Cutting Carbs
Cutting Carbs
xtrocious Mon Jan 03, 2011 1:55 am
Can cutting carbohydrates from your diet make you live longer?
By Jerome Burne
Last updated at 9:05 AM on 26th October 2010
It's an extraordinary claim. But scientists say you can extend your life AND stay fit throughout old age - just by a change of diet that switches on your youth gene...
Professor Kenyon has found out why drastically reducing calories has such a remarkable effect
For centuries man has dreamed of being immortal, fixated on tales of magic fountains that restore youth, the rejuvenating power of a vampire’s bite or asses’ milk.
More recently came claims that injections of monkey glands or hormone supplements would make us live longer.
But so far, what’s actually worked are medical advances such as vaccines and better living conditions. Over the past century these have boosted average life expectancy by far more than 50 per cent, from 50 to 88.
The problem is that this longevity does not mean a healthier life. Indeed, thanks to chronic diseases such as diabetes and arthritis, we’re becoming like the Struldbruggs — the miserable characters in Gulliver’s Travels who were immortal, but still suffered from all the diseases of old age.
Gradually they lost their teeth, their hair, their sense of smell and taste. All their diseases got worse and their memory faded, so they had no idea who their friends and relations were. At funerals they wept because they couldn’t die.
But now a U.S. geneticist is thought to have discovered the secret to a long life, full of health and energy. And the answer might be as simple as cutting down on carbohydrates.
Professor Cynthia Kenyon, whom many experts believe should win the Nobel Prize for her research into ageing, has discovered that the carbohydrates we eat — from bananas and potatoes to bread, pasta, biscuits and cakes — directly affect two key genes that govern youthfulness and longevity.
She made her remarkable breakthrough after studying roundworms, specifically the C.elegans, a worm just a millimetre in size that lives in soil in temperate climates all over the world.
By tweaking some of their genes she has been able to help these worms live up to six times longer than normal. ‘Not only that, but we also know how to make them stay healthy all that time as well,’ she told an audience at the Wellcome Collection in London earlier this month.
So, what do worms have to do with us?
A great deal, it seems. Professor Kenyon’s work has been successfully repeated in labs around the world — the genes she found controlling ageing in worms do the same thing in rats and mice, probably monkeys, and there are signs they are active in humans, too.
This work has revolutionised our understanding of ageing, explains Jeff Holly, professor of clinical sciences at Bristol University.
‘Ten years ago we thought ageing was probably the result of a slow decay, a sort of rusting,’ he says. ‘But Professor Kenyon has shown that it’s not about wear and tear, but instead it is controlled by genes. That opens the possibility of slowing it down with drugs.’
So how does a worm hold the key to human ageing?
At 18 days old the average roundworm is flabby, sluggish and wrinkled. Two days later it will probably be dead.
The carbohydrates we eat directly affect two key genes that govern youthfulness and longevity
However, Professor Kenyon, based at the University of California, San Francisco, found that damping down the activity of just one of their genes had a dramatic effect.
‘Instead of dying at about 20 days, our first set of mutant worms carried on living to more than 40 days,’ she says.
‘And they weren’t sluggish and worn out — they behaved like youngsters. It was a real shock. In human terms it was the equivalent of talking to someone you thought was about 30 and finding they were actually 60.’
With more sophisticated genetic manipulation, she now has some worms that have lived for an astonishing 144 days. An increase of that proportion would allow humans to live to 450.
Scientists already knew how to make laboratory animals live longer and healthier lives — you just cut back their calories to about three-quarters of their normal amount.
It’s not a practical solution for humans, because you feel cold and hungry all the time.
But what Professor Kenyon found out was why drastically reducing calories has such a remarkable effect.
She discovered that it changed the way two crucial genes behaved. It turned down the gene that controls insulin, which in turn switched on another gene, which acted like an elixir of life.
‘We jokingly called the first gene the Grim Reaper because when it’s switched on, the lifespan is fairly
The second ‘elixir’ gene seems to bring all the anti-ageing benefits — its proper name is DAF 16, but it was quickly nicknamed ‘Sweet Sixteen’ because it turned the worms into teenagers.
‘It sends out instructions to a whole range of repair and renovation genes,’ says Professor Kenyon.
‘Your supply of natural antioxidants goes up, damping down damaging free radicals.’
These are the compounds produced by our body and the environment, which are linked to a host of diseases from cancer to Alzheimer’s.
The Sweet Sixteen gene also ‘boosts compounds that make sure the skin and muscle-building proteins are working properly, the immune
system becomes more active to fight infection and genes that are active in cancer get turned off,’ she adds.
Kenyon had stumbled on the genetic equivalent of Shangri-La, the fictional valley where people could live for years without really ageing.
Discovering the Grim Reaper gene has prompted the professor to dramatically alter her own diet, cutting right back on carbohydrates. That’s because carbs make your body produce more insulin (to mop up the extra blood sugar carbs produce); and more insulin means a more active Grim Reaper.
So the vital second gene, the ‘elixir’ one, won’t get turned on. To test this, last year she added a tiny amount of sugary glucose to the normal diet of some of her worms that had had their genes engineered so they were living much longer, healthier lives.
‘The effect was remarkable,’ she says. ‘The sugary glucose blocked the “youthful” genes and they lost most of the health gains.’
But was this just a special feature of the roundworm or did we all have it?
Following Kenyon’s lead, other researchers started looking for the Grim Reaper/ Sweet Sixteen combination in other animals — and of course in humans. They found it.
One clue came from a small remote community of dwarves living in northern Ecuador who are cancer-free. They are missing the part of the Grim Reaper gene that controls a hormone called insulin-like growth factor. The downside is they only grow to 4ft tall because the hormone is needed for growth.
But this missing bit of the Grim Reaper gene also means they don’t develop cancer and are less likely to suffer from heart disease or obesity.
Professor Jeff Holly, who specialises in insulin-like growth factor, confirms that it is linked to cancer of the prostate, breast and colon.
In fact raised insulin levels, triggered by high carbohydrate consumption, could be what connects many of our big killers.
Research is at its early stage, but raised insulin triggers an increase in cholesterol production in the liver, makes the walls of blood vessels
contract so blood pressure goes up and stimulates the release of fats called triglycerides (linked to heart disease).
Professor Kenyon’s work is creating a wave of excitement among drug companies who’ve been researching molecules that will damp down the
Grim Reaper and boost Sweet Sixteen, giving us the benefits of very low-calorie diets without the penalties. So far, none is very near being approved.
One way to reduce insulin levels is to exercise, which makes you more sensitive to it, which in turn means you need less of it. It also gives another health benefit in a surprising way. Exercise actually increases the level of damaging free radicals which stimulates the body to produce more protective anti-oxidants.
So should we all be trying to cut back on carbs to reduce our insulin levels?
It is a suggestion that flies in the face of 30 years of health advice to have a lower fat intake and eat plenty of long-lasting complex carbohydrates to keep the body supplied with energy.
There is no denying the extraordinary breakthrough Kenyon’s work represents and she ‘deserves the Nobel Prize for her findings about ageing’, says David Gems, deputy director of the Institute for Healthy Ageing at University College, London.
However he isn’t convinced we know enough for us all to start eating a low-carb diet.
‘The exact role of insulin in health and ageing is a promising and fascinating area,’ he says. ‘But I’m not sure the evidence for the benefit of cutting carbohydrates and keeping insulin levels down is strong enough yet.’
But Professor Kenyon herself doesn’t need convincing.
‘Carbohydrates, and especially refined ones like sugar, make you produce lots of extra insulin. I’ve been keeping my intake really low ever since I discovered this.
‘I’ve cut out all starch such as potatoes, noodles, rice, bread and pasta. Instead I have salads, but no sweet dressing, lots of olive oil and nuts, tons of green vegetables along with cheese, chicken and eggs.
‘I’ll have a hamburger without a bun and fish without batter or chips. I eat some fruit every day, but not too much and almost no processed food. I stay away from sweets, except 80 per cent chocolate.’
She is adamant it will be well worthwhile. ‘You could have two completely different careers if you could stay healthy to 90,’ she says.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1323758/Can-cutting-Carbohydrates-diet-make-live-longer.html#ixzz13zE9Y0eb
By Jerome Burne
Last updated at 9:05 AM on 26th October 2010
It's an extraordinary claim. But scientists say you can extend your life AND stay fit throughout old age - just by a change of diet that switches on your youth gene...
Professor Kenyon has found out why drastically reducing calories has such a remarkable effect
For centuries man has dreamed of being immortal, fixated on tales of magic fountains that restore youth, the rejuvenating power of a vampire’s bite or asses’ milk.
More recently came claims that injections of monkey glands or hormone supplements would make us live longer.
But so far, what’s actually worked are medical advances such as vaccines and better living conditions. Over the past century these have boosted average life expectancy by far more than 50 per cent, from 50 to 88.
The problem is that this longevity does not mean a healthier life. Indeed, thanks to chronic diseases such as diabetes and arthritis, we’re becoming like the Struldbruggs — the miserable characters in Gulliver’s Travels who were immortal, but still suffered from all the diseases of old age.
Gradually they lost their teeth, their hair, their sense of smell and taste. All their diseases got worse and their memory faded, so they had no idea who their friends and relations were. At funerals they wept because they couldn’t die.
But now a U.S. geneticist is thought to have discovered the secret to a long life, full of health and energy. And the answer might be as simple as cutting down on carbohydrates.
Professor Cynthia Kenyon, whom many experts believe should win the Nobel Prize for her research into ageing, has discovered that the carbohydrates we eat — from bananas and potatoes to bread, pasta, biscuits and cakes — directly affect two key genes that govern youthfulness and longevity.
She made her remarkable breakthrough after studying roundworms, specifically the C.elegans, a worm just a millimetre in size that lives in soil in temperate climates all over the world.
By tweaking some of their genes she has been able to help these worms live up to six times longer than normal. ‘Not only that, but we also know how to make them stay healthy all that time as well,’ she told an audience at the Wellcome Collection in London earlier this month.
So, what do worms have to do with us?
A great deal, it seems. Professor Kenyon’s work has been successfully repeated in labs around the world — the genes she found controlling ageing in worms do the same thing in rats and mice, probably monkeys, and there are signs they are active in humans, too.
This work has revolutionised our understanding of ageing, explains Jeff Holly, professor of clinical sciences at Bristol University.
‘Ten years ago we thought ageing was probably the result of a slow decay, a sort of rusting,’ he says. ‘But Professor Kenyon has shown that it’s not about wear and tear, but instead it is controlled by genes. That opens the possibility of slowing it down with drugs.’
So how does a worm hold the key to human ageing?
At 18 days old the average roundworm is flabby, sluggish and wrinkled. Two days later it will probably be dead.
The carbohydrates we eat directly affect two key genes that govern youthfulness and longevity
However, Professor Kenyon, based at the University of California, San Francisco, found that damping down the activity of just one of their genes had a dramatic effect.
‘Instead of dying at about 20 days, our first set of mutant worms carried on living to more than 40 days,’ she says.
‘And they weren’t sluggish and worn out — they behaved like youngsters. It was a real shock. In human terms it was the equivalent of talking to someone you thought was about 30 and finding they were actually 60.’
With more sophisticated genetic manipulation, she now has some worms that have lived for an astonishing 144 days. An increase of that proportion would allow humans to live to 450.
Scientists already knew how to make laboratory animals live longer and healthier lives — you just cut back their calories to about three-quarters of their normal amount.
It’s not a practical solution for humans, because you feel cold and hungry all the time.
But what Professor Kenyon found out was why drastically reducing calories has such a remarkable effect.
She discovered that it changed the way two crucial genes behaved. It turned down the gene that controls insulin, which in turn switched on another gene, which acted like an elixir of life.
‘We jokingly called the first gene the Grim Reaper because when it’s switched on, the lifespan is fairly
The second ‘elixir’ gene seems to bring all the anti-ageing benefits — its proper name is DAF 16, but it was quickly nicknamed ‘Sweet Sixteen’ because it turned the worms into teenagers.
‘It sends out instructions to a whole range of repair and renovation genes,’ says Professor Kenyon.
‘Your supply of natural antioxidants goes up, damping down damaging free radicals.’
These are the compounds produced by our body and the environment, which are linked to a host of diseases from cancer to Alzheimer’s.
The Sweet Sixteen gene also ‘boosts compounds that make sure the skin and muscle-building proteins are working properly, the immune
system becomes more active to fight infection and genes that are active in cancer get turned off,’ she adds.
Kenyon had stumbled on the genetic equivalent of Shangri-La, the fictional valley where people could live for years without really ageing.
Discovering the Grim Reaper gene has prompted the professor to dramatically alter her own diet, cutting right back on carbohydrates. That’s because carbs make your body produce more insulin (to mop up the extra blood sugar carbs produce); and more insulin means a more active Grim Reaper.
So the vital second gene, the ‘elixir’ one, won’t get turned on. To test this, last year she added a tiny amount of sugary glucose to the normal diet of some of her worms that had had their genes engineered so they were living much longer, healthier lives.
‘The effect was remarkable,’ she says. ‘The sugary glucose blocked the “youthful” genes and they lost most of the health gains.’
But was this just a special feature of the roundworm or did we all have it?
Following Kenyon’s lead, other researchers started looking for the Grim Reaper/ Sweet Sixteen combination in other animals — and of course in humans. They found it.
One clue came from a small remote community of dwarves living in northern Ecuador who are cancer-free. They are missing the part of the Grim Reaper gene that controls a hormone called insulin-like growth factor. The downside is they only grow to 4ft tall because the hormone is needed for growth.
But this missing bit of the Grim Reaper gene also means they don’t develop cancer and are less likely to suffer from heart disease or obesity.
Professor Jeff Holly, who specialises in insulin-like growth factor, confirms that it is linked to cancer of the prostate, breast and colon.
In fact raised insulin levels, triggered by high carbohydrate consumption, could be what connects many of our big killers.
Research is at its early stage, but raised insulin triggers an increase in cholesterol production in the liver, makes the walls of blood vessels
contract so blood pressure goes up and stimulates the release of fats called triglycerides (linked to heart disease).
Professor Kenyon’s work is creating a wave of excitement among drug companies who’ve been researching molecules that will damp down the
Grim Reaper and boost Sweet Sixteen, giving us the benefits of very low-calorie diets without the penalties. So far, none is very near being approved.
One way to reduce insulin levels is to exercise, which makes you more sensitive to it, which in turn means you need less of it. It also gives another health benefit in a surprising way. Exercise actually increases the level of damaging free radicals which stimulates the body to produce more protective anti-oxidants.
So should we all be trying to cut back on carbs to reduce our insulin levels?
It is a suggestion that flies in the face of 30 years of health advice to have a lower fat intake and eat plenty of long-lasting complex carbohydrates to keep the body supplied with energy.
There is no denying the extraordinary breakthrough Kenyon’s work represents and she ‘deserves the Nobel Prize for her findings about ageing’, says David Gems, deputy director of the Institute for Healthy Ageing at University College, London.
However he isn’t convinced we know enough for us all to start eating a low-carb diet.
‘The exact role of insulin in health and ageing is a promising and fascinating area,’ he says. ‘But I’m not sure the evidence for the benefit of cutting carbohydrates and keeping insulin levels down is strong enough yet.’
But Professor Kenyon herself doesn’t need convincing.
‘Carbohydrates, and especially refined ones like sugar, make you produce lots of extra insulin. I’ve been keeping my intake really low ever since I discovered this.
‘I’ve cut out all starch such as potatoes, noodles, rice, bread and pasta. Instead I have salads, but no sweet dressing, lots of olive oil and nuts, tons of green vegetables along with cheese, chicken and eggs.
‘I’ll have a hamburger without a bun and fish without batter or chips. I eat some fruit every day, but not too much and almost no processed food. I stay away from sweets, except 80 per cent chocolate.’
She is adamant it will be well worthwhile. ‘You could have two completely different careers if you could stay healthy to 90,’ she says.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1323758/Can-cutting-Carbohydrates-diet-make-live-longer.html#ixzz13zE9Y0eb
xtrocious- Posts : 161
Join date : 2010-12-30
Age : 55
Location : West Singapore
Carbohydrates And Cancer: The Prospect
xtrocious Mon Jan 03, 2011 2:24 am
http://www.carbohydratescankill.com/901/carbohydrates-cancer-prospect
Many studies have found the links between the risks of various cancers and hyperglycemia or excess consumption of carbohydrates. [1, 2, 3, 4] At the same time, there have been reports that discuss the possible etiology or cause(s) of cancers.
In the first quarter 1996 issue of Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, Professor John T. A. Ely published an article, “Glycemic Modulation of Tumor Tolerance.” [5] He cited that neoplastic initiation continues inside the body (some cells resist the scheduled death or apoptosis) but is ablated by immune surveillance [6] with leukocytes, including granulocytes (or neutrophils), monocytes, and lymphocyrtes, which are cell mediated immunity (CMI). The function of CMI is suppressed by hyperglycemia and enhanced by hypoglycemia. Thus, in the environment of hyperglycemia, the cancer incidence is significantly increased, and vice versa.
Positive relationship between hyperglycemia and the incidence of congenital teratogenicity has also been observed. This is an important prenatal issue in the prevention of congenital malformations, diabetes mellitus, cancers, and other medical disorders, which have been often linked to genetic disorders. [7]
In March 2005, the journal of Integrarive Cancer Therapy included a study, “Controlling Hyperglycemia as an Adjunct to Cancer Therapy”, by Cheryl A. Krone and Professor Ely. [8] Krone and Ely cited the following studies: (1) E. Freund reported in 1885 that 62 out of 70 cancer patients had hyperglycemia; [9] (2) in a study of 950 consecutive cases, the prevalence of hyperglycemia over 200 mg% in the patients who had cancers was more than three times of that in the patients who had no cancer; [10] (3) a report cited in late 1970’s that the countries where consumed more sugars had a higher mortality of breast cancer; [11, 12] (4) underfed human and animal have little or no susceptibility to cancer; [13, 14, 15, 16, 17] (5) in a 1968 report, patients with pyschosis under Insulin Coma Therapy were free of large tumors at the end of the therapy; [18, 19] (6) protein and other nutrients (but carbohydrate?) in dietary alteration were not responsible for reducing the risk of cancer; (7) In a study of 24 tumor patients, only 5 of them whose glucose tolerance tests were improved achieved a sustainable remission from malignancy; (
success of radiation therapy for cervical cancer was increased multifold when dietary sugar was prohibited from the patients. [20]
In this study by Krone and Ely, 45 patients with cancers were selected in sequence at the Northwest Oncology Clinic, Seattle, Washington. Thses patients provided information about their diets and vitamin supplements. They must take less than 2 grams of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) daily. These patients suffered from (1) Breast cancer (3 active disease and 5 remission) and melanoma (2 active disease and 7 remission); (2) colorectal, lung, and renal cell carcinoma, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; (3) sarcoma, urothelial and gynecological cancers. Their hemoglobin A1c was analysed.
The study concludes hyperglycemia is associated with risks of cancer and cardiovascular disease; cancer patients exhibit defects in immune competence that increases susceptibility to infection and disease progression. Oxidative response is a possible cause. Anti-oxidant, such as ascorbic acid, may be beneficial in cancer therapy; and glycemic control has been employed in the ICU and CCU that improves the outcome of the acutely ill. Glycemic control is probably a useful adjunct in cancer therapy.
On January 23, 2006, Shankar A. et al published a cohort study of 3,189 cancer patients, “Association between circulating white blood cell count and cancer mortality: a population-based cohort study”, in the Archives of Internal Medicine. [21] The study shows higher white blood cell count in all mortality cases. Also, cancer mortality is positively correlated to hyperglycemia even in those patients who are not diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (see below).
In addition, cancer mortality is decreased with the patients who took Aspirin. Interestingly, the latter finding reaffirms the role of inflammation in the development and progression of cancer. Keep in mind that hyperglycemia is both inflammatory and pro-inflammatory. [22]
In related to the report cited above by Krone and Ely that the patients with psychosis who underwent insulin coma therapy were free of large tumors at the end of the therapy, Dr. Donato Perez Garcia (1896-1971) reported using intravenous insulin along with a smaller dose of cancer agents (Insulin Potentiation Therapy or IPT) successfully treated cancers, particularly such as breast cancer, small-cell lung cancer, and protstate cancer. As expected, the patients undergoing IPT had a great risk of hypoglycemia during the treatment. [22]
On June 16, 2010, in A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, Giovannucci E et al published “Daibetes and Cancer: A Consensus Report.” [23] The report discusses, “(1) the association between diabetes and cancer incidence or prognosis; (2) risk factors common to both diabetes and cancer; (3) possible biologic links between diabetes and cancer risk; and (4) whether diabetes treatments influence the risk of cancer or cancer prognosis.” As expected, it also lists unanswered questions for future researches.
This report does address the association between diet and cancer. However, it is still reluctant to recognize the direct correlation between carbohydrate consumption, postprandial hyperglycemia, inflammation, the development of diabetes mellitus and cancers. It states, “Low-carbohydrate diets (which often include a greater consumption of red meats and fat) have also been associated with weight loss and improvements in insulin sensitivity and glycemic control.” It further claims,”However, to the best of our knowledge, randomized controlled trial evidence of dietary interventions and diabetes prevention exists only for low-fat, low-calorie, plus/minus high-fiber diets.”
Disappointingly, this consensus report continues to reflect the general attitute of organized medicine, which is unwilling to look into the evidence that has been collected by experts outside its special interests. The evidence reveals the connection between carbohydrates, hyperglycemia, diabetes mellitus, and cancer. Organized medicine and governmental agencies are not interested in supporting studies that help find the cause(s), effective treatment(s), and prevention.
Nonetheless, with the continuing discovery and increasing knowledge in the link between carbohydrates and cancer, there is a hope that cancer will soon be no longer fatal, possiblely reversible, and even preventable with carbohydrate-restricted diet and without the need of expensive but often ineffective medical and surgical interventions.
Robert Su, Pharm.B., M.D.
Wish to invite Dr. Su to speak at your meeting, contact us at jevpublishing@verizon.net
References:
1 Su RK. “Reading List: Cancer (889-1061).” Reading List To Carbohydrates Can Kill.” Carbohydrates Can Kill.
2. Su RK. “Carbohydrates And Cancer: The Fact.” Carbohydrates Can Kill. October 25, 2010.
3. Su RK. “Carbohydrates And Cancer: The Link.” Carbohydrates Can Kill. November 1, 2010.
4. Su RK. “Carbohydrates And Cancer: More Links.” Carbohydrates Can Kill. November 8, 2010.
5. Ely JTA. “Glycemic Modulation of Tumor Tolerance,.” The Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine 1996; Vol 11(1): 23-34.
6. Jeremy B. Swann and Mark J. Smyth. “Immune surveillance of tumors.” J Clin Invest. 2007;117(May 1):1137–1146
7. Mills JL. “Malformations in infants of diabetic mothers.” Teratology. Volume 25, Issue 3, pages 385–394, June 1982.
8. Cheryl A. Krone, PhD “Controlling Hyperglycemia as an Adjunct to Cancer Therapy.” Integrarive Cancer Therapy. March 2005 vol. 4 no. 1 25-31.
9. Freund E. “Zur diagnose des carcinoms.” Wien Med Bl. 1885;8:268.
10. Glicksman AS, Myers WPL, Rawson RW. “Diabetes mellitus and carbohydrate metabolism in patients with cancer.” Medical Clinic North America. 1956;40:887-900.
11. Carroll KK. “Dietary factors in hormone-dependent cancers.” Cancer Research. November 1975 35; 3374
12. Hems G. “The contributions of diet and childbearing to breast cancer rates.” British Journal of Cancer. 1978;37:974-982.
13. Michels KB & Ekbom A. “Caloric Restriction and Incidence of Breast Cancer.” Journal of American Medical Association. 2004;291:1226-1230.
14. White DB, White J, Mider GB, Kelly MG, Heston WE. “Effect of caloric restriction on mammary tumor formation in strain C3H mice and on the response of strain DBA to painting with methylcholanthrene.” Journal of National Cancer Institute. 1944;5:43-48.
15, Hochman G. “Prevention of cancer: restriction of nutritional energy intake (joules).”. Comparative biochemistry and physiology. 1988;91A:209-220.
16. Kritchevsky D. “Diet in heart disease and cancer.” Adv Exp Med Biol. 1995;369:201-241.
17. Zhu Z, Haegele A, Thompson H. “Effect of caloric restriction on pre-malignant and malignant stages of mammary carcinogenesis.” Carcinogenesis. 1997;18:1007-1012.
18. Koroljow S. “Insulin coma therapy.” Psychiatric Quarterly. 1962;36:261-270.
19. Bishop JS. & Marks PA, “STUDIES ON CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM IN PATIENTS WITH NEOPLASTIC DISEASE. II. REPONSE TO INSULIN ADMINISTRATION.”
20. Cheraskin E, Ringedorf WM, Hutchins K, Setyaamadja ATSH, Wideman GL. “Effect of diet upon radiation response in cervical carcinoma of the uterus.” Acta Cytologica. 1968;12:433-438.
21. Shankar A et al. “Association between circulating white blood cell count and cancer mortality: a population-based cohort study.” Archives of Internal Medicine. 2006 Jan 23;166(2):188-94.
22. Su RK. “Carbohydrates Can Kill: Hyperglycemia is problematic but preventable by restricting carbohydrates. (1 of 3)” The Blog. Carbohydrates Can Kill.
23. American Cancer Society. “Insulin Potentiation Therapy.” Find Support & Treatment.
24. Giovannucci, E, et al. “Diabetes and Cancer: A Consensus Report .” CA Cancer J Clin 2010;60: 207-221.
Many studies have found the links between the risks of various cancers and hyperglycemia or excess consumption of carbohydrates. [1, 2, 3, 4] At the same time, there have been reports that discuss the possible etiology or cause(s) of cancers.
In the first quarter 1996 issue of Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, Professor John T. A. Ely published an article, “Glycemic Modulation of Tumor Tolerance.” [5] He cited that neoplastic initiation continues inside the body (some cells resist the scheduled death or apoptosis) but is ablated by immune surveillance [6] with leukocytes, including granulocytes (or neutrophils), monocytes, and lymphocyrtes, which are cell mediated immunity (CMI). The function of CMI is suppressed by hyperglycemia and enhanced by hypoglycemia. Thus, in the environment of hyperglycemia, the cancer incidence is significantly increased, and vice versa.
Positive relationship between hyperglycemia and the incidence of congenital teratogenicity has also been observed. This is an important prenatal issue in the prevention of congenital malformations, diabetes mellitus, cancers, and other medical disorders, which have been often linked to genetic disorders. [7]
In March 2005, the journal of Integrarive Cancer Therapy included a study, “Controlling Hyperglycemia as an Adjunct to Cancer Therapy”, by Cheryl A. Krone and Professor Ely. [8] Krone and Ely cited the following studies: (1) E. Freund reported in 1885 that 62 out of 70 cancer patients had hyperglycemia; [9] (2) in a study of 950 consecutive cases, the prevalence of hyperglycemia over 200 mg% in the patients who had cancers was more than three times of that in the patients who had no cancer; [10] (3) a report cited in late 1970’s that the countries where consumed more sugars had a higher mortality of breast cancer; [11, 12] (4) underfed human and animal have little or no susceptibility to cancer; [13, 14, 15, 16, 17] (5) in a 1968 report, patients with pyschosis under Insulin Coma Therapy were free of large tumors at the end of the therapy; [18, 19] (6) protein and other nutrients (but carbohydrate?) in dietary alteration were not responsible for reducing the risk of cancer; (7) In a study of 24 tumor patients, only 5 of them whose glucose tolerance tests were improved achieved a sustainable remission from malignancy; (
success of radiation therapy for cervical cancer was increased multifold when dietary sugar was prohibited from the patients. [20]In this study by Krone and Ely, 45 patients with cancers were selected in sequence at the Northwest Oncology Clinic, Seattle, Washington. Thses patients provided information about their diets and vitamin supplements. They must take less than 2 grams of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) daily. These patients suffered from (1) Breast cancer (3 active disease and 5 remission) and melanoma (2 active disease and 7 remission); (2) colorectal, lung, and renal cell carcinoma, and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; (3) sarcoma, urothelial and gynecological cancers. Their hemoglobin A1c was analysed.
The study concludes hyperglycemia is associated with risks of cancer and cardiovascular disease; cancer patients exhibit defects in immune competence that increases susceptibility to infection and disease progression. Oxidative response is a possible cause. Anti-oxidant, such as ascorbic acid, may be beneficial in cancer therapy; and glycemic control has been employed in the ICU and CCU that improves the outcome of the acutely ill. Glycemic control is probably a useful adjunct in cancer therapy.
On January 23, 2006, Shankar A. et al published a cohort study of 3,189 cancer patients, “Association between circulating white blood cell count and cancer mortality: a population-based cohort study”, in the Archives of Internal Medicine. [21] The study shows higher white blood cell count in all mortality cases. Also, cancer mortality is positively correlated to hyperglycemia even in those patients who are not diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (see below).
In addition, cancer mortality is decreased with the patients who took Aspirin. Interestingly, the latter finding reaffirms the role of inflammation in the development and progression of cancer. Keep in mind that hyperglycemia is both inflammatory and pro-inflammatory. [22]
In related to the report cited above by Krone and Ely that the patients with psychosis who underwent insulin coma therapy were free of large tumors at the end of the therapy, Dr. Donato Perez Garcia (1896-1971) reported using intravenous insulin along with a smaller dose of cancer agents (Insulin Potentiation Therapy or IPT) successfully treated cancers, particularly such as breast cancer, small-cell lung cancer, and protstate cancer. As expected, the patients undergoing IPT had a great risk of hypoglycemia during the treatment. [22]
On June 16, 2010, in A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, Giovannucci E et al published “Daibetes and Cancer: A Consensus Report.” [23] The report discusses, “(1) the association between diabetes and cancer incidence or prognosis; (2) risk factors common to both diabetes and cancer; (3) possible biologic links between diabetes and cancer risk; and (4) whether diabetes treatments influence the risk of cancer or cancer prognosis.” As expected, it also lists unanswered questions for future researches.
This report does address the association between diet and cancer. However, it is still reluctant to recognize the direct correlation between carbohydrate consumption, postprandial hyperglycemia, inflammation, the development of diabetes mellitus and cancers. It states, “Low-carbohydrate diets (which often include a greater consumption of red meats and fat) have also been associated with weight loss and improvements in insulin sensitivity and glycemic control.” It further claims,”However, to the best of our knowledge, randomized controlled trial evidence of dietary interventions and diabetes prevention exists only for low-fat, low-calorie, plus/minus high-fiber diets.”
Disappointingly, this consensus report continues to reflect the general attitute of organized medicine, which is unwilling to look into the evidence that has been collected by experts outside its special interests. The evidence reveals the connection between carbohydrates, hyperglycemia, diabetes mellitus, and cancer. Organized medicine and governmental agencies are not interested in supporting studies that help find the cause(s), effective treatment(s), and prevention.
Nonetheless, with the continuing discovery and increasing knowledge in the link between carbohydrates and cancer, there is a hope that cancer will soon be no longer fatal, possiblely reversible, and even preventable with carbohydrate-restricted diet and without the need of expensive but often ineffective medical and surgical interventions.
Robert Su, Pharm.B., M.D.
Wish to invite Dr. Su to speak at your meeting, contact us at jevpublishing@verizon.net
References:
1 Su RK. “Reading List: Cancer (889-1061).” Reading List To Carbohydrates Can Kill.” Carbohydrates Can Kill.
2. Su RK. “Carbohydrates And Cancer: The Fact.” Carbohydrates Can Kill. October 25, 2010.
3. Su RK. “Carbohydrates And Cancer: The Link.” Carbohydrates Can Kill. November 1, 2010.
4. Su RK. “Carbohydrates And Cancer: More Links.” Carbohydrates Can Kill. November 8, 2010.
5. Ely JTA. “Glycemic Modulation of Tumor Tolerance,.” The Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine 1996; Vol 11(1): 23-34.
6. Jeremy B. Swann and Mark J. Smyth. “Immune surveillance of tumors.” J Clin Invest. 2007;117(May 1):1137–1146
7. Mills JL. “Malformations in infants of diabetic mothers.” Teratology. Volume 25, Issue 3, pages 385–394, June 1982.
8. Cheryl A. Krone, PhD “Controlling Hyperglycemia as an Adjunct to Cancer Therapy.” Integrarive Cancer Therapy. March 2005 vol. 4 no. 1 25-31.
9. Freund E. “Zur diagnose des carcinoms.” Wien Med Bl. 1885;8:268.
10. Glicksman AS, Myers WPL, Rawson RW. “Diabetes mellitus and carbohydrate metabolism in patients with cancer.” Medical Clinic North America. 1956;40:887-900.
11. Carroll KK. “Dietary factors in hormone-dependent cancers.” Cancer Research. November 1975 35; 3374
12. Hems G. “The contributions of diet and childbearing to breast cancer rates.” British Journal of Cancer. 1978;37:974-982.
13. Michels KB & Ekbom A. “Caloric Restriction and Incidence of Breast Cancer.” Journal of American Medical Association. 2004;291:1226-1230.
14. White DB, White J, Mider GB, Kelly MG, Heston WE. “Effect of caloric restriction on mammary tumor formation in strain C3H mice and on the response of strain DBA to painting with methylcholanthrene.” Journal of National Cancer Institute. 1944;5:43-48.
15, Hochman G. “Prevention of cancer: restriction of nutritional energy intake (joules).”. Comparative biochemistry and physiology. 1988;91A:209-220.
16. Kritchevsky D. “Diet in heart disease and cancer.” Adv Exp Med Biol. 1995;369:201-241.
17. Zhu Z, Haegele A, Thompson H. “Effect of caloric restriction on pre-malignant and malignant stages of mammary carcinogenesis.” Carcinogenesis. 1997;18:1007-1012.
18. Koroljow S. “Insulin coma therapy.” Psychiatric Quarterly. 1962;36:261-270.
19. Bishop JS. & Marks PA, “STUDIES ON CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM IN PATIENTS WITH NEOPLASTIC DISEASE. II. REPONSE TO INSULIN ADMINISTRATION.”
20. Cheraskin E, Ringedorf WM, Hutchins K, Setyaamadja ATSH, Wideman GL. “Effect of diet upon radiation response in cervical carcinoma of the uterus.” Acta Cytologica. 1968;12:433-438.
21. Shankar A et al. “Association between circulating white blood cell count and cancer mortality: a population-based cohort study.” Archives of Internal Medicine. 2006 Jan 23;166(2):188-94.
22. Su RK. “Carbohydrates Can Kill: Hyperglycemia is problematic but preventable by restricting carbohydrates. (1 of 3)” The Blog. Carbohydrates Can Kill.
23. American Cancer Society. “Insulin Potentiation Therapy.” Find Support & Treatment.
24. Giovannucci, E, et al. “Diabetes and Cancer: A Consensus Report .” CA Cancer J Clin 2010;60: 207-221.
xtrocious- Posts : 161
Join date : 2010-12-30
Age : 55
Location : West Singapore
Very low carb diets found to be good for the brain
xtrocious Mon Jan 03, 2011 2:27 am
From Dr Briffa's Blog by John Briffa
Dec 8, 2010 5:19 PM
I am a fan of low-carbohydrate eating, and my position is based on the science (showing it to be usually effective for weight loss and improvements in disease markers) and my experience with it in practice. However, not everyone shares my enthusiasm for this way of eating. Many people like to paint carbohydrate restriction as somehow dangerous. In quite-extreme carbohydrate restriction the body will generally turn to ketones (created from the metabolism of fat and/or protein) as a fuel source. This results is a state known as ‘ketosis’. I don’t generally recommend extreme carb restriction, but I don’t fear ketosis either. I see it as a natural response of the body to carbohydrate restriction.
All too often, I think ketosis is confused with ‘ketoacidosis’, which is a whole other story. Ketoacididosis occurs when there are severe metabolic disturbances such as when blood sugar levels run out of control in type 1 diabetics. It’s a serious situation, and potentially life-threatening but, as I say, is not the same as ‘ketosis’.
Ketones provide fuel for the body and brain, but some have questioned how well they do this compared to other fuel sources (such as glucose). I was therefore interested to read about a recent study in which a very low carbohydrate ‘ketogenic’ diet was tested in individuals with ‘mild cognitive impairment’ (reduced brain function associated with ageing but not severe enough to be classified as dementia) [1]. Half of the group in this study were randomised to eat the ketogenic diet, the other half ate a diet rich in carbohydrate. The study lasted 6 weeks.
The researchers found that those eating the ketogenic diet, compared to the other group, saw significant improvement in their ‘verbal memory’ (memory of words and other abstractions involving language). Also, generally speaking, the higher their ketone levels, the better their verbal memory tended to be. The suggestion here is that ketones provide ready fuel for the brain, and may enhance ‘cognitive function’.
Aside from memory improvement, those in the ketogenic diet also saw significant benefits in terms of weight loss and waist circumference reduction, as well as reductions in fasting blood glucose and insulin levels. Taken as a whole, these results suggest that carbohydrate restriction sufficient to induce ketosis offers, in the short term at least, significant advantages for both body and brain.
References:
1. Krikorian R, et al. Dietary ketosis enhances memory in mild cognitive impairment. Neurobiol Aging 2 December 2010 [epub ahead of print]
Dec 8, 2010 5:19 PM
I am a fan of low-carbohydrate eating, and my position is based on the science (showing it to be usually effective for weight loss and improvements in disease markers) and my experience with it in practice. However, not everyone shares my enthusiasm for this way of eating. Many people like to paint carbohydrate restriction as somehow dangerous. In quite-extreme carbohydrate restriction the body will generally turn to ketones (created from the metabolism of fat and/or protein) as a fuel source. This results is a state known as ‘ketosis’. I don’t generally recommend extreme carb restriction, but I don’t fear ketosis either. I see it as a natural response of the body to carbohydrate restriction.
All too often, I think ketosis is confused with ‘ketoacidosis’, which is a whole other story. Ketoacididosis occurs when there are severe metabolic disturbances such as when blood sugar levels run out of control in type 1 diabetics. It’s a serious situation, and potentially life-threatening but, as I say, is not the same as ‘ketosis’.
Ketones provide fuel for the body and brain, but some have questioned how well they do this compared to other fuel sources (such as glucose). I was therefore interested to read about a recent study in which a very low carbohydrate ‘ketogenic’ diet was tested in individuals with ‘mild cognitive impairment’ (reduced brain function associated with ageing but not severe enough to be classified as dementia) [1]. Half of the group in this study were randomised to eat the ketogenic diet, the other half ate a diet rich in carbohydrate. The study lasted 6 weeks.
The researchers found that those eating the ketogenic diet, compared to the other group, saw significant improvement in their ‘verbal memory’ (memory of words and other abstractions involving language). Also, generally speaking, the higher their ketone levels, the better their verbal memory tended to be. The suggestion here is that ketones provide ready fuel for the brain, and may enhance ‘cognitive function’.
Aside from memory improvement, those in the ketogenic diet also saw significant benefits in terms of weight loss and waist circumference reduction, as well as reductions in fasting blood glucose and insulin levels. Taken as a whole, these results suggest that carbohydrate restriction sufficient to induce ketosis offers, in the short term at least, significant advantages for both body and brain.
References:
1. Krikorian R, et al. Dietary ketosis enhances memory in mild cognitive impairment. Neurobiol Aging 2 December 2010 [epub ahead of print]
xtrocious- Posts : 161
Join date : 2010-12-30
Age : 55
Location : West Singapore
Doc on Atkins Diet
xtrocious Mon Jan 03, 2011 2:30 am
Not sure if anyone else saw this...
But Sunday Times finally featured a "hotbod" who is on a low-carb/no-carb diet!
And it's a doctor to boot - he's more on the Atkins Diet but hey, that's a start
I will try to find the article online else I may have to scan it in later...hahah
But Sunday Times finally featured a "hotbod" who is on a low-carb/no-carb diet!
And it's a doctor to boot - he's more on the Atkins Diet but hey, that's a start
I will try to find the article online else I may have to scan it in later...hahah
xtrocious- Posts : 161
Join date : 2010-12-30
Age : 55
Location : West Singapore
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