HealthBeat News

Category: Man Health

  • B12 And Prostate Cancer: A Connection?

    By Nurse Mark

     

    Ahh, the Internet – a wild and woolly place. Full of lies, damned lies, and statistics. Serving up a never-ending smorgasbord of fact, fiction, conjecture, and opinion. Providing “authoritative research” from such diverse locations as one man’s laboratory notes to another man’s easy chair fantasies.

    Our patients and readers are constantly bombarded with well-meaning but often erroneous “medical information” that is often based on the misunderstanding of a research paper or, worse yet, some news reporter’s sensationalized mis-reporting of the results of research.

    This results in endless fear and confusion as folks struggle to sort out the good, the bad, and the ugly in terms of medical information. Fortunately, many people have the good sense to ask Dr. Myatt to help them separate the wheat from the chaff…

    Here is one fellow’s question:

    50 year old male considering b12 supplementation because of tiredness/memory problems but concerned about the link between prostate cancer and b12 levels.

     

    Well, a quick “Google-search” for this subject turns up some frightening posts in places like prostate cancer survivors websites and a vegan chat boards. These posts are based on the the selective reading of a number of studies that have been done on the relationships between B Vitamins and cancers. None of the studies actually say that vitamin B12 causes prostate cancer, though one might be excused for thinking so based on the breathless posts on some of these chat forums.

    What the studies do say, in essence, is that there is little or no correlation between folate or B Vitamins and prostate cancer until the blood levels of these nutrients become very high – at which time there appears to be a small increase in risk for prostate cancer.

    Here are what some of the studies have to say:

     

    First, a 2003 study, funded by the National Cancer Institute:

    Null Association between Prostate Cancer and Serum Folate, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, and Homocysteine

    Serum folate, B6, B12, and homocysteine were not associated with prostate cancer risk. There was no evidence of effect modification by age, intervention group, smoking, body mass index, BPH, or intake of folate, B6, B12, or methionine; however, the association between homocysteine and prostate cancer risk was modified significantly by alcohol intake, with a positive association observed among those who consumed more alcohol and a modest inverse association among those who consumed less alcohol. Consistent with this, an opposite pattern was observed for serum folate (interaction not significant). We observed no material differences in the associations based on disease stage.

     

    Europe, 2008:

    Circulating concentrations of folate and vitamin B12 in relation to prostate cancer risk: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study.

    CONCLUSION:
    This study does not provide strong support for an association between prostate cancer risk and circulating concentrations of folate or vitamin B(12). Elevated concentrations of vitamin B(12) may be associated with an increased risk for advanced stage prostate cancer, but this association requires examination in other large prospective studies.

     

    And Norway, 2013:

    Serum folate and vitamin B12 concentrations in relation to prostate cancer risk–a Norwegian population-based nested case-control study of 3000 cases and 3000 controls within the JANUS cohort.

    CONCLUSION:
    This large-scale population-based study suggests that high serum folate concentration may be associated with modestly increased prostate cancer risk. We did not observe an association between vitamin B12 status and prostate cancer risk.

     

    Now, I do not consider myself to be an authority on the subject of prostate cancer – but my reading of these studies and numerous others leads me to conclude that unless I’m going to “go overboard” and take very large doses of folate or vitamin B12 I’m not really going to worry about it causing my prostate to become cancerous.

    Indeed, given the very serious consequences of Folate and B12 deficiency (and the fact that I like the “energy boost”) I am personally fond of a product called B-12 Extreme  – a top quality formulation that contains all 4 forms of vitamin B12. I also use Maxi Multi every day which provides me with an optimal amount of folate.

    Please take a moment to read about B-12 Extreme here.

    For more information about vitamin B12 please see our Medical White Paper Is Science On The Verge of an ME/CFS Breakthrough? The Vitamin B12 – ME/CFS Connection.

    My conclusion?

     

    I don’t know enough about the fellow who asked this question to be able to make any recommendation specific to him – there could be a dozen other things going on in his life that I’m not aware of.

    However – Tiredness and memory problems can certainly be associated with deficient vitamin B12 levels. Unless there is active prostate cancer going on, sensible supplementation with vitamin B12 would seem a reasonable course of action.

     

    References:

     

    Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2008 Feb;17(2):279-85.
    Circulating concentrations of folate and vitamin B12 in relation to prostate cancer risk: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study. Johansson M, et.al
    Source: Department of Surgical and Perioperative Sciences, Urology and Andrology, Umeå University, Sweden.
    CONCLUSION:
    This study does not provide strong support for an association between prostate cancer risk and circulating concentrations of folate or vitamin B(12). Elevated concentrations of vitamin B(12) may be associated with an increased risk for advanced stage prostate cancer, but this association requires examination in other large prospective studies.
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18268110
    and
    In conclusion, this study does not provide support for the hypothesis that circulating concentrations of folate or
    vitamin B12 are related to prostate cancer risk. Further prospective studies are needed to investigate the possible
    association between high concentrations of vitamin B12 and increased risk of advanced stage prostate cancer.
    http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/17/2/279
    Access the most recent version of this article at:
    http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/17/2/279.full.pdf

    Int J Epidemiol. 2013 Feb;42(1):201-10.
    Serum folate and vitamin B12 concentrations in relation to prostate cancer risk–a Norwegian population-based nested case-control study of 3000 cases and 3000 controls within the JANUS cohort.
    de Vogel S, Meyer K, et.al.
    Source: Department of Public Health and Primary Health Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
    CONCLUSION:
    This large-scale population-based study suggests that high serum folate concentration may be associated with modestly increased prostate cancer risk. We did not observe an association between vitamin B12 status and prostate cancer risk.
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23508410

    American Association for Cancer Research
    Null Association between Prostate Cancer and Serum Folate, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, and Homocysteine
    Stephanie J. Weinstein et.al.
    Serum folate, B6, B12, and homocysteine were not associated with prostate cancer risk (Table 1)⇓ . There was no evidence of effect modification by age, intervention group, smoking, body mass index, BPH, or intake of folate, B6, B12, or methionine; however, the association between homocysteine and prostate cancer risk was modified significantly by alcohol intake (p interaction = 0.04), with a positive association observed among those who consumed more alcohol (OR = 1.71 and 95% CI = 0.76–3.83 for highest versus lowest quartile) and a modest inverse association among those who consumed less alcohol. Consistent with this, an opposite pattern was observed for serum folate (interaction not significant). We observed no material differences in the associations based on disease stage.
    http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/12/11/1271.long

  • Men – Use This Daily For A Significant Reduction In Cancer Risk

    By Nurse Mark

     

    A study of male physicians 50 years of age and older found modest but significant reduction in cancer rates associated with daily [XXX] use.

    Pharmacy Times

     

    Wow! This article, published by a mainstream on-line pharmacy news magazine and reporting on the results of a major study published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) contains some life-changing, game-changing news.

    According to the researchers, who conducted a large-scale, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of more than 14,000 male US physicians aged 50 years or older for over a decade, simply taking this one thing every day could produce a “significant reduction in cancer rates.”

    Is it a new drug? No.

    Is it a new diet? No.

    Is it some new form of exercise? No.

    Is it some newly discovered herb or vegetable from the Amazonian rain forest? No and No.

    Well what is it then?

    Simple, easy, and safe, it is your daily multiple vitamin.

    According to the researchers:

    Conclusion:  In this large prevention trial of male physicians, daily multivitamin supplementation modestly but significantly reduced the risk of total cancer.

     

    So, you can expect to see more about this breakthrough any day now, as the major news outlets pick up on this important health information, right?

    Wrong. This study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on November 14, 2012 – nearly six months ago. And you probably haven’t heard about this until just now.

    Because the substance that caused the “significantly reduced the risk of total cancer” is a simple, cheap, daily multiple vitamin this study has gone unnoticed and virtually unreported.

    If this had been some new, expensive, breakthrough experimental drug produced in tiny quantities in the secret laboratories of BigPharma you can be sure that we would know all about it. Newspaper headlines would be shouting it’s praises. Television ads would be exhorting you to “ask your doctor if this could be right for you!” Shortages would be causing near-riots, and BigPharma stocks and profits would be skyrocketing.

    But BigPharma isn’t that good. They really don’t have anything to offer that’s as good as what Mother Nature can give us in the form of simple healthy vitamins and minerals. And it’s hard to find a way to patent vitamins and minerals – so BigPharma really isn’t very interested.

    Now, to be fair, the vitamin used in the study was a well-known brand – Centrum Silver – made by the BigPharma giant Pfizer. Even so, because it’s a vitamin and not a miraculous new wonder-drug even Pfizer can’t seem to get anyone to take notice of this study. And that’s too bad – because even though Pfizer’s Centrum Silver is a lightweight as a daily vitamin, it proved the worth of vitamin supplementation in this study.

    We call these “one-a-day” tablets like Centrum Silver “pixie dust” around here because of the teeny, tiny little amounts of actual vitamins and minerals that they contain – check out the Centrum Silver label and then compare it with the label of a serious Optimal Dose daily multivitamin like Dr. Myatt’s Maxi Multi.

    And remember, ingredients like FD&C Blue No. 2 Aluminum Lake, FD&C Red No. 40 Aluminum Lake, FD&C Yellow No. 6 Aluminum Lake, Polyethylene Glycol, Polyvinyl Alcohol, Pregelatinized Corn Starch, Modified Food Starch, Sucrose, Talc, Titanium Dioxide, Maltodextrin, and Sodium Aluminosilicate have no place in any respectable vitamin. You will find these ingredients in vitamins like Centrum Silver – but you’ll never find them in Maxi Multi!

    So, men (and women too) can quickly and easily “significantly reduce the risk of total cancer” with one simple addition to their daily routine – just by adding an Optimal Dose daily multivitamin like Maxi Multi.

    Are you taking this important step to safeguard your health?

     

    Resources:

    PharmacyTimes.com news report: http://www.pharmacytimes.com/news/Daily-Multivitamin-Use-Produces-Modest-Cancer-Reduction#sthash.0wzb67ep.dpuf

    Centrum Silver vitamin tablets – be sure to look at the “product labeling” information! http://www.centrum.com/centrum-silver-adults-50-plus#tablets

    Now compare that to the product label for Dr. Myatt’s Maxi Multi Optimal Dose Daily Multivitamins!

    JAMA Report: Multivitamins in the Prevention of Cancer in Men – The Physicians’ Health Study II Randomized Controlled Trial http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1380451

  • Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy – Dr. Myatt Brings You The Truth

    Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy Is A Complicated Subject.

     

    Because it is so complicated it is a subject surrounded by half-truths, urban legends, and outright B.S. (that’s Bad Science…)

     

    Bio-Identical hormone replacement isn’t just for women any more. Men benefit as well.

     

    But whether you are a man or a woman, how can you know what is real, and what is hype? What is safe, and how can you know that you are receiving the best advice from your doctor on this important subject?

    Dr. Myatt has done the deep research on this issue and has combined cutting-edge findings with her more than two decades of clinical experience in Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy to create a balanced and heavily referenced position paper that discusses Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy treatment modalities, hormone testing, and the pros and cons of Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy and conventional hormone therapy.

    As HealthBeat News Readers, you have access to this paper – click here to read Dr. Myatt’s paper Bio-identical (Natural) Hormone Replacement Therapy and Other Natural Hormone-Balancing Therapies

  • Health Secrets of Living Legends: Don Laughlin Interview Part I

    Health Secrets of Living Legends: Don Laughlin Interview Part I

     

    By Dr. Myatt and Nurse Mark

     

    The average life expectancy for American men is 75.7 years, for American women 80.8.

     

    Many still alive at this age are not really “living.”  Instead, the majority are plagued with chronic illness, pain and disease. Much time is spent shuffling from one doctor to the next, swallowing handfuls of drugs (some just to ease the side effects of other drugs,) and worrying about how to pay for all this “health care” they believe they need.

    But not all American seniors live like this. Some not only “survive,” they thrive.

    There are a number of Americans who, at age 80+,  are more robust and healthy than many people half their age. We call them “Living Legends,” and they put younger Americans to shame in terms of mental and physical health and fitness.

    What are their secrets? How do these octogenarians stay healthy and fit? And what can we learn from their example?

    Over the next year or so, Dr. Myatt and Nurse Mark will attempt to meet and interview a select list of these successful, healthy seniors and bring their health secrets to you, our HealthBeat readers.

    Recently, we spoke with our first Living Legend, Mr. Donald J. Laughlin. You’ve probably heard of him even if you don’t know you have.

    How many people have a city named for them and are alive, well, and a driving force behind their own thriving business and that of the entire local economy? For that matter, how many octogenarians still fly their own airplane and more impressively, their own helicopter?

    Don Laughlin is one such Living Legend. We chatted with him last week in his Riverside hotel and casino in Laughlin, Nevada just after we enjoyed the Nutcracker ballet that he brought in from Anaheim, California to perform.

    Don Laughlin is the man for whom the city of Laughlin, Nevada is named. He is the man behind Don Laughlin’s Riverside Resort Casino in Laughlin. Shucks, the entire idea and major driving force behind this town is Don Laughlin. You can learn more about his founding of Laughlin and his business acumen here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Laughlin.

    But we wanted to know about his health secrets, not his business secrets. At an age when many Americans are losing their ability to drive their car, Don Laughlin not only holds a FAA Airman Certificate (pilot’s license), he regularly flies his helicopter, his jet airplane, or his light plane, allowing him to keep a busy schedule that would overwhelm many women or men half his age.

    At the age of eighty, Don looks, talks and acts like a healthy sixty-something. He is a normal weight and moves with a lightness and grace that bespeaks fitness. His mind is razor-sharp, his voice clear and manner confident. You’d be hard-pressed to guess his real age if we hadn’t just told you.

    How does he do it? He revealed a few of his health tips in the chat we had with him.

    First, he eats “real food” whenever possible and eats sparingly. That means he only eats when he is hungry and stops eating before he is full.

    He enjoys an occasional glass of wine, but says “everything in moderation.” Everything, that is, except perhaps flying and successful business-building!

    He exercises 15 minutes every day “like a religion,” and every day means seven days a week. He is not some sort of exercise fiend; he does not do aerobics to exhaustion or run marathons – he does some simple weight and resistance exercises – things like push-ups.  Looking at him, you’d be surprised to see what those 15 daily minutes of exercise can accomplish.

    Don is a self-confessed workaholic and night-owl, but he makes a point of getting adequate sleep every night, though he admits that this can be a challenge given his busy schedule. “Sometimes it’s just hard to wind down and relax enough to get to sleep” he admits.

    Does he take supplements? You betcha! Prescription drugs? Rarely.

    His advice for long life? “Don’t do stupid things!” People who talk on the cellphone while driving, step off a curb into traffic without looking, or take dangerous drugs for thrills just make him shake his head in dismay.

    Perhaps most importantly, he keeps a sharp mind with his business dealings and a positive outlook – a healthy, active mind is a significant part of his healthy life.

    Our chat with Don Laughlin was necessarily brief. It was 10 o’clock in the evening and he was making the rounds of his hotel as he does every night.  But he invited us to talk further with him on a return visit to Laughlin. We look forward to doing just that, and we will report back to you – our readers – with more of his health secrets. We hope to grab “Part II” of the Don Laughlin interview – complete with current picture – later this month. We know it will inspire you.

    In Health,
    Dr. Myatt and Nurse Mark

  • Dangers of your Daily Shower: Part I

    Deadly Daily Showers, Part I: Hot Water

     

    By Dr. Dana Myatt

     

    What should be a relaxing, cleansing daily health ritual may actually be one of the most dangerous things you do every day. Learn how and why your daily shower is far more dangerous than you know, and how to reclaim your daily shower as a truly healing ritual.

    What’s in Your Water?

    Over 315 different chemicals have been identified in municipal water sources around the country. There are no federal testing guidelines for more than half of these chemicals.

    Of the remainder, as many as 49 have been found in levels above that allowed by law. This means that 53.6 million Americans are exposed to dangerously high levels of contaminants in municipal water! (1)

    Unregulated contaminants include antibiotics, statin drugs, pain medications, “head meds” like Prozac and estrogens among others.(2)

    If unintended contaminants — including drinking your neighbor’s drug-filled toilet-water — isn’t disgusting enough, remember that the deliberately added chemicals chlorine and fluoride, carry their own risks.

    Chlorine, added to kill bacteria, combines with organic matter to form chloroform, trihalomethanes (THMs) and other Disinfection By-Products (DCP’s). According to the U.S. Government, these chemicals “result in adverse effects on the central nervous system, liver, kidneys and heart” and are also potent carcinogens. (3)

    Fluoride in the form of hexafluorosilicic acid, a waste product of the fertilizer industry, vaporizes to hydrogen fluoride (HF).

    According to the U.S. Government, HF is highly corrosive to the lungs, “irritating to the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes, and inhalation may cause respiratory irritation or hemorrhage. Systemic effects can occur from all routes of exposure and may include nausea, vomiting, gastric pain, or cardiac arrhythmia. Symptoms may be delayed for several days, especially in the case of exposure to dilute solutions of hydrogen fluoride (less than 20%).” At the highest doses, HF is lethal.(4)

    Alrighty Then… Let’s Take a Shower

    Many people realize that municipal water is often contaminated, and they take steps to drink pure water, like buying bottled water or a filter for the sink. But exposure to contaminants from your shower water are up to 62% more deadly. (9) Why?

    Exposure to the chemicals in your shower are more dangerous than drinking the same water because I.) your pores are open and toxins can be readily absorbed through the skin and II.) you also inhale the toxic vapors of chlorine and fluoride by-products.

    In the case of a shower, the longer you spend, the more toxins you are exposed to.(5-6). The greatest observed increases in trihalomethane concentrations in blood and breath were seen from hot water use, specifically showering and hand-washing.(7)

    Studies have shown that the amount of these volatile organic chemicals (VOC’s) from the shower and other indoor hot-water uses (such as the vapors exhausting from your dishwasher) are “significant.” When THM’s are measured in the blood, showering contributed to a 64% increase compared to swimming in pools at 23%, bathing 12%, and drinking water 1%. The total THM uptake is much higher from showering than any other use of treated water.(9)

    Reclaim Your Shower as a Healing Ritual

    Part I of reclaiming your daily shower as a true healing ritual includes making sure that your shower water is pure. This may be even more important than ensuring pure drinking water.

    Shower-head filters are inexpensive and reliable. I recommend a shower water filter for anyone using municipal water.

    Aquasana Water Purifiers makes some of the highest-rated filters at the best prices.

    Related Articles

    Drugs In Our Water:
    http://healthbeatnews.com/news/archives/511

    Guys: Is Your Water Turning You Into a “Girlie-Man”?
    http://healthbeatnews.com/news/archives/502

    Female Hormones in Drinking Water
    http://healthbeatnews.com/news/archives/52

    References

    1.) Environmental Working Group National Drinking Water Data Base. http://www.ewg.org/tap-water/home . Accessed 07/28/10.

    2.) Associated Press Investigation: Pharmaceuticals Found in Drinking Water.
    http://hosted.ap.org/specials/interactives/pharmawater_site/day1_05.html . Accessed 07/28/10.

    3.) Trihalomethanes: Health Information Summary.
    http://des.nh.gov/organization/commissioner/pip/factsheets/ard/documents/ard-ehp-13.pdf

    4.) Medical Management Guidelines for Hydrogen Fluoride (HF). Dept. of Health and Human Services Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/mhmi/mmg11.html#bookmark02

    5.) Wilkes CR, Small MJ, Davidson CI, Andelman JB. Modeling the effects of water usage and co-behavior on inhalation exposures to contaminants volatilized from household water. J Expo Anal Environ Epidemiol. 1996 Oct-Dec;6(4):393-412. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9087861

    6.) Haddad S, Tardif GC, Tardif R. Development of physiologically based toxicokinetic models for improving the human indoor exposure assessment to water contaminants: trichloroethylene and trihalomethanes. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2006 Dec;69(23):2095-136.

    7.) Nuckols JR, Ashley DL, Lyu C, Gordon SM, Hinckley AF, Singer P.Influence of tap water quality and household water use activities on indoor air and internal dose levels of trihalomethanes.Environ Health Perspect. 2005 Jul;113(7):863-70.

    8.) Lourencetti C, Ballester C, Fernández P, Marco E, Prado C, Periago JF, Grimalt JO. New method for determination of trihalomethanes in exhaled breath: applications to swimming pool and bath environments.Anal Chim Acta. 2010 Mar 3;662(1):23-30. Epub 2010 Jan 11.

    9.) Villanueva CM, Gagniere B, Monfort C, Nieuwenhuijsen MJ, Cordier S. Sources of variability in levels and exposure to trihalomethanes. Environ Res. 2007 Feb;103(2):211-20. Epub 2006 Dec 26.