Archive for Cancer tips
Facial Wrinkling and the Presence of Basal Cell Carcinoma – (07-23-01)
Posted by: | CommentsFacial Wrinkling and the Presence of Basal Cell Carcinoma
Just sort of a FYI…don’t worry so much about those wrinkles–they may protect against cancer!! Discordance Between Facial Wrinkling and the Presence of Basal Cell Carcinoma
Cancer incidence in the USA could double by 2050 – (05-23-02)
Posted by: | CommentsCancer incidence in the USA could double by 2050, report predicts
While many would view this with a pessimistic attitude, reports like this always encourage me to continue to hop up on my soapbox and educate patients on how to lower their risk of cancer. We now have so much info on prevention for all the major cancers that rising cancer incidence is unacceptable. Major organizations like the American Cancer Society need to drop all the political fecal material and start to push prevention. A cure is important, but lets face it–prevention is much, much easier, cheaper and safer. The Journal : Current Issue -
Vitamin D Receptor As an Intestinal Bile Acid Sensor – (05-23-02)
Posted by: | CommentsVitamin D Receptor As an Intestinal Bile Acid Sensor
This article suggests a mechanism for the observed effects of Vit D lowering risk of colon cancer. Vit D upregulates production of an enzyme system needing to detoxify lithocholic acid, a bile acid with hepatoxic and carcinogenic properties. I just hope the milk people don’t get ahold of this one…we’ll never hear the end of it…
Science — Abstracts: Makishima et al. 296 (5571): 1313
Low-Fat, Flaxseed-Supplemented Diet and Prostate Cancer – (08-20-01)
Posted by: | CommentsLow-Fat, Flaxseed-Supplemented Diet and Prostate Cancer
This is a very interesting article that looked at flaxseed as a potential adjunct for prostate cancer treatment in the future. Flaxseed may have several potential routes by which this occurs. First, compounds in flaxseed have been known to inhibit aromatase ,the enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen in fat cells. Since altered estrogen metabolsim in males (yes, estrogen!) has been linked with prostatitis, I don’t see it as a far stretch to believe that altered estrogen breakdown could also lead to cancer (we already know this occurs in the breast). Second, flaxseed is high in lignans and has some phytoestrogenic effects. So it is possible that the lignans in flax are hogging up the estrogen receptor sites and not allowing more harmful estrogens from binding.
Urology 2001;58:47-52 A low-fat diet supplemented with flaxseed appears to reduce the growth of prostate cancer cells, according to the results of a small pilot study. Dr. Wendy Demark-Wahnefried, from Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, and colleagues studied 25 patients with prostate cancer who were about to undergo a prostatectomy. The patients were placed on a diet in which only 20% of total kilocalories came from fat. In addition, patients received 30 g/day of ground flaxseed, according to the report in the July issue of Urology. Over an average of 34 days, the subjects experienced a significant decrease in mean total testosterone, free androgen index and serum cholesterol. When the investigators looked at the prostates after prostatectomy, they found that prostate cancer cells were dividing much less rapidly and were self-destructing much more quickly in the treatment subjects compared with matched controls, Dr. Demark-Wahnefried said. The researchers are unsure which part of the diet produced this cancer-fighting effect. However, Dr. Demark-Wahnefried said that in cell-culture studies in which prostate cancer cells were exposed to the lignins from flaxseed, they found significant decreases in cell growth. “It looks like these lignins may be responsible for the results we saw,” she added. “If there is a synergistic effect [with] the low-fat diet portion of the diet, it is unknown at this time.
Gastric mucus synthesis inhibited by cigarette smoke – (08-21-00)
Posted by: | CommentsGastric mucus synthesis inhibited by cigarette smoke
Not that anyone should need any additional reasons, but this research studies may explain how smoking can increase your risk of gastric ulcers.
Red Wine, Black Tea Polyphenols Modulate Expression of COX-2 – (06-10-02)
Posted by: | CommentsRed Wine, Black Tea Polyphenols Modulate Expression of COX-2
Geez–billions of dollars spent on developing and creating the market for a selective COX-2 inhibitor (quite an interesting tale if you follow Mansanto’s “public health” info on the dangers of non-selective COX inhibitors) when we’ve had several compounds that seem to do the same thing already in own kitchen cabinets. Oops…I forgot that you can’t patent and make gobs of money off of wine and tea. This study mainly focuses on the potential anti-cancer abilities of inhibiting certain enzyme systems in the GI tract.
Nutrition.org — Abstracts: Luceri et al. 132 (6): 1376
Sulforaphane, H pylori and stomach tumors – (06-10-02)
Posted by: | CommentsSulforaphane, H pylori and stomach tumors
This study finds that a substance found in broccoli has the ability to inhibit H pylori infection as well as blocking stomach tumor formation from the H. pylori. We spend so much time in research looking for ways to kill off this bug and whether this triple-therapy regimine is better than that one and so on. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again here–it is slowly appearing that H pylori is just a manifestation of poor lifestyle choices. We already know that low vitamin C in gastric juice is found in patients with H pylori. Now we see that compounds in broccoli are inhibitory for the growth of this bug. Give my theory a few years for the research to catch up and you can say casually that you knew about that years ago to all your friends…
PNAS — Abstracts: Fahey et al. 99 (11): 7610
Breast cancer and breastfeeding – (07-25-02)
Posted by: | CommentsBreast cancer and breastfeeding
While this is one of those articles that does not yield a very surprising result, I do need to comment on something interesting. I had heard on the radio in the background a story on breastfeeding lowering risk of breast cancer but did not pay much heed until I got home that evening and read this article in the Lancet. It’s funny how quickly some information now makes it into the news and yet how some other research (like recent articles on lack of efficacy for HRT and study cancelled due to increased risks) may take years or even decades. I can’t quite figure it out…some articles I read seem like incredible wonders to read and never make it to the mainstream medicine.
The Journal : Current Issue
Sunlight and breast, ovarian, colon, prostate, non-melanoma skin cancer – (07-18-02)
Posted by: | CommentsSunlight and breast, ovarian, colon, prostate, non-melanoma skin cancer
We have such fears these days of sunlight exposure and have forgotten that sunlight is actually healthy for us (in moderation, of course). This article shows a protective effect of sunlight exposure on many types of cancer. Recently, much press was given here in AZ on the increasing rates of melanoma in children. So of course we heard from “experts” on how properly apply sunscreen and stay out of the sun. A few things to consider here. Do you think that kids today have less actual sun exposure now than 20 years ago? The push for sunscreen, kids staying indoors to play video games… I would bet total sunlight exposure is down and yet melanoma is up. How?? Gosh forbid we should consider a overall health and nutritional impact on melanoma. I would like to see further studies comparing overall sun exposure as well as looking into dietary considerations now versus 20 years ago.
Occup Environ Med — Abstracts: Freedman et al. 59 (4): 257
Resveratrol Enhances Differentiation Induced by Butyrate – (07-08-02)
Posted by: | CommentsResveratrol Enhances Differentiation Induced by Butyrate
This study on colon cancer cells shows an additive effect of resveratrol (found in red wine and peanuts) and butyrate (a short chain fatty acid formed by bacteria acting on soluble fiber in the gut). With studies like this, we start to see why certain traditional diets have the health -promoting effects they have. The Mediterranean diet has already show to be beneficial via increased absorption of lycopene (fat soluble carotenoid) with olive oil intake. This research study mechanism would find lower rates of colon cancer in patients combining wine intake with whole grains.
Nutrition.org — Abstracts: Wolter and Stein 132 (7): 2082
