489 Liposomal Vitamin C [17 Sept 2018]

A problem with vitamin C is its low bioavailability. With oral supplements some of the vitamin C is broken down by stomach acids before it even reaches the small intestine. An active transporter is required to move vitamin C across the intestinal wall into the blood stream. This transporter is dose-dependent - at low doses of up to 180mg about 70-90% of vitamin C is absorbed into the bloodstream; at higher doses above 1000mg (1g) it is less than 50%. At doses between 5g and 10g daily, abdominal cramping and diarrhea may occur creating an upper limit to daily oral dosage of C. Even then, only a percentage of vitamin C is absorbed from the blood stream into the cells. This absorption into the cells is inhibited by high blood glucose, so is even more a problem for diabetics.

For certain therapeutic purposes much higher doses of vitamin C are required. One way around this is intravenous vitamin C (IVC). This is expensive and requires supervision by a trained health professional, so is used only for serious conditions like cancer [see #375], sepsis [#436], polio [#23], and other serious viral infections.

Now there is another form of vitamin C that allows high doses, is relatively inexpensive, and can be administered at home. It’s called liposomal vitamin C.

With liposomal C, the vitamin is encapsulated inside a tiny phospholipid ball which provides several advantages: 1) it protects the vitamin C from breakdown in the stomach; 2) it increases the absorption from the intestine into the blood stream; 3) it increases the absorption into the cells; and 4) it does so very quickly. Nearly all of the liposomal C ingested makes its way quickly into the cells where it is needed. In this regard liposomal C is superior to IVC which increases C in blood plasma but then relies on transporters to get it into the cells.

The phospholipid coating itself is used by the body to repair or build new cell membranes. It is because the coating is similar to cell membranes that it passes quickly and easily through the intestinal wall and then again through the cell membranes into the cells without the need for active transporters.

The big advantage of liposomal vitamin C is that it allows you to take, and absorb, a high dose of C when you need it, without experiencing intestinal discomfort. It’s perfect for fighting a cold or the flu, if you’re a smoker or subject to second-hand smoke, if you are diabetic, or for those days when you're under a lot of stress.

I have just found a Canadian supplier so will soon have it on the shelf. It comes in packets of 1000mg which you add to water and drink. I’ll be the first to try it and let you know what it does for me.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

466 Live Longer with K2 [9 Apr 2018]

In the heart health protocol discussed in #464 last month, an important nutrient was left out – vitamin K2.

I previously described the importance of K2 for moving calcium into the bone instead of our arteries and joints, thus preventing both osteoporosis and arterial calcification. Everyone taking a calcium supplement should be taking vitamin K2 and vitamin D (better calcium supplements have both included in the formula). But recent research is finding that vitamin K does more – it also reduces our risk of diabetes and certain cancers, helping us to live longer.

A 2014 study published in J Nutr of over 7,000 adults over 4-5 years concluded “An increase in dietary intake of vitamin K is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular [57%], cancer [28%], or all-cause [26%] mortality in a Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular disease risk.”

Both vitamins K1 and K2 have been found to reduce the risk of diabetes. The K2 dependent protein osteocalcin, which moves calcium into the bones, also increases insulin sensitivity. One study found that K2 reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by7% for each 10 mcg increased intake.

Recent research has found vitamin K2 strongly protects against liver, prostate and colon cancer. Vitamin K2 induces cancer cell death in several ways and suppresses tumor growth. In a 2006 study of liver cancer patients, 45 mcg daily of vitamin K2 after 3 years reduced the recurrence rate from 91% to 64% and increased the survival rate from 64% to 87%, compared to the control group.

Back in June 2015 [#323] I showed that taking statin drugs for lowering cholesterol also inhibits the synthesis of vitamin K2. I just learned that some anticoagulant drugs such as Coumadin (Warfarin) also inhibit the action of K2, resulting in increased calcification of arteries. Adding a low dose of K2 to the program – under your doctor’s supervision – may reduce this side effect while maintaining the anticoagulant effect. Your doctor will need to adjust the dosage of the drug to compensate.

Vitamin K2 will not only keep your bones strong and your arteries clean but will protect you from diabetes and cancer, helping you live a longer healthier life.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

465 Black Seed Oil [2 April 2018]

Black Seed is a desert plant Nigella sativa, related to cumin (essential for tasty chili!). It has a long tradition of medicinal use in Egypt and India. Muhammad said of black seed that “it cures all diseases except death itself”. While that may be a bit of an exaggeration, black seed has been shown to benefit our health in many ways.

Of the many beneficial compounds found in black seed, thymoquinone (TQ) is probably the most important. TQ:
• Acts as a bronchodilator which provides relief for many lung conditions including asthma, COPD and emphysema;
• Relaxes smooth muscle lowering high blood pressure and relieving arterial spasms;
• Relieves spasms of the digestive tract from the esophagus to the colon;
• Protects the brain and heart from oxidative damage (our two most valuable organs!);
• Improves mitochondrial function in the muscle cells of the heart and in the brain;
• Supports liver, gallbladder and kidney function by preserving intracellular glutathione;
• Improves the outcome and reduces toxicity of chemotherapy in cancer treatment.

A related compound found in black seed is thymohydroquinone (THQ). THQ increases the time that the neurotransmitter acetylcholine remains active in the brain (drugs designed for this function are used in the treatment of neurodegenerative conditions including autism, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s).

A third compound, Thymol (also found in thyme and oregano), has strong anti-viral properties. It is commonly used in treating tuberculosis.

TQ, THQ, and thymol, along with other beneficial compounds in black seed:
• show promise in fighting antibiotic-resistant pathogens including MRSA;
• improve glucose levels in Type 2 Diabetes as well as Metformin but with low toxicity;
• reverse hair loss by strengthening hair roots;
• improve skin conditions such as eczema with black seed cream.

Natural health advocate Cass Ingram, author of The Black Seed Miracle, recommends starting black seed while you are still healthy to prevent illness. With daily use (it’s a food after all!), black seed will support the health of your brain, heart, blood vessels, lungs, liver, kidneys, digestive system, immune system, and more. It is available in liquid oil and capsules.

Sources and links to more information:
Cass Ingram, interview with Dr. Ward Bond
Dr Josh Axe Black Seed Oil Benefits
GreenMedInfo.com The Remedy for Everything but Death
Dr Joseph Mercola Black Cumin Seed Benefits
Self-Hacked Top 28 Scientific Benefits of Nigella sativa

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

460 Risks of Early Weight Gain [26 Feb 2018]

As older adults, few of us weigh what we did as young adults. Gaining weight as we age is normal, at least in this society. But gaining even a moderate amount of weight, like 5 to 20 pounds, will increase our risk of chronic disease and lower our chances of healthy aging.

A large study published in JAMA last July looked at the effect of weight gain from early to middle adulthood on health outcomes in later life. The study used data from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study to analyze 92,837 women and 25,303 men. The researchers compared the women’s weight at age 18 and the men’s at age 21 with their weight at age 55. They then observed their health outcomes for 15 to 18 years.

As expected, those that had gained the most weight by age 55 were at greatest risk of major chronic diseases. More surprising, perhaps, was that even a small weight gain significantly increased the risks. Women who gained 5 to 20 pounds had a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, severe arthritis, gallstones, and certain cancers occurring later in life. Men who gained that amount had a higher risk of diabetes and high blood pressure. The study authors concluded that their data “provide strong evidence that maintaining a healthy weight throughout early and middle adulthood is associated with overall health in those who survive to older ages”.

The other lesson here is that weight gain in early adulthood is significant even if no health problems arise during that time. Weight gain during early to middle adulthood will strongly affect how healthy our later years will be. Maintaining a healthy weight during our younger years will improve the odds for healthy aging. In other words we’re never too young to get back to – and maintain – a healthy weight.

It’s not always possible to get back to our weight at ages 18 or 21, but any amount of excess weight we lose will benefit. I was 185 pounds at our wedding in 1981 – I’ll never see that again. I just finished losing 30 pounds (with the ketogenic diet we use in our clinic) to get back down to 200. Knowing what I do now, I will make a greater effort to keep it off and maybe lose a bit more.

Sources:
"Associations of Weight Gain from Early to Middle Adulthood with Major Health Outcomes Later in Life", JAMA, July 2017 full article; abstract
Bonnie Liebman, "Why small amounts of weight gain shouldn't go unchecked", Nutrition Action, Feb 19 2018

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

459 Chaga Tea [19 February 2018]

Chaga was mentioned as one of six popular medicinal mushrooms in my Dec 4 2017 column #449. It is the least attractive yet the most powerful of the medicinal mushrooms. It appears as a black growth on the trunk of birch trees in the northern forests of Canada, Alaska and Eurasia. Chaga has been used for healing by native peoples from these areas for centuries.

Scientific research from China, Japan, Korea & Russia, are now substantiating these health benefits (mostly cellular and animal studies so far; human trials to follow). Dr. Karl Maret summarizes the known benefits of chaga:

• Anti-bacterial
• anti-viral
• Anti-tumor
• Anti-inflammatory
• Anti-aging
• Blood sugar regulation
• Liver protection
• Immune system enhancer

Chaga is the highest known plant source of SOD (super oxide dismutase) a powerful antioxidant. Melanin, which gives the chaga its dark color, is a powerful antioxidant that not only protects DNA from radiation and oxidative damage, but also repairs it. The SOD and melanin in chaga protect the bone marrow (where our blood cells are made) from damage from radiation and chemotherapy during conventional cancer treatments.

Another compound in chaga is the polysaccharide beta-glucans which stimulates the immune system by increasing production and activity of macrophages and B-lymphocytes. Beta-glucans also play an important role in cell communication.

Chaga contains a tripeptide compound that slows platelet aggregation, so should not be used in people taking a “blood-thinning” drug. A triterpene called Inotodiol assists apoptosis (cell death) in cancer cells. There are many more phytonutrients that have been discovered recently, and no doubt even more yet to be discovered.

Often the first benefit observed when drinking chaga tea is energy, stamina, and the motivation to do something with it. When Dr. Cass Ingram (author of “The Cure is in the Cupboard”) first tried chaga he woke up at 4:00 am looking for something to do and ended up cleaning out a closet that had been neglected for years. Like most people I suspect, I run out of energy long before running out of things to do, so chaga is something I need to try!

Chaga is available in raw chunks for brewing tea, in capsules, drops, and as a cream for repairing damage to skin, muscle and joints.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner. Find this article on my website for links to sources and further reading.

449 Medicinal Mushrooms [4 Dec 2017]

Medicinal mushrooms are commonly used in Japan (hence the Japanese names for many of them) but are underutilized in North America, mostly I think due to lack of awareness. Most of the research, including many human studies, have been done in China and Japan. I didn’t know much about them until I participated in a webinar on the topic by Dr. Philip Rouchotas.

The active ingredients in the mushrooms are various polysaccharides which are protected in the mushrooms by a chitin cell wall. Hot water or steam extraction works best to release the polysaccharides.

Coriolus, Reishi, Maitake, Shiitake and Chaga all have similar medicinal properties. Their most important role is assisting with advanced cancer treatment, taken along with chemotherapy and radiation. These mushrooms have been used in Japan for this purpose for over 30 years. Studies have shown that they:

• Stimulate activity of NK (Natural Killer) white blood cells to attack cancer cells
• Protect Neutrophils from destruction by chemo, allowing treatment to continue (if neutrophil count gets too low chemo treatment has to be stopped)
• Reduce side effects of chemo and radiation therapy including fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, and insomnia
• Help maintain body weight during cancer treatment
• Increase length of remission and survival rates from cancer treatment

These five mushrooms also have anti-viral properties and have been shown in human trials to be effective with HIV, HPV and other viral, fungal and bacterial infections. They also help with conditions of severe fatigue like Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Cordyceps is another well studied mushroom, highly valued by the Chinese. An important use is in treating adrenal fatigue by balancing cortisol production. It improves symptoms of respiratory conditions including COPD. Cordyceps improves cardio-pulmonary function in elderly people, increasing their stamina.

Lion’s Mane is known as the “brain mushroom” because it stimulates nerve growth. It’s main use is with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and MS. Animal studies show that it increases growth of myelin making it a promising treatment for MS. Dr. Rouchotas considers it to be the most important supplement in treatment of brain injury such as concussion, along with fish oil, CoQ10 and Acetyl-L-Carnitine.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

439 Iron Toxicity [25 Sept 2017]

Do you know what your iron levels are? If not, you should. And not just because of anemia. While iron deficiency can be a problem – mostly for children and pregnant or menstruating women – excess iron is actually more common and much more dangerous.

High GGT, a test for free iron, is the “single measure most predictive of early mortality” by the life insurance industry. GGT (gamma-glutamyltransferase) is a liver enzyme that indicates free iron levels and predicts risk of sudden cardiac death. A more common test is serum ferratin which measures iron stores.

High iron levels increase your risk of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and rheumatoid arthritis (including gout). Some iron is necessary for energy production in the mitochondria [see #302 January 2015] but too much means trouble. Excess iron combines with hydrogen peroxide in the mitochondria to form hydroxyl free radicals which cause severe damage to the mitochondria. Mitochondrial dysfunction is the root of most chronic degenerative diseases.

According to Gerry Koenig, Director of the Iron Disorders Institute, the ideal range of serum ferratin for adult men and post-menopausal women is 30 – 60 ng/ml. The ideal GGT is less than 16U/L for men and less than 9U/L for women; levels above 25 (men) and 18 (women) significantly increase your risk for chronic disease. The medically accepted “normal” ranges for both tests are much too high for chronic disease prevention.

If you find your iron is too high, take steps to reduce it. Eat less red meat and take vitamin C and alcohol away from iron-rich foods (both of which increase iron absorption). Avoid iron supplements and choose iron-free multivitamins. Foods and supplements which increase glutathione [#318 May 2015] will lower GGT. Curcumin chelates iron and will prevent its absorption in the gut. A detox program could help pull iron out of stores and assist your liver to excrete it.

Regularly donating blood is an excellent way to manage iron stores. If for some reason you are unable to donate to Canadian Blood Services, talk to your doctor about other options. Perhaps the medieval doctors were on to something with their blood-letting and leeches (but most of the time did far more harm than good).

Source: Serum Ferratin and GGT - Two Potent Indicators You Need to Know, mercola.com

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

416 Vitamin D & Cancer [17 April 2017

A randomized clinical trial of 2,300 postmenopausal women in Nebraska looked at the effects of vitamin D supplementation on all types of cancer. The test group received 2,000 IU of D3 and 1,500 mg calcium while the control group was given placebos. After four years 109 of the women had developed cancer, 3.9% in the treatment group; 5.6% in the control group. While this amounts to a 30% decrease in the vitamin D group, the small numbers made the finding not statistically significant.

A similar study by the same researchers published in 2007 found a 77% decrease in cancer incidence in the vitamin D group (statistically significant that time!). [see #367]. Other studies have found similar results [#254].

It was interesting to see how different online journals reported this current study. Medical News Today headline reads “Clinical trial finds that vitamin D, calcium, have no effect on cancer risk”. Predictably Mercola’s headline reads “Higher Vitamin D Levels Lower Cancer Risk”. A more honest headline appeared in Science Daily which simply posed the question “Does Vitamin D decrease risk of cancer?”

What do the authors themselves say about the study? The principal author Joan Lappe, a professor of medicine at Creighton University, Omaha, said “This study suggests that higher levels of [vitamin] D in the blood are associated with lower cancer risk. These results contribute to a growing body of scientific findings…that vitamin D is a critical tool in fighting cancer.”

There are some limitations to the study that need to be discussed. The participants in both Nebraska studies were menopausal women so the findings can’t be extrapolated to men or to younger women. Also most of the participants were Caucasian so results for people with darker skin may be different. Also some adverse effects were noted in the treatment group that may be related to the vitamin D and calcium supplementation: 16 of the treatment group vs 10 of the control group developed kidney stones, and 6 vs 2 developed high serum calcium levels.

And, as always, the authors conclude with a call for more research: “The results of this study lend credence to a call for more attention to the importance of vitamin D in human health and specifically in preventing cancer”.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

405 Testosterone & DHT [30 January 2017]

An article in this morning’s National Post (January 24) prompted this topic. It reported on a University of Toronto study that found male pattern baldness was twice as accurate in predicting risk of prostate cancer than the latest DNA test. A previous study from Australia found a link between prostate cancer and vertex balding (at the top of the head) but not frontal balding (receding hairline).

The link between baldness and prostate health is not new – we’ve suspected for years that bald men are more likely to have prostate problems. The link is the male hormone testosterone (T) or, rather, the more active form dihydrotestosterone (DHT). An enzyme called 5 alpha reductase converts T to DHT. DHT is essential for male development in the fetal stage and at puberty, and plays a few roles in adults, but excess DHT causes problems. Both male pattern baldness and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or enlarged prostate, are strongly linked to high DHT levels.

Back in 1941 two researchers Charles Huggins and Clarence Hodges discovered that testosterone “activated” prostate cancer and concluded that reducing testosterone would treat it. Decades of prostate cancer treatments have been based on this idea, called the “androgen hypothesis”.

That theory is only recently being questioned. Research by Dr. Abraham Morgentaler at Harvard Medical School found the opposite to be true – that the lower the testosterone levels, the higher the risk of prostate cancer. His results make more sense – testosterone levels peak at age 20 and decline with age while prostate cancer risk increases with age. A literature search found no evidence to support the androgen hypothesis over the past 75 years. Morgentaler explains: “The persistence of the androgen hypothesis despite strong contradictory evidence teaches us how difficult it is to abandon ideas learned during our training, even in this age of evidence-based medicine.”

While the effect on cancer is uncertain, both male pattern baldness and enlarged prostate can be improved by blocking the conversion of testosterone to DHT. Several natural products are known to safely block the 5 alpha reductase enzyme responsible: saw palmetto, Pygeum bark, stinging nettle root, beta sitosterol, pumpkin seed oil and green tea. Several of these are often combined in “prostate formulas” which are available in health food stores. I wrote about these and other natural products for BPH in #158 (March 2012).

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner. Find this article on my website for links to sources and further reading.

401 Sulforaphane [2 January 2017]

Sulforaphane is a beneficial compound found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. I just learned about it watching a 46 minute video by Dr. Rhonda Patrick titled “Sulforaphane and its Effects on Cancer, Mortality, Aging, Brain and Behavior, Heart Disease and More”.

I mentioned the health benefits of broccoli in my very first column back in March 2009 [#001]; recommended eating your broccoli raw in September 2012 [#184]; and encouraged chewing your broccoli to produce sulforaphane in November 2014 [#293]. This column adds information from recent research on the beneficial compounds found in cruciferous vegetables.

Studies show that risk of death from all causes (other than accidents) is reduced by 16% in those eating more vegetables of all kinds, and by 22% for those eating more cruciferous vegetables. The life-saving ingredient in the vegetables is believed to be a group of compounds called isothiocyanates of which sulforaphane is the best known. Sulforaphane indirectly regulates over 200 genes responsible for increasing antioxidant activity and reducing inflammation, important with all chronic degenerative disease. This translates into reduced risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and aging, and improved brain function.

For example, studies have found that sulforaphane reduces the risk of prostate cancer by 41%, bladder cancer by 51%, lung cancer in smokers by 55%, and breast cancer by 20-40%. And if you already have cancer, taking sulforaphane will slow the progression of the disease. Sulforaphane also aids in the detoxification and excretion of carcinogens such as benzene (from auto exhaust and tobacco smoke).

Most of the all-cause mortality reduction found in the cruciferous study was due to fewer cardiovascular deaths. Sulforaphane reduced triglycerides and oxidized blood lipids, lowering the atherogenic index (risk of plaque formation) by 52%.

Sulforaphane crosses the blood-brain barrier where it reduces inflammation and oxidative stress in the brain, implicated in most neurodegenerative diseases and in traumatic brain injury. Sulforaphane has been shown to improve behavior with autism and schizophrenia, and improve symptoms of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases, and shows promise for depression and anxiety.

All cruciferous vegetables contain sulforaphane but the best source is fresh broccoli sprouts. The vegetables and sprouts don’t actually contain sulforaphane – they contain its precursor glucoraphanin along with the enzyme myrosinase which converts it to sulforaphane. Crushing or chewing the food mixes the enzyme and glucoraphanin, initiating the conversion process. High heat, as in prolonged boiling, destroys the myrosinase enzyme.

Some glucoraphanin is converted, in the presence of epithiospecifier protein (ESP), to an inactive form of sulforaphane. ESP is inactivated by heating. To maximize the sulforaphane production you want to heat the food enough to destroy the ESP but not the myrosinase. This can be achieved by steaming vegetables for 3-4 minutes or by soaking the vegetables in hot water at 60C, or sprouts at 70C, for 10 minutes. Patrick demonstrates heating sprouts in this video.

Remember to chew the vegetables and sprouts well. About 100g of sprouts provides 40mg of sulforaphane, an optimal amount.

My NY’s resolution is to grow and eat broccoli sprouts. Want to join me?

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

375 Vitamin C & Cancer [27 June 2016]

While looking for a new topic for this week, I discovered that I have not yet written on vitamin C and cancer. Three decades after the publication of Linus Pauling’s 1979 book “Vitamin C and Cancer” medical research is finally taking a serious look at vitamin C as a possible cancer treatment.

A study published in November 2015 in the prestigious journal Science by a team of researchers including scientists from Harvard Medical School and Johns Hopkins Cancer Center, found that high doses of vitamin C impaired the growth of two specific colorectal cancers in cultured cells and in mice. Interestingly they discovered that the effect was not from vitamin C’s role as an antioxidant, as had always been assumed, but rather as an oxidant. Vitamin C enters cancer cells in its oxidized form called dehydroascorbic acid (DHA) (not to be confused with the omega 3 fatty acid DHA) via a glucose transporter called GLUT1 which cancer cells have in abundance. Once inside DHA is converted back to ascorbic acid by the cell’s antioxidants. If sufficient DHA (vitamin C) enters the cancer cell, the antioxidants are depleted and the cell dies from oxidative stress.

Other studies have confirmed that high dose intravenous vitamin C (IVC) is selectively cytotoxic to cancer cells, meaning that it kills the cancer cells but does not harm normal cells. A small human trial from the U. Kansas Medical Center published in 2014 combined IVC with conventional chemotherapy drugs in women with stage 3 or stage 4 ovarian cancer. Compared to the control group (chemo only), the vitamin C group had not only better results but reduced toxic side effects from the chemo.

The U. Kansas researchers described IVC’s safety profile as “outstanding”. One of them wrote:

“we now have a better understanding of vitamin C’s anti-cancer action, plus a clear safety profile…our data provide strong evidence to justify larger and robust clinical trials to definitively examine the benefit of adding vitamin C to conventional chemotherapy.”

Funding for such trials will have to come from government or foundation sources as pharmaceutical companies are not likely to spend that much on a therapy which cannot be patented.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

369 Sleep & Cancer [9 May 2016]

Lack of quality sleep has long been associated with higher risks of obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Now a number of studies have linked poor sleep with increased risk of, or poorer outcomes with, cancer in both men and women.

• A study published in Am Acad of Sleep Med, May 2014, found that sleep efficiency, defined as the ratio of time asleep to time spent in bed, is predictive of survival time for women with advanced breast cancer. The mechanism is unclear but it likely involves the immune system or hormone stress response.

• A study from U. Washington published in Am Acad of Sleep Med, June 2015, found that short sleep and frequent snoring was associated with poorer breast cancer survival.

• A study from Iceland published in May 2013 found that insomnia – trouble falling asleep and staying asleep – doubled the risk of prostate cancer (researchers ruled out insomnia caused by enlarged prostates getting the men up in the night).

• Other studies have found higher risk of breast or prostate cancer among shift workers, whose sleep is regularly disrupted.

• A study published in Cancer, February 2011, found that getting less than 6 hours of sleep increased the risk of colorectal adenomas (a type of colon cancer) by almost 50%.

• A mouse study from Spain suggests a possible mechanism for poor sleep resulting in worse outcomes with cancer. Obstructive sleep apnea is known to cause intermittent hypoxia (low oxygen levels) which is known to promote the growth of blood vessels in tumors. This could also explain why exercise and not smoking, both of which increase oxygen levels, improve cancer outcomes (European Assoc. of Urology, March 2016).

All this should be a wake-up call for the importance of sleep! (sorry, just had to get that in). We carry a variety of natural sleep aids that are non-habit forming and help you wake up refreshed and ready to face the day. Have a good sleep, everyone!

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner. See this article on my website for links to sources and further reading.

367 Vitamin D, Cancer & MS [25 April 2016]

Two recent vitamin D studies emphasize the importance of maintaining sufficient levels of this crucial vitamin.

In the most recent study, researchers combined the data from two previous studies – the Lappe cohort from Nebraska and the GrassrotsHealth cohort from San Diego – to examine the risk of cancer at different blood levels of vitamin D. They found that women with Vitamin D concentrations of 40 ng/ml (100 nmol/L) or more had a 67% lower risk of all types of cancer than women with concentrations less than 20 ng/ml (50 nmol/L). As previously reported in these columns, 100 - 150 nmol/L is now considered by many vitamin D researchers to be the optimum level for health. Both these studies looked at white women over 55 years of age, so the results can’t be extrapolated to the general population.

A study published in December 2015 in Neurology compared the effects of standard dose (800 IU) and high dose (10,400 IU) vitamin D in 40 patients with relapsing/remitting MS. The researchers found that the high dose group had lower blood levels of interleukin-17 T cells, which play a role in MS pathogenesis, than did the low dose group. Each 5 ng/ml rise in blood vitamin D levels above 18 ng/ml corresponded with a 1% fall in the percentage of interleukin-17 T cells. There was no reduction in the interleukin-17 T cell percentage in the low dose group.

Although 10,000 IU seems a very high dose, it is the blood level that counts. Previous research has found that MS patients often require extremely high intake of D to maintain normal blood levels. It is critical for people with MS to monitor their blood levels and supplement accordingly. A Rosetown customer told me she has had to take 30,000 IU daily just to maintain her D level at the low end of normal.

Vitamin D likely also plays a significant role in the prevention of MS. A study from Finland published in JAMA Neurology on March 7 of this year found that children of mothers with severe vitamin D deficiency (less than 12 ng/ml) during early pregnancy are at 90% higher risk of later developing MS.

With the rising costs – both financial and in human suffering – of cancer and diseases like MS, we must move swiftly to implement public programs with safe and effective treatments like vitamin D. Every Canadian should be screened for D deficiency and encouraged to supplement (or sunbathe) to achieve optimum levels.

Sources
D & Cancer study PLOSOne
D & Cancer study review by Vitamin D Council
High dose D MS treatment Science Daily Review
High dose D MS treatment MDLinx Review
Maternal D & MS EurekAlert Review

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

365 Sucralose & Cancer [ 11 April 2016]

In my discussion last week on the health risk from sweetened beverages I may have been too easy on artificial sweeteners as found in diet sodas.

In February of this year the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) downgraded the artificial sweetener sucralose from “Caution” to “Avoid”. It had previously downgraded it from “Safe” in 2013. This change was in response to the January 2016 publication (in Int. J. Occ. Env. Health) of a study from the Ramazzini Institute, a highly respected independent laboratory in Italy.

The study exposed mice to five levels of sucralose to evaluate possible carcinogenic (cancer causing) effects. Previous industry-funded long-term studies on mice and rats had failed to find significant carcinogenicity. This time the researchers found a significant dose-related occurrence of both malignant tumors and hematopoietic neoplasias (malignant and premalignant blood cell growth, including lymphomas and leukemia) in male mice.

This doesn’t prove that sucralose is unsafe for humans or that it is safe for females. What it does mean is that the previous assurances of industry and government that sucralose is safe are called into question. Here is the researchers’ conclusions from the abstract:

These findings do not support previous data that sucralose is biologically inert. More studies are necessary to show the safety of sucralose, including new and more adequate carcinogenic bioassay on rats. Considering that millions of people are likely exposed, follow-up studies are urgent.

CSPI explained that this study found carcinogenic effects when the previous funded studies had not because it tested more animals, started exposure at the fetal rather than adolescent stage, and was longer in duration.

Other known adverse health effects of sucralose include reduction in beneficial colon bacteria, increased colon pH (making it too alkaline), and increased levels of several intestinal membrane transporters which can interfere with oral medications.

CSPI does caution that the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease from excess sugar, as in regular soda, outweighs the risk of cancer from artificial sweeteners, so that diet soda is safer than regular soda. I still maintain that it’s best to avoid both.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

361 Exercise and Cancer [14 March 2016]

Among its many other benefits, exercise is an important part of cancer treatment and prevention. Research has consistently shown that regular exercise reduces your risk of getting cancer, improves your chance of recovering from cancer, and helps prevent cancer from recurring. Here are a few examples:

A 2003 review of epidemiologic studies, published in Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 35(11), found that physical activity reduced the risk of colon cancer by 30-40% and of breast cancer by 20-30%.

A 2005 Harvard study found that 3 to 5 hours a week of moderate exercise reduced the risk of death by about half for breast cancer patients. For cancer patients, exercise also reduces the side effects of conventional cancer treatment, shortens hospital stays, reduces fatigue and generally improves quality of life.

A news release from August 2012 published in Medical News Today reported that exercise has been found to reduce recurrence of cancer by up to 50%.

When and how much exercise is required? Exercise seems to have a dose-response relation to cancer meaning the more you exercise, the lower your risk of cancer. In one study 30 to 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous exercise was required to reduce breast cancer risk. But any amount is better than none, and of course you have to work within your body’s ability.

Exercising when younger reduces your risk of cancer when you are older. Regular activity in teen years significantly lowered risk of women at age 40-70 from dying of cancer (and of all-cause mortality). Men over 65 who had kept fit in middle age reduced their risk of lung cancer by 55% and colon cancer by 44%, and reduced their risk of dying from lung, bowel and prostate cancer by 32%.

So how does exercise help prevent and fight cancer? A mouse study published in Cell Metabolism in March 2016 found that exercise activated NK killer cells resulting in a 50% reduction in tumor growth. Exercise reduces insulin resistance which in turn reduces glucose available for cancer cells. But possibly the most important way that exercise prevents and fights cancer is by increasing both the function and number of mitochondria. As I discussed in the last three columns, mitochondrial dysfunction appears to be the driving force behind all cancers.

Source: mercola.com Exercise Helps Shrink Tumors... March 4, 2016.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

360 Two Promising Cancer Cures [7 March 2016]

In the last two weeks I outlined the history of cancer theory and the evidence against the Somatic Mutation Theory (SMT). This week I want to share two promising cancer treatments that developed from the Metabolic Theory of Cancer.

According to the metabolic theory, all cancer cells have the same underlying metabolic dysfunction – the cell’s inability to use the oxidative pathway of energy production, forcing it to use fermentation. Treatments based on this theory should be effective on all cancers.

Fermentation is 32 times less efficient than oxidation in energy production so cancer cells require large amounts of glucose. Simply restricting calories was known to shrink tumors (in fact animals studies showed that many chemotherapy drugs reduced tumors only by suppressing appetite!). Expanding on this, Thomas Seyfried developed the Restricted Ketogenic Diet (R-KD) which produces extremely low glucose and very high ketone blood levels. Cancer cells, with their dysfunctional metabolism, are unable to use ketones for fuel and starve while normal cells thrive. R-KD makes cancer cells very vulnerable to other treatments like radiation and chemo while protecting healthy cells from damage, making it an excellent adjunctive therapy. Also the vulnerability of cancer cells make treatments effective at lower doses, reducing the cost and the degree of side effects.

All cancer cells produce large amounts of lactic acid in the fermentation process. To get rid of it the cells grow more ports in the cell walls. Young Ko, a researcher at Johns Hopkins, discovered a cancer treatment, 3-bromopyruvate (3BP), that uses these ports to preferentially enter the cancer cells where it inhibits the enzyme hexokinase II and kills the cell. 3BP showed unprecedented success in animal trials, melting tumors while leaving healthy tissue undamaged. In 2009, 3BP restored a 17 year old boy in the Netherlands with advanced liver cancer from the brink of death. Unfortunately disputes over patents and lab space prevented Ko from doing further research for many years, delaying the trials required for drug approval.

Let’s pray these two treatments are approved soon. Imagine cancer treatments where you come out healthier than you started! That’s the way it should be.

Source: Tripping over the Truth: The Metabolic Theory of Cancer by Travis Christofferson, 2014.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

359 Failure of SMT [February 29, 2016]

Last week I outlined the history of cancer theory over the last century. The Somatic Mutation Theory (SMT) of Cancer – that genetic mutations in the DNA of the nucleus (nDNA) of the cells initiates and drives cancer – has been the dominant theory for at least the past 60 years. Treatments developed based on this theory – surgery, radiation and chemotherapy – have been largely disappointing with limited success in life extension and significant side effects. Could this theory be wrong?

The solution to the low success rate was believed to lie in more genetic research to identify the specific mutations of particular cancers and develop targeted treatments for them. To this end the largest genetic project ever undertaken, called The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), was begun in 2006 – to map all mutations associated with 20 human cancers. As the data came in, researchers were puzzled and discouraged – the mutations seemed to be completely random. Not only did the mutations in tumors vary widely between cancer victims for the same type of cancer, they varied between tumors in the same person and even between cells of the same tumor. Some samples had no mutations at all. This unpredictable variation makes targeted drug design next to impossible.

The most compelling evidence comes from some clever experiments in the 1980s. Labs in both Vermont and Texas independently replaced the nucleus from healthy cells (leaving the healthy mitochondria) with nuclei from cancer cells, then injected them into mice. To their great surprise only one of the 68 mice developed a tumor over the next year. Next they replaced the nucleus from cancerous cells (leaving the unhealthy mitochondria) with nuclei from healthy cells and injected them into mice. This time nearly all (97%) of the mice developed cancer. Sadly these experiments didn’t fit the reigning theory so were ignored.

Furthermore all nDNA mutations known to increase cancer risk (like TP53 and BRAC-1) are known to impair mitochondrial function or repair. And of 700 targeted drugs tested, the one success (Gleevec) works in part by shutting down Warburg’s metabolic pathway, restoring oxidative energy production.

All this supports the Metabolic Theory which believes that cancer is initiated by mitochondrial damage, and the damaged nDNA is secondary. Next week I will offer hope for a cure from treatments based on the metabolic theory.

Source: Tripping over the Truth: The Metabolic Theory of Cancer by Travis Christofferson, 2014.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

358 Three Theories of Cancer [22 Feb. 2016]

Otto Warburg, considered the greatest biochemist of the 20th century, was awarded the 1931 Nobel Prize for his discovery that cancer cells use an anaerobic fermentation process for energy metabolism. Even in the presence of oxygen, cancer cells use this inefficient process almost exclusively rather than the more efficient aerobic respiration used by normal cells. Warburg believed this reversion of energy production, from aerobic to anaerobic, was the prime cause of cancer, a theory that became known as the Metabolic Theory of Cancer.

Decades earlier, in the late 1870s, a German medical researcher, David Paul von Hansemann applied a newly discovered cellular dye to cancer cells and observed that their chromosomes were abnormal and chaotic rather than orderly as in normal cells. By 1890 Hansemann had developed the beginning of what came to be called the Somatic Theory of Cancer (“somatic” refers to the cell nucleus), that mutations to the nuclear DNA were the cause of cancer.

In 1911 an American pathologist, Peyton Rous, discovered that a virus could induce cancer in chickens, creating a third competing theory. This caused a wave of speculation that cancer could be an infectious disease like smallpox and polio, but was ignored and soon forgotten when no human cancer viruses turned up.

The three theories each had their following during the first half of the 20th century. Then came Watson and Crick’s discovery of DNA and all attention focused on genetics. The goal became to discover the genetic mutations causing a particular cancer and create a drug to counteract them. These drugs – various forms of chemotherapy – have been largely disappointing with limited life extension and significant side effects.

Then in 1976 two American researchers, Harold Varmus and Michael Bishop, discovered that cancer-causing viruses worked by inserting a mutated human gene into the cell nucleus, effectively amalgamating the viral and somatic theories and relegating the metabolic theory to the dustbin.

Fortunately the metabolic theory hasn’t stayed in oblivion but has been kept alive and further developed by a few researchers, notably Peter Pederson and Thomas Seyfried. Next week I will outline the case for, and the promise and hope of, the resurrected metabolic theory.

Source: Tripping over the Truth: The Metabolic Theory of Cancer by Travis Christofferson, 2014.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner. See this article on my website for links to sources and further reading.

356 Antioxidants & Cancer [8 Feb 2016]

Last week I mentioned biomedical scientist Dr. Rhonda Patrick who was interviewed by Dr. Mercola about mitochondria. One of the video lectures on her website (foundmyfitness.com) is titled “Do Antioxidants Cause Cancer?”

Since oxidative damage from free radicals is known to cause cancer, and antioxidants protect us from that damage, it was believed that supplementing with antioxidants should prevent cancer. Research results, however, have been rather disappointing and in some cases found that antioxidants can even increase cancer risk. What’s going on?

Dr. Patrick explains that it is important to understand how antioxidants work and the context of the studies. It is now understood that free radicals play a beneficial role in the cells at low levels and in certain circumstances. One of these is in the role of apoptosis (programmed cell death) of damaged cells to prevent their proliferation into cancer. One study found that supplementing mice with vitamin E prevented DNA damage in the control group (without cancer) but increased the rate of cancer growth in the mice with cancer. The vitamin E prevented the activation of the Tumor Suppressor Genes which would have otherwise killed the cancer cells, and allowed them to proliferate faster. Patrick advised that vitamin E in doses near the RDA (22 IU/day in Canada) is probably beneficial unless you already have cancer in which case it should be avoided.

The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) found a statistically increased risk of prostate cancer in men taking alpha tocopherol (400 IU) but not in those also taking selenium (200 mcg). Patrick explains that mega doses of alpha tocopherol depletes levels of another form of vitamin E, gamma tocopherol. Previous studies found the risk of prostate cancer was 5 times higher in men with the lowest gamma tocopherol levels compared with the highest. Gamma, but not alpha, tocopherol acts on a group of free radicals called Reactive Nitrogen Species (RNS) which are involved in prostate cancer. Selenium, as part of a compound called Selenoprotein P, also protects against the RNS free radicals. Patrick’s conclusion: if you supplement with vitamin E, choose one with both alpha and gamma tocopherols, and again stay close to the RDA.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.

349 Three Vitamin D Studies [14 Dec 2015]

The Vitamin D Council recently reported on three important studies on Vitamin D published in 2015.

Alzheimer’s: An 8 year study of 382 elderly participants was published in JAMA in September. It found that low D levels in older adults was associated with accelerated declines in cognitive ability of up to three times faster.

Autism: A meta-analysis of 11 studies from the Netherlands was published in October in Eur. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry. The researchers reported that 8 of the 11 studies found lower D levels in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ADS) than other children. The report reviewed the many ways that vitamin D is involved in brain development and function, and showed that low D levels causes brain malfunctions similar to those occurring with autism. The researchers concluded that lower vitamin D levels might be a risk factor for ASD.

A case study of a 32 month old boy with ASD and vitamin D deficiency published in January 2015 in Pediatrics reported that his “core symptoms of autism improved significantly after vitamin D supplementation”. So it appears that vitamin D may also play an important role in the treatment of ASD.

Breast cancer survival: A four-year study looked at women diagnosed with breast cancer and found that higher D levels significantly increased their survival time. A previous study from 2011 by the same researcher found that vitamin D levels of 125 nmol/L (50 ng/ml in the USA), which required supplementation of 4,000 IU per day to achieve, nearly doubled survival times. An earlier study by Lappe et al, 2007, in Am J Clin Nutr found a 77% reduction in risk of all cancers for the group taking 1100 IU D3 and 1500 mg calcium.

While the best way to increase our vitamin D is from safe sun exposure, that doesn’t work in Canada from September to April leaving supplementation as our only option. Dr. Cannell of the Vitamin D Council recommends supplementing with 5,000 IU daily (which is what I take) to maintain natural levels of 100-125 nmol/L. Even this is considered conservative by some. Dr. Joseph Mercola, who has studied vitamin D extensively, considers anything below 125 to be deficient and recommends 125-175 for optimum health and up to 250 for fighting cancer or heart disease. To achieve these levels, however, requires much higher supplementation – due to the law of diminishing returns – so is impractical for most of us. Winter supplementation of vitamin D of 4,000-5,000 IU seems optimal.

For more information on this or other natural health topics, stop in and talk to Stan; for medical advice consult your licensed health practitioner.