LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

Pancreatic Cancer

IS INSULIN A MAJOR CONTRIBUTING FACTOR TO PANCREATIC CANCER? – (03-17-08)

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Prediagnostic Plasma C-Peptide and Pancreatic Cancer Risk in Men and Women

Pancreatic cancer is arguably one of the worst cancers we experience. Outcomes are exceedingly poor, treatment successes are rare, and there are no good methods to detect the cancer early enough to be of real value. To top that off, it seems that the prevalence is skyrocketing. So, as always, this boils down to prevention. As a way of background, C-peptide is a protein release in the formation of insulin, and thus can be used as a marker of how hard the pancreas is working to produce insulin.

In this study, non fasting C-peptide levels led to a whopping 4.24 times risk for pancreatic cancer. This clearly delineates sugar handling / insulin issues as a MAJOR contributing factor to pancreatic cancer. That also means that this cancer is likely to be heavily risk-modifiable.

Read entire article here

HIGH SUGAR INTAKE INCREASES RISK OF PANCREATIC CANCER – (04-28-08)

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Dietary glycemic load, added sugars, and carbohydrates as risk factors for pancreatic cancer

While I have not seen any recent epidemiological studies, my own personal experience tells me that the number of patients with pancreatic cancer is increasing. And, of all the cancers, this is high on the list of the nastiest. So, anything we can find that increases risk is important.

This study looked at sugar intake and found definite links between high intakes of fructose and sucrose intake and pancreatic cancer.

Read entire article here

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE SCORE AND RISK OF PANCREATIC CANCER – (03-08-10)

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A Combined Healthy Lifestyle Score and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer in a Large Cohort Study

Pancreatic cancer is one of the nastier cancers that we deal with and, worse, the incidence is on the rise. I remember a personal experience being in the room when an oncologist confirmed pancreatic cancer in a patient. She went on to say that the patient wasn’t a smoker and had no family history, so we really don’t know how she got it. Throttling the oncologist came to mind to save any future families she came across, but I restrained. The problem? This woman’s family was in the room at the time the news was given and the unspoken message was, “This is more a result of chance so the kids have no responsibility to make important lifestyle changes so that this does not happen to them.” The oncologist missed the incredibly valuable opportunity to educate the family and break this one chain of “family history.”

Looking at this study below, we can begin to see that pancreatic cancer is a cancer of lifestyle likes most others. With moderately healthy choices there was a 58% reduction in the risk. 58% with moderate lifestyle changes!! Add in low calorie, high phytonutrient diet, avoidance of aspirin, moving away from diabetes and attention to certain environmental exposures and it’s almost gone. You can understand my frustration w/ the oncologist.

Read entire article here

CAN CANCER RISK BE MODIFIED WITH LIFESTYLE (08-24-09)

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Vitamin E intake, alpha-tocopherol status, and pancreatic cancer in a cohort of male smokers

Have I mentioned that cancer risk can be modified with lifestyle? In this study we see a 48% reduced risk for pancreatic cancer (again-a very, very bad cancer) with highest blood levels of alpha tocopherol. Sound good? In those with the highest intake of polyunsatured fats (fats found in such foods as nuts, but which are very prone to becoming oxidized) the reduction was 62%. 62%. In my book, that’s pretty good.

Read entire article here

FLAVONOL INTAKE AND RISK OF PANCREATIC CANCER (08-17-09)

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A food pattern that is predictive of flavonol intake and risk of pancreatic cancer

Ok. So we hear time and time again that fruits and veggies are good for cancer prevention. Unfortunately, I don’t think we quite get the message of just how darn strong the protection can be.

In this study of smokers, of all people, higher intake of compounds found in tea, cabbage, fruits and wine led to a whopping 41% reduction in risk for pancreatic cancer. Given how devastating this cancer is, anything someone can do to reduce risk should be taken very, very seriously.

Read entire article here

THINK TWICE BEFORE CONSUMING SOFT DRINK AND JUICES.

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SOFT DRINKS GREATLY CONTRIBUTE TO ONE OF THE WORST CANCERS.  Not that anyone thinks soft drinks are good for us, but few may realize just how bad they are.  By far one of the deadliest cancers there is is pancreatic cancer, with very dismal 5 yr survival rates.  The best way to handle pancreatic cancer is to do everything to prevent it in the first place.  We’ve known that those who are pre diabetic have almost 4 x the risk of getting pancreatic cancer.  Throw in the mix lack of physical activity and aspirin use (yes..aspirin use increases the risk of pancreatic cancer!).  Don’t let anyone tell you “it’s genetic–we just don’t know what causes it for sure.”

This study alone on soft drink consumption found that those having 2 or more per WEEK had 87% higher risk for pancreatic cancer.  Just to be clear….that’s per WEEK.

PANCREATIC CANCER IS PREVENTABLE

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Pancreatic cancer is NOT, however, treatable except in a very small number of cases. As we have seen with Steve Jobs (who had a less common form of pancreatic cancer) as well as Patrick Swayze, all the resources in the world will not help with this devastating form of cancer. Which makes prevention the ONLY answer.

The good news is that pancreatic cancer is heavily preventable. Two of the strongest factors in our risk of developing pancreatic cancer are a history of pancreatitis and a pro-diabetic lifestyle.

We will not go into pancreatitis in this post, with the small exception of suggesting that anyone who has or has had pancreatitis look into the use of high dose pancreatic enzymes.

So that brings us to the very powerful links between pro-diabetic lifestyles and pancreatic cancer. High intakes of fruits and vegetables will always help to lower the risk of cancer. Greater intakes of omega 3 fatty acids and reduced intakes of omega 6 fatty acids will help.  Optimal levels of vitamin D may play a role.

In this particular study, researchers looked at how much having diabetes increased the risk of pancreatic cancer. The results were pretty startling. In the first 2 years of a diabetic diagnosis, the risk of developing pancreatic cancer was 759% higher–yes 759%. For a newly diagnosed diabetic who also has chronic pancreatitis, the doom is nearly sealed at 3,352% increased risk.

“Yeah–but I’m not diabetic” you say, thinking you’ve dodged a bullet. Remember that the progression to diabetes is a decades long process, and just being on this path is extremely dangerous to your health and your risk of pancreatic cancer. This means that anyone carrying extra weight around the middle, women with menstrual problems, people with elevated cholesterol or triglyceride levels, people with elevated blood pressure…this list catches well over half the population.

I am certain that groups will jump on the untimely loss of  Steve Jobs as an opportunity to begin fundraising for a “cure” for pancreatic cancer. We should instead use this as an opportunity to educate the public on how preventable this cancer is.

COMBINING THESE TWO FACTORS DOUBLES PANCREATIC CANCER RISK

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I think few would disagree that pancreatic cancer is one of the more devastating cancers someone can be diagnosed with. 5 year survival rates are virtually unheard of. Because treatment is so dismal, prevention becomes critical.

The research continues to support the relationship between pro-diabetic lifestyles and pancreatic cancer. This particular study further supports this relationship, but looks at it a little more in depth.

A diet that is full of refined carbs (high fructose corn syrup, enriched wheat flour, sugar) is known to increase the body’s insulin response. This is very consistent with a pro-diabetic lifestyle.

The researchers looked at the insulin load of the diets of the study subjects combined with the caloric intake, creating what they called the insulin index. The insulin index was not related to pancreatic cancer at first look.

However, when they looked at the patients who were both obese and inactive, the insulin index now doubled the risk of pancreatic cancer. Doubled as a result of the lifestyles that these patients had adopted. Given that the rates of pancreatic cancer have been increasing with the Westernized lifestyle, any increase in risk is a bad thing.

Bottom line is to adopt an anti-diabetic lifestyle without refined carbs, hydrogenated oils, processed foods and environmental chemicals (like phthalates, BPA and flame retardants) while increasing our activity levels as well as our intake of fruits and veggies, omega-3 fatty acids, whole grains in the context of a high phytonutrient, low calorie diet.

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