Selenium protects against cancer

A Finnish study showed that the risk of lung cancer from smoking increased where there was a deficiency of the trace element selenium. See: Serum Selenium and Subsequent Risk of Cancer Among Finnish Men and Women

Other studies have shown that selenium has a protective influence against various cancers. In fact, in areas of the world where the soil is low in selenium, cancer rates in the population have been found to be higher. See:
Dietary selenium repletion may reduce cancer incidence in people at high risk who live in areas with low soil selenium.

Selenium prevents cancer by protecting the cells against oxidative damage. Provided they are grown on selenium-rich soil, good food sources are: brewer's yeast, wheat germ, whole grains, fish, eggs, nuts (particularly brazil nuts), liver, garlic. However, those in particular who smoke would do well to take a good selenium supplement.

Note: no single food or supplement should ever be thought of a cure but rather as part of an overall healthy diet and lifestyle. For more health information see the Food For Thought web site.

Vitamin B12 kills cancer cells

The Mayo Cancer Clinic has developed a new way to locate cancer using a special form of Vitamin B12. Douglas Collins, M.D., a Mayo Clinic radiologist, working with a biochemist from the University of Minnesota, found a way to attach a radioactive molecule to Vitamin B12. The radioactive B12, when injected into the human body, shows brightly on conventional gamma imaging scans.

This new testing method may make it easier to locate hard-to-find cancers. It works because cancerous cells absorb great quantities of Vitamin B12, while healthy body tissues only absorb small amounts. (In fact, research has shown that tumour cells will grow extra B12 receptors to make sure they get the B12 they need.) Scans detect and show the radioactive molecule attached to the vitamin, allowing physicians to locate areas of radioactive B12 concentration. The areas of concentration indicate the location of cancer.

In a separate project, the Abramson Cancer Centre of the University of Pennsylvania have been working on using vitamin B12 as a 'shuttle' in order to target cancer tumours with a lethal compound. In the knowledge that tumour cells selectively take up large amounts of vitamin B12 and produce significantly more of the B12 receptor than normal cells, vitamin B12 was modified to include a toxic compound which is picked up by the receptor and brought inside the tumour, killing the cancer cells. The internal environment of a cancer cell is acidic (as opposed to the alkaline environment of a normal cell). The toxic compound is released only in an acidic environment.

Now – all this is very interesting – but what is more interesting is the fact that cancer therapies such as Gerson and the Bristol Cancer Centre have, for many years, included vitamin B12 in their cancer treatment. It may seem strange to treat cancer by supplying the very vitamin for which cancer cells develop extra receptors. Strange that is – until you consider the fact that nature has provided vitamin B12 with it’s own toxic compound – cyanide!

The acidic environment unique to the cancer cell greatly facilitates the release of the cyanide ion contained in vitamin B12. In normal cells cyanide is detoxified by the enzyme rhodanese in the mitochondria (the cell membrane) forming thiocyanate (vitamin B12). However, cancer cells lack this important enzyme possessed by normal cells. The cancer cell, therefore, not only facilitates the release of the cyanide ion, but it is unable to detoxify the cyanide ion by converting it to thiocyanate – and so the cancer cell is destroyed.

Given that our immune systems need to destroy cancer cells on a daily basis, we should all ensue that we get sufficient vitamin B12 in our diets. Good food sources are brewer's yeast, organ meats, meat, cheese, fish, milk, milk products and eggs. Vegetarians and vegans in particular may be at risk of deficiency and should take a good, well balanced vitamin B complex supplement containing vitamin B12 - along with all the other B vitamins. (Do check the label to ensure that it is the cyanocobalamin form of B12)

Note: no single food or supplement should ever be thought of a cure but rather as part of an overall healthy diet and lifestyle. For more health information see the Food For Thought web site.

Chilli, garlic and cancer

Studies in the United States and Japan have shown that Capsaicin (which is what makes chilli peppers hot) can cause cancer cells to die. Capsaicin caused 80 percent of human prostate cancer cells growing in mice to self-destruct in a process known as apoptosis, researchers said.

A study published in the Cancer Research journal showed that a protein active in prostate cancer cells in mice was significantly beaten back by capsaicin. Professor H. Phillip Koeffler, the study's lead author added that capsaicin was also effective against leukemia.

Other research has confirmed this. "Capsaicin had a profound anti-proliferative effect on human prostate cancer cells in culture," said Dr. Soren Lehmann of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine.

As a supplement, cayenne pepper has been used for years for cardiovascular support. It contains many phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals. Cayenne cleans the blood and stimulates the entire system allowing hormonal signals to make their way unimpeded through the body, and enhances the immune response. In countries that have very hot cuisine, there are significantly lower cancer and heart disease rates.

Garlic has been used for many years to treat skin cancer. A garlic poultice pasted onto the tumour can cause the tumour to shrivel and die (or fall off) in a matter of days. This idea wouldn’t surprise naturopaths, though it’s still shocking to many Western doctors.

Yet, in a study published in the July 2003 Archives of Dermatological Research, researchers applied ajoene (the organosulfur compound found in garlic) topically to the skin tumours of patients with either nodular or superficial basal cell carcinoma, and in 17 of the 21 patients, the tumours shrank significantly.

Garlic has also been shown to aid white blood cells in the defence against cancer, and to increase the body's ability to destroy tumours. It has been found to stimulate inteferon production, enhance natural killer cells, stop tumour growth, and even reduce the associated pain of cancer.

Substances found in garlic, such as allicin, have been shown to not only protect colon cells from the toxic effects of cancer-causing chemicals, but also to stop the growth of cancer cells once they develop. Research has also suggested that garlic may confer protection against the development of stomach cancer through its potential ability to decrease H.pylori-induced gastritits.

Researchers are now working on binding allicin (the active ingredient in garlic) to an antibody that binds with tumour cells, thus delivering the the allicin directly to the tumour. This seems to be the perfect blend of herbs and Western medicine: a natural substance delivered to tumor cells via a Western-developed targeting system.

So - spice up your diet! Add fresh chilli peppers and garlic to stir-fried vegetables or spicy dishes. Incidentally, garlic increases in nutritional value when it is left for 15 minutes after peeling and chopping - before being used raw or cooked. It's also worth knowing that, taken together, cayenne increases the effectivness of garlic by ten times.

If you're not a lover of garlic or spicy foods, however, both garlic and capsiacin (cayenne) can be taken in the form of capsules. Always take the cayenne capsules just as you are about to eat some cold food - in order to avoid a kind of 'heartburn' in your tummy.

Note: no single food or supplement should ever be thought of a cure but rather as part of an overall healthy diet and lifestyle. For more health information see the Food For Thought web site.