Cancer: What is the Truth. Part 3
In the last article I talked about how the 'War on Cancer' will never be won unless there is a radical change in direction or policy. That change in direction needs to move from intervention in the latter stages of cancer (the progression stage), to prevention which can be effective in the promotion (2nd) stage.
I also referred to a 'push-pull' situation which takes place during the promotion stage. This 'struggle' is between 'cancer promoters' and 'anti-cancer promoters'.
These promoters are all nutrients of one sort or another. If you are aware of what they are then you can make an effort to ensure that you have more 'anti-cancer promoters' in your body than 'cancer promoters' and thus neutralise the promotion of cancer. In essence that is all prevention is about. I will address the issue of 'cancer promoters' in just a moment.
Just before I do... if you have not read the first 2 parts of this series of articles I would suggest that you do so now if you can, so the rest of the article makes more sense. For those readers who have been following the earlier articles you will recollect that 'cancer promoters' are substances that trigger off the development of the cancer process... clumping of cells which can become tumours.
Cancer Promoters should not be confused with carcinogens...
They are something quite different. Carcinogens are chemical substances which we are all exposed to every day of our lives, unless we live in the mountains, and do not enjoy any of the conveniences of modern living and along with this the daily exposure to thousands of chemicals that are used and released into the environment. These chemicals are everywhere... even in furniture and carpet, not to mention many processed foods.
Although it is highly desirable to limit your exposure to carcinogens as much as possible as they are dangerous, they do not on their own cause cancer. This is why there are people living in the same environment with the same exposure to carcinogens and yet only some develop cancer whilst others do not. The cancer promoters are the overriding factor in determining who gets cancer.
So, what exactly are 'cancer promoters'?
They are substances in our diets that can trigger off the growth of cells that have been damaged by carcinogens and are present in the body. Without these promoters those cells which have mutated will likely remain inactive. An analogy which is often used in describing this situation is the planting of lawn seed. Unless ALL the conditions are right for the seeds, in other words they have adequate water, sunshine, and soil etc, the seeds will remain dormant and never grow.
Has this been proven (about the cancer remaining dormant)?
Indeed it has. There is substantial evidence supporting this phenomenon. In addition to 'real life' evidence there have been some striking well designed experiments carried out by researchers some of the most notable under the direction of T. Colin Campbell Ph.D. I will talk more about him and his work later.
The Proof...
For the moment let me try and give you a brief summary of this fascinating work.
Dr Campbell and his researchers initiated a group of experiments which revolved around injecting rats with aflatoxin which is a powerful carcinogen. The amounts were varied in different experiments and ranged from low doses to high doses. Also varied was the level of food which they suspected 'activated' or 'promoted' cancer growth.
This is what they found:
The growth of the cancer was not directly related to the amount of aflatoxin that was injected. They found they could turn on and off the cancer growth at will by altering the intake of the cancer promoting food.
Putting it another way. If they gave low doses of aflatoxin and combined it with food that they believed promoted cancer, all the rats developed cancer. If they administered high doses along with the same food, as expected they also developed cancer, BUT, and here is the interesting part... irrespective of whether they gave a high or low dose of aflatoxin, PROVIDED that the amount of the cancer promoting food was kept under a certain level, none of the rats developed cancer!
FURTHER... if the rats on the higher intakes of cancer promoting foods who were experiencing high growth rates of cancer tumors were then put on a diet of lower levels of the same food, the growth stopped! In other words they were able to control the growth of the cancer.
Although these experiments were conducted on rats, they would seem to have real implications for humans!
A logical question to ask, is why didn't these experiments receive wide publicity and what is this food that promotes cancer? OK... if you are sitting down I'll tell you. It's animal protein...
The Conclusion...
The conclusion that was reached from all these experiments was that the promotion of cancer was only activated when the animals intake of dietary protein exceeded the amount that they needed to satisfy their body growth rate. In their case about 12%!
So, what protein were they being fed? Casein which is milk protein!
Oh, that's interesting, you may be thinking, but is there any evidence linking higher level of protein consumption in humans to cancer? The answer is yes, and it is well documented in dozens of different ways. Just let me give you just one example:
Female Colon Cancer:
Which country has the highest incidence of female colon cancer? I'm ashamed to say it, but it is New Zealand! Which country has the lowest incidence of colon cancer? Nigeria!
Now, the per capita daily meat consumption of meat in NZ is 320 grams per day whereas it is only 20 grams per day in Nigeria. The second highest incidence of female colon cancer is in the USA where the per capita meat consumption is 280 grams per day.
If you review a graph for this specific cancer for a selection of 24 countries, the line indicating the levels of cancer goes up in concert to the increasing meat consumption in each country.
Is this an isolated situation for one specific cancer, and one type of protein... meat? No, not at all! There is a common theme in all these statistics and for all cancers. The higher the amount of animal protein, dairy products, or milk that is consumed the higher the incidence of cancer.
Pretty frightening if you are a big protein eater, or drink milk or consume other dairy foods! Add this to the daily need to watch out for transfats, additives and other potential carcinogens in your daily food and you have to be doubly vigilant.
I have to admit that learning this information has had a profound impact on my dietary habits as I have always consumed a lot of protein... although I have never taken protein additives, used dairy foods or drank milk. I have however now dramatically cut back my intake of meat and chicken.
Now I know that many readers will not be convinced of what I have been telling you over these last three articles, and I can understand that. But... I am sufficiently convinced to take measures to ensure that my intake of 'anti-cancer promoting' substances outweigh the 'cancer promoting' ones.
Anti-cancer promoters...
What are the anti-cancer promoters? There are many...
Here are a few which are supported by clinical data:
Lutein
Zeaxanthin
Lycopene
Garlic
Beta 1,3-Glucan Polysaccharides
Aloe Vera Polysaccharides
Tea Polysaccharides
Grape seed/Oregon Grape (Mahonia)
Green Tea
Gotu Kola
Gingko Biloba
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Coenzyme Q10
Quercetin
Resveratrol
Ginger
Turmeric
Flax Seed
Ginseng
Soy Isoflavones
Saw Palmetto
MSM
Limonene
Blueberry
Olive Leaf
Black Cumin
Red Clover
L- Arginine
L- Glutathione
L- Theanine
N-Acetyl Cysteine
Melatonin
Hesperidin DIM 3,3'
DMG
Calcium
Beta Carotene
Alpha Carotene
Choline
Inositol
Vitamin B Complex
Folic Acid
Biotin
Selenium
Vitamins C, E, D
Molybdenum
Zinc
Iodine
Of course some are much more potent than others!
OK... Where do you find all these substances?
They are all present in food... but not necessarily in the foods that you are currently eating. This is because so many foods are so heavily processed that a lot of these important nutrients are just simply missing. However, if you can access high quality vegetables and you eat a lot of them you will get most of these anti-cancer promoters in your diet.
I personally try to do this, but I don't take any chances, which is why I take the full dose of our Total Balance formula as well as our Neuro-Natural General. These combined contain the above anti-cancer promoters. This combined with a diet high in vegetables and minimal animal protein eliminates any fear that I could have about getting cancer. I have no doubt that I am overwhelming any cancer promoting substances that may be present in my body.
More Information?
Many readers would I am sure like to know more about the matters that I have raised in these last three issues. To go much further than I have, is really outside my scope of expertise as a 'lay person'. The information would also fill up a book.
However, the information on this subject is readily available if you care to take the time to study it. An excellent starting point would be to buy the book called 'The China Study' by T. Colin Campbell Ph.D. He is the researcher that I referred to earlier in this article.
His book is easy to read and contains some very detailed well researched and accurate information and is worth the investment if you are unlucky enough to be a cancer sufferer, and/or if you are concerned about cancer. He also covers a number of other diseases which are triggered by the same 'mechanism'.
Also fascinating in this book are his personal experiences as a member of some of the top level committees which determine policies for the nation's health. He explains how information which the public should know is suppressed and why...
Bottom Line...
Irrespective of your age or current health never lose sight of the fact that you must constantly be vigilant as to what passes into your mouth. It is not only what you do eat that could kill you, it is also what you don't eat that could bring about the same result. Try to change your attitude towards eating. Think of eating to live...not living to eat.
So... I will leave you with those thoughts to ponder!
Take care,
Warren
Reader Comments (11)
You mention the negative effects of animal protien, does this include seafood as well? What are some sources of non-cancer-promoter sources of protien?
October 7, 2006 | Steve Byrne
The evidence does suggest that all animal protein are potential cancer promoters and that includes sea food. But the impression that I get from the info I have studied is that fish does not not seem to be as 'active' as say red meat when it comes to 'promoting' cancer.
There may be studies out there which have compared the two but I haven't seen them as yet. I would not stop eating fish...I certainly haven't. I just eat less of it, and only eat red meat and chicken infrequently, and have offset that by eating piles of vegetables and salads.
Don't overlook the fact that many vegetables have much higher levels of protein than most of us realise. Sometime over the next few days I will post some info which shows the protein and nutrient content of a number of different foods. I think that you will find it quite interesting.
October 7, 2006 | Warren Matthews
Warren,
If the above is true...and I am having a hard time with it...the key question is this. How does an individual calculate the amount of protien they need to support "growth".
Thanks,
David Squires
October 7, 2006 | David Squires
A valid point David. There is no practical way to calculate the levels of protein in the diet unless you wanted to measure every bit of food that you eat and then using a set of tables calculate the amounts. But,who wants to do that!
However, I don't think that it is necessary. If you eat a LOT of vegetables and salads you will get all the protein that you need, you will never be hungry and your body will find its natural weight.
Over the coming weeks I will do another article supporting my ones on cancer and will include stronger evidence and references so you can research it further if you choose to.
Remember that some of the biggest animals never eat meat protein...eg, gorillas, elephants etc.
October 7, 2006 | Warren Matthews
Warren,
I read part II and III of your article on cancer and found both most informative. I am missing part I. Can you please tell me where I can find it?
Also I want you to know that I really like the easy to print feature of your articles. Some of my friends do not have a computer so I'm sending them the info in printed form.
October 8, 2006 | Antje Gunnar
That's odd Antje...Did you try scrolling back on some of the earlier pages, Go to the home page and then click on the back pages and you should find it OK. Good luck
October 9, 2006 | Warren Matthews
Hi: I currently take 3 Total Balance tabs a day, 1 Omega 3 twice a day. I also take 2 Daily Detoxifier gels (for liver and kidney support) from Advanced BioSolitions. (Dr. Stephin Sinatra seems as impassioned as you do about health). I know you say Total Balance helps to create CoQ10 but is it ok to take an extra supplement of this vital nutriment? Thank you
October 9, 2006 | Richard Key
Hi Richard,
No problem taking extra CoQ10. If you do, then try to get a sublingual supplement or, an enteric coated one. If you can get one of these then there is no need to have more than 30mgs per day,
If the CoQ10 is in a 'normal' tablet or capsule then you can take any amount up to 200mgs a day as they are only about 5% bio-available. CoQ10 is quite unstable.
Personally I would not bother taking CoQ10 unless I was on a statin drug. It is likely that if you increase your Total Balance to 6 tabs a day that you would generate more CoQ10 than a stand alone supplement, plus you would get a whole range of extra benefits.
Warren
October 17, 2006 | Warren Matthews
The general recommendation in both standard and in vegetarian nutrition is for 1gram protein per kilogram of body-weight. For the US reader,this is about 1 ounce for every 60 to 65 pounds body-weight.
Warren,
I have read in many articles (from Adele Davis and Francis M. Lappé ... and yes, I'm that old... to Ornish), that vegetable protein is not as available as meat-protein - and not just the EFA content - with such additional factors as some nutrients being locked up and also unavailable. Can you comment on this aspect in your next article (as promised above) please?
November 10, 2006 | Muzz
In essence it appears that one should consider becoming vegetarian. Or perhaps its not consumption of animal meat thats the problem but the fact that we dont eat food in its purest, rawest form anymore (like the prehistoric caveman who lived for many years without the affliction of the degenerative disease we have today). I however would not be too keen on eating commercial meat raw with the risk of toxic plasmosis, salmonella and campylobacter to name a few.
But I wonder if anyone remembers the late Linda McCartney, a strict vegetarian who passed away at the tender age of 56
November 27, 2006 | Eugene
I should mention that many vegetarians and in particular some vegans are unhealthy. Maybe that is because some of them are so strict and restrictive in their diets that they do not get the variety in their diets and thus are deficient in many nutrients.
I think that the key point to take from the articles that I wrote on cancer is that excess animal protein is a promoter of cancer and as such its intake should be kept moderate.
November 27, 2006 | Warren Matthews