Association, Oct. 20, 2010; vol 304: pp 1719-1720.
    4.) H. Gilbert Welch and William C. Black. Are Deaths Within 1 Month of Cancer-Directed Surgery Attributed to Cancer? JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst (2002) 94 (14): 1066-1070. doi: 10.1093/jnci/94.14.1066.
    5.) Farmer, P. “Xenobiotics and Cancer. Implications for Chemical Carcinogenesis and Cancer Chemotherapy.” Br J Cancer. 1992 December; 66(6): 1208.
    6.) Gottleib, S. “FDA insists oestrogen products for menopause carry a warning.” BMJ. 2003 January 18; 326(7381): 126.
    7.) Garland, C.F., et al. 2007. Vitamin D and prevention of breast cancer: pooled analysis., J Steroid Biochem Mol BiolMar;103(3-5):708-11.
    8.) Brasky TM, Lampe JW, Potter JD, Patterson RE, White E. Specialty supplements and breast cancer risk in the VITamins And Lifestyle (VITAL) Cohort. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2010 Jul;19(7):1696-708.
    9.) Kim J, Lim SY, Shin A, Sung MK, Ro J, Kang HS, Lee KS, Kim SW, Lee ES. Fatty fish and fish omega-3 fatty acid intakes decrease the breast cancer risk: a case-control study. BMC Cancer 2009 Jun 30;9(1):216.
    10.) Marina S. Touillaud, Anne C. M. Thiébaut, Agnès Fournier, Maryvonne Niravong, Marie-Christine Boutron-Ruault and Françoise Clavel-Chapelon. Dietary Lignan Intake and Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Risk by Estrogen and Progesterone Receptor Status. JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst (2007) 99 (6): 475-486.
    11.) American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 2008 Annual Meeting: Abstract 4162. Presented April 15, 2008.
    12.) Wong, G,. et al., “Dose-ranging study of I-3-C for breast cancer prevention,” J. Cell Biochem 1997; 29-29:111-116.
    13.) Fishman J., Schneider J., Hershcope RJ., Bradlow HL. Increased estrogen 16-alpha-hydroxylase activity in women with breast and endometrial cancer. J Steroid Biochem. 1984; 20(4B): 1077-1081.
    14.) 14. Holy JM. Curcumin disrupts mitotic spindle structure and induces micronucleation in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Mutat Res. 2002 Jun 27;518(1):71-84.
    15.) Shao ZM, Shen ZZ, Liu CH, et al. Curcumin exerts multiple suppressive effects on human breast carcinoma cells. Int J Cancer. 2002;98:234-40.
    16.) Choudhuri T, Pal S, Agwarwal ML, Das T, Sa G. Curcumin induces apoptosis in human breast cancer cells through p53- dependent Bax induction. FEBS Lett. 2002;512:334-40.
    17.) Ramsewak RS, DeWitt DL, Nair MG. Cytotoxicity, antioxidant and antiinflammatory activities of curcumins I-III from Curcuma long Phytomedicine. 2000;7:303-8.

  • Vitamin D And Prostate Cancer: A New Connection

    By Nurse Mark

     

    We’ve written about Vitamin D so much that you might have become jaded about the subject. But Vitamin D is an amazing vitamin – hormone that almost daily has new studies showing its value in treatment of an ever-widening array of diseases.

    For all you men out there “of a certain age” who must be concerned with prostate health and the very real specter of prostate cancer, Vitamin D just earned itself  a whole new level of respect.

    Scientists at this year’s 249th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Denver learned about research showing that taking vitamin D supplements could slow or even reverse the progression of less aggressive, or low-grade, prostate tumors without the need for surgery or radiation.

    In his lecture before the ACS, Dr. Bruce Hollis of the Medical University of South Carolina detailed his new research suggesting that vitamin D supplementation  may improve low-grade prostate cancers by reducing inflammation, perhaps lessening the need for eventual surgery or radiation treatment. “We don’t know yet whether vitamin D treats or prevents prostate cancer,” says Hollis. “At the minimum, what it may do is keep lower-grade prostate cancers from going ballistic.”

    This new information reinforced findings of his previous research which showed that men with low-grade prostate cancer who took vitamin D supplements for a year had a 55 percent decreased Gleason score or even complete disappearance of their tumors compared to their biopsies a year before.

    And what about other cancers? Is it just prostate cancer? Here is an excerpt from Dr. Hollis’ paper:

    Vitamin D is metabolized, activated and acts through the vitamin D receptor expressed in a variety of human tissues, including cancer tissue of various origin. Basic research has revealed that vitamin D has anti-cancer potentials including pro-differentiation, anti-proliferation, and anti-inflammatory, to name a few. Epidemiological studies have revealed that low circulating 25(OH)D levels are a risk factor for a variety of human cancers.

    Are you getting enough Vitamin D?

    Dr. Hollis and many other experts are encouraging much higher levels of Vitamin D that conventional Medicine or the FDA. But each person is different, and an adequate or even generous supplemental dose of Vitamin D for one person may be nowhere near enough for someone else. Vitamin D testing is required to know for sure.

    So, what are the “numbers”?

    The Vitamin D test tells us blood levels of vitamin D measured in nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) and the results can be grouped like this:

    • Deficiency: less than 20 ng/ml
    • Insufficiency: 20 to 32 ng/ml
    • Sufficiency: 32 to 100 ng/ml
    • OPTIMAL (per Dr. Myatt): 40 to 80 ng/ml
    • Excess (toxicity risk): greater than 150 ng/ml

    The Vitamin D test is a simple “Blood Spot” test, very much like the “finger poke” that diabetics do multiple times daily to check their blood sugars. A drop of blood is placed onto a test strip and sent off to the lab in a pre-paid mailer; the results come back in a few days. Then you can get started replenishing your Vitamin D levels, because chances are good that they are low – since overall, 41.6 % of Americans are Vitamin D deficient, and that number skyrockets to 82.1% of African Americans and 69.2% of Hispanics.

    Learn more about the Vitamin D Spot Test here:

    For additional information in our past articles about Vitamin D please review:

    The Surprising Importance Of Vitamin D

    Vitamin D – For Successful Dieting?

    Vitamin D – An Old Friend Finding New Respect

    Vitamin D and Liver Cancer: More Reasons Love Vitamin D

    Vitamin D Special Report

     

    References:

    1) http://www.newswise.com/articles/vitamin-d-may-keep-low-grade-prostate-cancer-from-becoming-aggressive

    2) J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., 2012, DOI: 10.1210/jc.2012-1451