Prevent colon cancer by getting more of THIS
Written by Marc S. Micozzi, M.D., Ph.D.
For once, some good news about vitamins was all over the
mainstream media. A recent study showed that people with higher levels of one
vital nutrient have a lower risk of colon cancer.
Of course, this convincing evidence has actually been around
for many years. If you haven't guessed yet, I'm talking about vitamin D.
In fact, when I edited my very first medical textbook more
than 30 years ago, there was already enough evidence to fill a whole chapter on
vitamin D and colon cancer. Since then, hundreds of other studies have been
published supporting vitamin D's pivotal role in preventing all kinds of
chronic diseases.
But now—suddenly—it's "big news" to mainstream
minions.
Unfortunately, the study researchers still found a way to
deny the writing on the wall, despite their strong findings. More on that in
just a moment. But first, let's take a look at the study details.
Higher D levels means lower colon cancer risk
For the new study, researchers analyzed previous data
involving 5,706 patients with colon cancer and 7,107 cancer-free control
participants.
The researchers found participants with the lowest vitamin D
levels (less than 30 nmol/L) had a 31 percent higher risk of colon cancer. On
the other hand, those with the highest D levels (greater than 125 nmol/L) had a
21 percent lower risk of colon cancer.
Furthermore, there was a dose-response effect. Which means the higher the vitamin D levels, the lower the
colon cancer risk, right across the board. Overall, for each 25 nmol/L increase
in vitamin D blood levels, there was a 13 percent reduction in colon cancer
risk.
And findings based on gender were particularly noteworthy.
It appeared women with higher vitamin D levels got an even bigger boost than
men. In fact, women experienced a nearly 20 percent colon cancer risk
reduction, while men experienced a reduction of 7 percent, with each 25 nmol/L
increase in vitamin D levels.
Overall, these benefits were observed up to vitamin D levels
of 100 nmol/L in both sexes. Of course, many doctors would consider that level
"too high." (For the record, I recommend keeping your levels between
50 nmol/L and 75 nmol/L, but 100 nmol/L is still a safe upper limit.)
It's also worth noting—the researchers found that the
favorite "risk factors" of body mass index and physical activity had
minimal effects on colon cancer risk. Ironically, the mainstream continually
harps about these two factors. Yet, compared to vitamin D levels, their
influence was practically nil.
In fact, these researchers found the link between vitamin D
status and colon cancer risk to be so strong, they made a conclusion you rarely
hear in scientific circles... The researchers concluded there's strong evidence
that low vitamin D causes colon cancer—which is a much stronger stance than
other studies that just find an "association."
They also said the evidence suggests that optimal vitamin D
levels to prevent colon cancer are in the range of 75 to 100 nmol/L, which, of
course, is right on par with what I recommended earlier.
But then, the lead researcher—who works for the American
Cancer Society—actually denied the results of her own study by saying they
don't recommend supplementing with vitamin D.
Instead, she recommended getting all of your vitamin D from
foods, which is very difficult to do. There is essentially little or no active
vitamin D available from regular dietary sources. The most common sources are
fortified foods like milk and orange juice.
But one glass of milk or fortified orange juice only
contains about 100 IU of vitamin D. So, you would need to drink quite a bit of
it to reach even the RDA amount (which isn't optimal to begin with).
Salmon does contain available vitamin D. But it must be
wild-caught salmon. These fish feed on phytoplankton and zooplankton, which
make their own vitamin D. Farmed salmon, on the other hand, are fed food
pellets with little nutritional value. As a consequence, they have only 10
percent of the vitamin D of their wild counterparts.
But even salmon isn't an adequate source of vitamin D by
itself A 9 oz. serving contains just under 1,000 IU. A good start, but I don't
know how many people would be willing or able to eat that much on a daily
basis.
Perhaps these obstacles are why the lead researcher of this
study also suggested spending more time in the sun. And while I strongly agree
with that particular advice, I can't help but note how it flies in the face of
other mainstream recommendations to avoid sun exposure.
Besides, I've pointed out many times before that if you live
in northern latitudes, your skin doesn't make any vitamin D from November
through March—no matter how much sun exposure you get. And by "north"
I don't just mean New England...any latitude above Atlanta in the east, and LA
in the west, is considered "north" for these purposes.
So, the best solution for maintaining adequate vitamin D
levels is to take a quality nutritional supplement. But this researcher warns
against that simple approach due to supposed concerns over vitamin D
"toxicity" However, the fact is, clinical vitamin D overdose is one
of the rarest medical conditions in the world.
And yet, this researcher falls right in line with government
health bureaucrats who believe that taking any amount of vitamin D over 4,000
IU is a "high" dose. In reality, 4,000 IU equals a measly 100
micrograms. Which is hardly a high dose, by any standard.
What should you do about D?
In the end, this supposedly "big news" is rather
disappointing.
Here we have a solid, well-designed study that shows low
vitamin D actually causes colon cancer. But when the rubber meets the road, the
study's own research team still doesn't recommend supplementation...
Ironically, they claim there are other "proven"
ways to prevent colon cancer—such as weight reduction and physical
activity...but both of which had no effect in their own study!
They just don't get it!
Of course, they also recommend even more colonoscopies—a
truly dangerous and deadly procedure that's never actually been
"proven" to reduce colon cancer risk when compared to other safe,
standard, screening techniques.
In the end, my current vitamin D recommendation just stays
the same...take 10,000 IU of vitamin D3 year-round and get 10 to 15 minutes of
direct sun exposure on as much of your body as possible (without sunscreen)
from May through October.
Back Pain
It's estimated that at some point, around 80 percent of the
U.S. population will suffer from some form of back pain (including sciatica,
which also affects the leg).
For lots of people, it will become chronic. And that's when
your pain becomes the bread and butter of mainstream medicine
Ka-ching! It's time for MRIs, CT scans, and (of course)
drugs.
Now, a new study has uncovered exactly what kinds of meds
docs are handing out for this kind of agony -- and guess what? They don't do a
thing to take away your pain.
For back pain, the latest darlings of the pharmaceutical
world are none other than anticonvulsants.
That's right, meds that people take for mania, epilepsy, and
other brain disorders are being handed out like candy for the very common
problem of an aching back.
But what makes this even more absurd is that while such
useless and risky pain remedies are being given out by the boatload, there are
effective and safe treatments for back pain right under docs' noses... and yet
they're being ignored!
All risk and no gain
When researchers at Australia's University of Sydney decided
to take a closer look at the drugs doctors are using to treat back pain, they
found a whopping 535 percent increase in the prescribing of anticonvulsants
over the last decade.
Some of these meds' names may not sound familiar -- but
others, like Lyrica, are heavily advertised for conditions such as fibromyalgia
and diabetic foot pain.
But no matter what they're called, they're about as
dangerous as drugs can be... and they come along with every imaginable side
effect.
Take Lyrica, for example.
To give you an idea of how it can affect you, this drug has
the distinction of having its very own Facebook group called "Lyrica
Survivors." It's where users tell about "brain fog, weight gain,
vision problems, dizziness, vertigo, and incontinence." There's also the
little problem of "suicidal thoughts or behavior," something even the
Lyrica label warns about.
Then, there's the anticonvulsant "gabapentin,"
sold under several brand names, including Neurontin. Similar to the side
effects of Lyrica, it can cause blurred vision, dizziness, tremors, depression,
and "suicidal thoughts."
As I said, this new study also found that these risky meds
are totally ineffective for chronic low back pain and its kissing cousin,
"lumbar radicular pain" (pain that radiates down from a pinched or
compressed nerve).
Now, considering just how hazardous and ineffective these
drugs really are, how in the world did they become the go-to treatment for a
bad back? That's a very good question, but what we can say with certainty is
that there are plenty of other remedies you can try!
For example:
#1: A chiropractic adjustment is probably the very first
thing you should seek out when back pain hits. Many ERs are using an
acupuncture/chiropractic combo in place of opioids -- that's how effective it
is!
#2: Acupuncture is also a well-respected and highly
effective therapy for lower back pain, especially if it's due to a pinched
nerve
#3: Massage and heat should also be top on your list for
back pain, along with arnica, an herb that's known for relieving common aches
and pains. It comes as a cream or gel to use topically or in a homeopathic
remedy to dissolve in your mouth.
And by adding anti-inflammatory foods and spices -- ones
that include ginger, blueberries, and turmeric -- and supplements such as
omega-3 fatty acids to your daily diet, you'll not only be helping relieve
aches and pains... but be doing something amazingly healthy for your entire
body!
Why You Should Eat More Chlorophyll-Rich Foods
By Dr. Mercola
Photosynthesis is the process in which plants absorb light
from the sun — along with water and carbon dioxide — and transform it into the
food they need for growth. Oxygen, the nutrient that virtually
all eukaryotic cells require to generate energy in their mitochondria, is a
byproduct of photosynthesis.
At the heart of photosynthesis is chlorophyll, a
pigment that absorbs blue and some red portions of the electromagnetic spectrum
and gives the plant its green color. The deeper, darker the green, the more
chlorophyll the plant contains.
Chlorophyll is also found in algae and cyanobacteria, both
of which also use photosynthesis to create their own nourishment. You probably
know that vegetables are an important part of a healthy diet, and while plant
foods contain a wide variety of plant chemicals that promote health,
chlorophyll is an important part of the health equation.
Biological Activity of Chlorophyll
Chlorophyll has a number of important biological activities,
several of which offer protection against cancer. This includes:
- Binding
to carcinogenic chemicals, allowing your body to safely eliminate them.
This includes polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from tobacco smoke, heterocyclic amines
from cooked meat and aflatoxin-B1, a mycotoxin found in
moldy peanuts and other grains and legumes
- Antioxidant
effects, decreasing cellular damage caused by carcinogenic chemicals and
radiation
- Inhibiting
cytochrome P450 enzymes, which are required for the activation of
procarcinogens. This is yet another way in which chlorophyll helps
decrease your risk of chemically-induced cancers
Other health benefits of chlorophyll include:
- Cleansing
elimination systems such as your bowel, liver and blood
- Improving
transport of oxygen throughout your body
- Relieving
inflammation and pain
- Stimulating
your immune system
- Boosting
beneficial bacteria in your intestines
Chlorophyll Helps Optimize Ubiquinol Production
In other words, the way chlorophyll helps modulate
mitochondrial ATP is by capturing energy from sunlight and transferring that
energy to reduce Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) to its active biological form, ubiquinol
— a finding supported by another study published in Photochemistry and
Photobiology.
Here, they found that dietary chlorophyll, along with its metabolites
and sunlight exposure, help maintain a healthy ubiquinol level in your body,
which in turn helps regulate your plasma redox status — a factor that plays an
important role in the aging process and can be used as an indicator
of severity of disease in ill patients.
Ubiquinol is the reduced version of CoQ10,
one of the most popular supplements known to optimize
mitochondrial health. It’s also the No. 1
supplement recommended by cardiologists for heart health.
Anyone taking a statin drug really needs to be on this
supplement to protect their heart. Ubiquinol is
the electron-rich form of CoQ10 that your body produces naturally. In your
mitochondria, ubiquinol facilitates the conversion of energy substrates and
oxygen into ATP needed by your cells for life, repair and regeneration.
It also helps mop up reactive oxygen species — harmful
byproducts of metabolism that can damage mitochondrial cell membranes. For
these reasons, ubiquinol helps prevent diseases and conditions rooted in
mitochondrial dysfunction, including heart disease and migraines. Low CoQ10
levels have also been detected in people with certain types of cancer, including
lung, breast and pancreatic cancer, as well as melanoma metastasis.
Best Sources of Chlorophyll
As mentioned, dark green vegetables are a rich source of
chlorophyll. Another excellent source, indeed one of the best, is chlorella,
a green alga often recommended as a binder in heavy metal
detoxification protocols. Chlorella has a particular affinity for
binding and eliminating mercury, and can therefore be useful when eating a lot
of fish. It’s also high in plant-based protein.
I typically take 12 of our fermented chlorella tablets twice
a day with meals, which is 5 grams or about 150 milligrams (mg) of chlorophyll,
equivalent to well over a pound of spinach. Spirulina, if
you can tolerate it, is another algae, which due to its genetics and
biochemical properties has been classified as a cyanobacteria, is also high in
chlorophyll.
The following chart details the approximate amount of
chlorophyll found in various food sources known to be rich sources. For
ease of comparison, all serving measurements have been converted into grams,
with a serving size being 10 grams. By doing this, you can clearly see how
chlorella and spirulina are far superior sources to commonly cited
chlorophyll-rich foods such as spinach, which contains
the highest amounts of any green vegetable, beaten only by parsley, which is used far
more sparingly.
|
Source
|
Chlorophyll in milligrams per 10-gram serving
|
|
Klamath (Aphanizomenon flos aquae or AFA) spirulina
|
300 mg
|
|
Chlorella
|
280 mg
|
|
Barley grass
|
150 mg
|
|
Spirulina
|
115 mg
|
|
Wheatgrass
|
55 mg
|
|
Parsley
|
15 mg
|
|
Spinach (raw)
|
8 mg
|
|
Arugula
|
4 mg
|
|
Garden cress
|
3 mg
|
|
Endive
|
1 mg
|
|
Leeks
|
0.5 mg
|
Is Wheatgrass an Ideal Source of Chlorophyll?
Wheatgrass and
barley grass are commonly recommended as sources of chlorophyll, and as you can
see, they’re certainly among the richest sources. One drawback is that they can contain gluten which can be a
problem if you have a gluten sensitivity or celiac disease. Sprouted wheat,
barley and other common grains contain gluten, but since wheatgrass and barley
grass are made from grasses harvested before the plant has actually seeded,
they should theoretically be gluten-free.
The problem originates in cross-contamination that can occur
during processing. Overall, the risk of having a gluten reaction from
wheatgrass and barley grass is small, but it’s worth being cautious if you’re
sensitive.
Processed foods such as bars and premade smoothies
advertising wheatgrass or barley grass as an ingredient could potentially
contain gluten if they were processed in a facility that also processes the
grains. So, if you’re buying a premade product, do your research and make sure
the manufacturing process is gluten-free throughout, with no possibility of
cross-contamination.
If you’re making your own juice, or buy from a vendor that
juices it fresh in front of you, which you can often find at farmers markets,
make sure the grass has not started flowering or sprouting seeds. Once wheat
starts to flower, it will contain gluten.
Wheatgrass should be no taller than 6 inches, or older than
10 to 14 days when you cut it to ensure its gluten-free status. Also make sure
no rogue, unsprouted seeds from the soil accidentally make their way into the
juice. A single juiced up wheat seed can actually cause the beverage to exceed
the Food and Drug Administration’s limit on gluten for a gluten-free product.
Until next time, stay healthy and happy
JD Roma
The information on this blog is provided for educational
purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical care, and
medical advice and services are not being offered. If you have, or suspect you
have, a health problem you should consult your physician (preferably a
Naturopath).
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