Anti-cancer Type Foods

[Jet Gorgon]

Hi, All. I was reading a previous cancer treatment thread here, and Somtam mentioned foods that helped to feed cancer (sugar, carbs, I think) and wonder what the best anti-cancer foods are. Someone mentioned tofu/soya. Any advice truly appreciated.

[Sheryl]

Jet,

Periodically various foods are touted as preventing cancer. This is almost always a mis-reporting of research findings by the popular press. What happens is that a study shos that there seems to be less cancer among people who eat a lot of food X. This does not mean that food X prevents cancer; it may well be that there some other trait is common both to people who eat that food and to lower rates of cancer. (For example, children in lower school grades are statistically shorter than children in higher grades. It is not that being in a low grade makes you short; it is that both of these variables are in turn linked to age).

All that said, there is good evidence to suggest that diets high in fiber and low in saturated fats reduce the risk of cancer, and definitely shown that they reduce the risks of cardiovascular disease and other health problems. And while the association between various chemical food additives and cancer remains controversial (with that controversy at least in part fueled by the food processing industry) I think any reasonable health professional would agree that it is best to try to minimize intake of food additives and preservatives. (Plus most of these additives contain large amounts of sodium, which can aggravate if not even cause hypertension).

A similiar debate rages around pesticides used on crops and the hormones given to livestock, i.e. organic vs non organic foods. Again, I think that any reasonable person would agree it is wise to limit your intake of pesticides and artificial hormones to the extent practical. This is, however, much harder and expensive to do than avoiding processed foods.

In summary:

- foods prepared from fresh ingrediants rather than processed

- whole grains (brown bread, brown rice, whole wheat pasta) rather than processed

- no or as little added sugar as possible

- lots of fruits and vegetables

- if you eat dairy products, try to stay with low fat ones

- if you eat meat, avoid skin and fat, minimize red meat in favor of poultry and fish

- olive or canola oil rather than other types

- balance your protein intake to include not only meat/dairy/fish but also pulses (soy products, nuts, beans etc)

If you have the wherewithal to get organic fruits and vegetables, good, otherwise wash thoroughly to remove as much pesticide residue as possible; in the case of things like lettuce, discard the outer leaves.

This advise is not only the best currently available with respect to cancer, it is also the best for avoiding diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other medical problems.

[londonthai]

I have checked the book 'food - your miracle medicine' by jean carper, there are some 17 pages on the subject:

to prevent: garlic, cabbage, soybeen, onions, carrots, licorice, ginger, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, all yellow and green vegetables (cauliflower, celery, parsnips), turmeric, flax, fruits especially citrus, fatty fish, tea, law fat milk, yougurt, oats, mint, oregano, cucumber, rosemary, sage, potato, thyme, chives, cantaloupe, tarragon, basil, barley, berries, nuts, seeds. Also shiitake mushrooms.

encourage cancer: meat, high fat foods, vegetable oils like corn, excessive alcohol

thwart cancer: seafood, fish oil, garlic, cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, collard greens.

as to preparing meat and fish: microwave, stew, boil, poach. Avoid bbq, grilling, frying, broiling. Eat beef medium done. Microwave before grilling - drain juices before grilling. Don't make gravy from drippings. Avoid smoked meats.

generally - vegan, vegetarian diet, no butter or margarine.

Leaner people less likely to get cancer.

[wileycoyote]

There have been positive statements about cranberries,pomegranate & tomato sauce/ketchup

Wiley Coyote

[Naam]

"a bottle of Portwine a day keeps cancer away!"

my claim has as much value as any other rubbish published until this very day.

[Jet Gorgon]

Thanks, Sheryl, LThai, Wiley. I know green tea and nori (seaweed) are good..

"a bottle of Portwine a day keeps cancer away!"

my claim has as much value as any other rubbish published until this very day.

Ya, thanks so much Dr Naam. I hope others are as helpful as you when someone you love is dying.

[Naam]

i have just stated a fact Jet Gorgon. it is very unfortunate that medical science/research -as far as the reasons which cause cancer are concerned- has not been successful at all. it is also unfortunate that this fact leaves all doors open for quacks and self-appointed "medics" to spread whatever messages and advice they want without submitting or quoting any evidence.

[Jet Gorgon]

^ I did not ask for reasons that cause cancer, Dr Naam. I know that there are quacks everywhere, including the western medical doctors who prescribe treatments they would never undergo themselves. I also know there are several anti-oxidants and various vitamins, minerals and herbs that help to attack carcinogens in the body. It's like forecasting a company's stock price on P/E, PEG or discounted cash flow models in a way; you can plug in your historical data and your expectations, but at the end of the day, you really never know what you're gonna get. But, you never stop trying, do you?

[Orion76]

Eating healthy & fresh foods = better immune system & less carcinogens = lower risk of cancer.

I am skeptical of specific foods having specific cancer preventative properties. I think the complete diet and lifestyle choices (exercise, smoking, drinking, stress) are what really matter. Consuming one specific food or supplement because some study suggests it reduces the risk of cancer won't help you at all if the rest of your diet and lifestyle is unhealthy.

People who consume green tea, nori & shitake mushrooms are reported to live longer and have a reduced risk of cancer. A little common sense reveals that these foods all happen to be part of the traditional Japanese diet which also includes lots of fresh fish, raw vegetables and unprocessed foods.

I don't find it surprising that someone who chooses green tea as his caffeinated drink is less likely to get cancer than someone who chooses Coca Cola if you consider all the other dietary and lifestyle choices these two different groups would make.

I think Sheryl's dietary guidelines are spot on and following these for your entire diet is much more important than selectively eating specific vegetables or herbs because they are suppose to have anti-cancer properties.

[Jet Gorgon]

^ thanks, Orion. Yes, I know the fundamentals. Sometimes when a body needs more than these basics, extra supplements help. I'm not looking to pick a fight, I'm looking for help. Oh, and I lived in Japan for almost eight years, so I know the diet quite well.

[eek]

I have read that Japanese people generally have lower cancer risk due to diet too, but you already seem to know this (esp seeing as you lived there for so long)

I have also read too that tofu and soya products may be helpful as they increase isoflavone levels and reduce cholestrol levels. Both helpful anti-carcinogens.

As for vitamins..i would suggest being very careful (as i am sure you would be) as some people think that vitamins can do no harm even if they do not do good, which is untrue. A bad mix of vitamins can cause health problems in itself. It is best seeking qualified advice then double checking the information given. I have heard Vit D is the most helpful with regards to cancer..but I think it is best if taking within a vitamin 'cocktail' prescribed by a qualified natural therapist. (and then checked by the 'regular' doctor to make sure it doesnt clash with any 'regular' medication or treatments).

I would say the dury is still out on whether a diet rich in vegetables and tofu could be considered anti-carcinogenic, but i would say a healthy diet should most definitely be useful for helping the body to reduce generally toxin levels. That can only be a good thing. Vegetables should also be organic and grown in good nutrient rich soil. Make sure they are free from herbicides, fungicides and pesticides so as to free the body from digesting as much toxins as possible.

I think its also fair to presume that location may help too. Being somewhere stress free with little pollution, good air, etc.

Of course its hard to prove without intensive studies to say if any of these things can really work, but i think it stands to reason that anything that improves mind and body must help in some way..even if just to aid the body with whatever medication/treatment one is taking/going through. Meditation, good diet, and generally looking after one-self may at least reap a more positive outlook about the present situation. Anything that helps when going challenging times in life can only be a plus.

[Jet Gorgon]

Thank you all for your help.

As I noted, the cancer is already in the body, so I am looking for foods that will help protect the good cells and fight the enemy.

The patient did follow a balanced diet with fruit, veg, lean meats, fish, and had daily exercise. Stress is the one factor I cannot omit.

So, cross referencing several websites, I found these so far:

Cancer Fighters

Green tea

Nori (seaweed)

Seafood and fish

Tomatoes -- cooked or fresh with olive oil

cooked carrots

Broc, spinach, kale

Blueberries, strawberries

tofu

miso

olive oil

flax, whole grains

Enemy Agents: The Cancer Cell Feeders

SUGAR (for sure, as a sugar solution is injected in patients when given a CAT scan; the sugar collects at the cancer sites)

trans fats, hydrogenated oil

processed (white) flour, white rice

dairy products

greasy foods and even gravy

sodium

These are the basics I've found so far. I have lived on fresh foods and Japanese cuisine for most of my life, but I reckon stress and quality of life play a big factor, as already noted. I also know that some foods should be combined with others to ensure the nutrient values and balances are optimal. This is trickier to find info about. I will not give up.

My "patient" lost about 10-15 lbs (now weighing about 90lbs, or 41kg) after suffering a serious bacterial infection following intial tests at the hospital. So, besides fighting the C enemy, I have to try and put some weight on her bones before she starts radiation and chemo.

[Sheryl]

Jet,

Sorry, didn't realize you were talking about someone who already had cancer.

There are definitely no diets that will, on their own, cure cancer. Maintaining an overall good nutritional status will certainly help the chances of other treatments working, tho. In addition there have been claims made for macrobiotic diets as a means of prolonging survival in cancer patients and I do know some people who followed them and lived much longer than expected. However, it sounds like the first priority for this particular individual is getting weight back on and replenishing nutrient stores and it would be hard to do that ion a macrobiotic regime.

If she is having trouble eating then for now, don't worry about the supposed cancer properties of food but rather concentrate on getting as much nutrition in as possible i.e. focus on foods she likes or that seem to sit well with her now. Very frequent small meals will probably do better than 3 main ones. Try to find high calorie/high protein snacks she likes. Peanut butter is both calorie and protein dense and you can get organic brands fairly easily or even make it yourself in a blender.

Once she has regained an adequate weight then can consider whether or not to try a special diet. Bear in mind that none have been either proven or disproven to work and that the need for a balanced diet trumps all other concerns. Also, cancer patients need more calories and protein than non-cancer patients do, as the tumor is robbing their body of nutrients.

regardless of what she eats, she should take a good high potency multivitamin and mineral supplement.

Good luck to her, and bless you for helping

Sheryl

[eek]

JG, i wonder if it would be worth considering the protein supplements that body builders take for bulking up? Generally in powder form which you can make into a shake. Maybe a fruit milk shake (possibly with soya milk too) with the powder added may help her put on weight and help her 'hold' it. Just as a supplement to her regular diet. Again would need to check that the ingredients will do no harm. There are also some great 'body-builder' health bars which add calories and energy. Sugar-free bars containing natural ingredients such as gingsing and creatine.

Of course, im just throwing ideas out to you, but i really wouldnt know how effective those things would be. Its just i have known a few people who took these kind of supplements because they had difficulty building and retaining body mass/weight and needed a healthy way to do so. If she has trouble gaining weight at the moment..or has difficulty eating full meals..adding in a protein supplement such as the above may be helpful.

All the best in finding ways to help and best wishes for the patient. Good luck.

[londonthai]

Enemy Agents:

dairy products

looks like low fat milk ok, as well as yougurt - but not butter.

now, according to mentionen above book:

lung cancer: carrots and green leafy vegetables

colon: cruciferous veg, carrots

esophageal, oral, pharyngeal: fruit & veg

stomach: fruit, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, celery, squash of fresh vegetables

bladder: carrots

thyroid: cruciferous.

To healthy gain weight - seeds, nuts, pulses.

Don't forget about boosting the immune system: garlin, ginger, onion, chilli and all the herbs and spices mentioned before.

Lastly - avoid smoking and drinking

[Naam]

I also know there are several anti-oxidants and various vitamins, minerals and herbs that help to attack carcinogens in the body.

there is a difference between the expressions "i know" and "i think i know".

[Naam]

I have read ...

I have also read...

As for vitamins..i would suggest...

can cause...

I have heard Vit D is...

but I think it is best[/b]...

I would say the dury is still out[/b]...

but i would say... ...

I think its also fair to presume that...

but i think it stands to reason that...

thanks for these facts.

[relayer]

Suggestion: emphasize foods rich in Nitrilosides^** as an integral part of your daily diet.

I found out, mostly by accident, why mung beans, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, etc. are all so prominent in the daily diets of just about ALL Asian cultures: these all contain high amounts of Nitrilosides, which are important in cancer amelioration (yes, I didn't say cancer 'prevention'. I meant cancer treatment. This compound is like nature's own 'search and destroy' weapon, seeking out and binding to abnormally dividing cells -- which we ALL develop over time, no matter how healthy one's diet is -- then destroying them without harming healthy cells. I agree with all the cancer-preventive diet guidelines that others have described above. Those are all valid. Still, "sh!t happens", as they say, and you may STILL get cancer. Read on about how to 'nip it the bud' before it gets out of control).

Up until about a year ago, I didn't know what nitrilosides were. My diet was largely deficient in foods that contained them. I had always wondered why, however, that whenever I ate a certain Thai dessert that was made mostly from mung beans (that tasted rather bland, actually), the inflammation on a certain sun-induced lesion on my left forearm would lessen. This lesion was starting to get larger and redder and it would hurt after exposure to the sun. I was about ready to 'face the music' and go see a skin doc about it because while I knew it wasn't melanoma, it was probably something that needed attention. I also had another keratosis on my forehead, and I could tell it needed to be frozen off, too, because it wasn't healing at all.

Well, to make a long story short, this was when I (fortunately) learned about nitrilosides and I embarked a diet change that included a substantial twice-daily dose of it through the ingestion of cooked, peeled mung beans, which are naturally high in nitrilosides (they sort of look like tiny yellow corn kernels). I began eating a 1-cup rice/mung bean combo (2 to 1 ratio) with each meal, with seasoning added (this also, I found out later, happens to be the name of an ancient Indian dish called "kichari" which is still eaten today, so the Indians already knew about this for a long, LONG time!).

Well, within six weeks, the lesions were all GONE, both on my face and arm! In fact, after I started on this regimen of powering nitrilosides, I actually had more lesions appear initially -- yes, MORE! I got them almost exclusively on the left shoulder, arm, and left side of my face (I am originally from a western country where the steering wheel is located on the left hand side of the vehicle and therefore causes more cumulative UV exposure on that side of the body).

Well, these lesions were also all gone within weeks and haven't returned. I currently have no new ones appearing. In addition to this, I experienced a curious "healing"-type sensation in my mid-to-lower gut during the initial few weeks after starting this regimen. It also felt like something was being 'put back' that was missing. Not painful, but strange, nonetheless. Now my gut feels just fine. By the way, excess nitrilosides are stored mostly in and around the gut, where they are apparently needed most!

Does this sound like some kind of modern 'miracle cure'? It normally would, except that it's not new and has been known for thousands of years!

To sum up this discussion, I've included a link to a good site that does an excellent job of explaining all this (I have no affiliation with them. It's just a good, educational link I found from a Google search). I recommend everyone study the information there and begin including some kind of nitriloside-rich food in your daily diet as insurance from cancer. It's a simple, low-cost, and totally natural method of 'zapping' precancerous or cancerous cells that actually WORKS! I'm proof positive of it.

Good luck and PM me if you have any questions. While I'm not qualified to offer medical advice, I'd be happy to provide any suggestions if needed.

Worldwithoutcancer.org Website

^**also known as 'vitamin' B-17 or laetrile

[eek]

I have read ...

I have also read...

As for vitamins..i would suggest...

can cause...

I have heard Vit D is...

but I think it is best[/b]...

I would say the dury is still out[/b]...

but i would say... ...

I think its also fair to presume that...

but i think it stands to reason that...

thanks for these facts.

As you can see they are not stated as "Facts" "Dr"Naam. When offering an opinion and not 100% sure of the facts i believe that i should word my posts delicately with that in mind.

..Did you have anything in particular you wished to address regarding what i said? Or was it merely that you wished to nit-pick good intentioned advice?

[Lost in LOS]

this is really interesting and many of my very old, 80+, in great shape [health nut] friends believe in it and do it and the great thing is this DR., although now dead from old age was never trying to sell anything and she was a 4 time Nobel prize nominee a great read and google her name for many articles......many of the books they sell on the subject are just copying her free program

and Dr. nahm, I do agree with you for the most part but this look really good and my best buddy that died a few weeks ago did the diet when they gave him 3 months to live and he lasted two years

http://www.aspartame.ca/page_c1.htm

[londonthai]

there are many natural remedies (including vit B17 and linol-acids) however some of them will be less effective than others - first stick to the general rules of diet and than experiment with those suplements. The claims about their effectivnes are exagerated.

some people with cancer should accept that it's a terminal illness, if not detected fast enough - it's often just neglect seeing the doctor on time which endenger their lives

[sugarhead]

Jet, have you tried spirulina, or chlorella ?

[stateman]

There is a local juice/drink.

This is called Nam-Gaan-Tawng น้ำก้านตอง

There are several commercialized versions.

But One version I saw from ASTV5 TV station, hosted by a Mr. Nueng Khan - Boon Rawd หนี่งแก่น บุญรอด on a weekend health program.

It has helped people with different illnesses, including cancer. There were occasional people who came on the program to give testimony to the benefit. This version is developed by a Registered Pharmacist.

It was said in the program that these herbal drinks are specific for each individual. The same thing may work for one, but not for another.

If interested, you can try calling the TV station and ask for contact to the person.

If you can't find the number, try looking up the phone number for "Manager Newspaper" or www.manager.co.th. This newspaper shared the ownership with ASTV 1 TV station. This station is closely linked with ASTV 5 TV Station. Several announcers from one station works on the other station as well. Through these, someone can point to the eventual phone number for the right person.

I don't know if this person can speak English well. You may find someone who can speak Thai well to be on standby, just in case.

[Prakanong]

There is a local juice/drink.

This is called Nam-Gaan-Tawng น้ำก้านตอง

There are several commercialized versions.

But One version I saw from ASTV5 TV station, hosted by a Mr. Nueng Khan - Boon Rawd หนี่งแก่น บุญรอด on a weekend health program.

It has helped people with different illnesses, including cancer. There were occasional people who came on the program to give testimony to the benefit. This version is developed by a Registered Pharmacist.

It was said in the program that these herbal drinks are specific for each individual. The same thing may work for one, but not for another.

If interested, you can try calling the TV station and ask for contact to the person.

If you can't find the number, try looking up the phone number for "Manager Newspaper" or www.manager.co.th. This newspaper shared the ownership with ASTV 1 TV station. This station is closely linked with ASTV 5 TV Station. Several announcers from one station works on the other station as well. Through these, someone can point to the eventual phone number for the right person.

I don't know if this person can speak English well. You may find someone who can speak Thai well to be on standby, just in case.

Anecdotes do not make data ie people testifying (I am sure snake oil salesmen have people doing that too)

Double blinded placebo controlled clinical trials are the gold standard until something else exceeds them - where is the evidence for this in all the mumbo jumbo alternative health arena?

Oh and the results shuld be repeatable too post marketing to prove continued efiffacy and effectiveness

[stateman]

The following link by Nam Plah on TV also mentioned about cancer.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=100786

[Samuian]

After all it comes down to "common sense" fresh, unaltered food, water...as little chemie around you as possible, exercise, maybe some yoga, stress avoidance... will do the trick!

If I just think about all the emittance's of chemical products around us, it starts with Acrylic, pvc-carpets, tiles, curtains, clothing, kitchen table tops... even our drinking water comes in plastic bottles - they say it's "safe" but who can really tell?

Many, if not all, textiles are fumigated, sprayed with chemicals, most of fruits and vegetables are doused with chemicals, livestock is fed with all kinds of chemicals and hormones.

Then if this gets processed into food, again many kinds of chemicals are used and added.

But then who really knows...?

it just makes sense to live a natural life as possible!?

[edwardandtubs]

Definitely avoid barbequed food if you're worried about cancer. The smoke and burning leaves lethal doses of cancer-causing toxins. Research on this is widely available.

[sleepyjohn]

I tend to be a skeptic too and look for evidence. When two medical establishment organizations in Canada step forward in an unprecedented way to recommend something for the whole popoulation my ears prick up:

Vitamin D casts cancer prevention in new light

MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT

From Saturday's Globe and Mail

April 28, 2007 at 1:20 AM EST

For decades, researchers have puzzled over why rich northern countries have cancer rates many times higher than those in developing countries — and many have laid the blame on dangerous pollutants spewed out by industry.

But research into vitamin D is suggesting both a plausible answer to this medical puzzle and a heretical notion: that cancers and other disorders in rich countries aren't caused mainly by pollutants but by a vitamin deficiency known to be less acute or even non-existent in poor nations.

Those trying to brand contaminants as the key factor behind cancer in the West are "looking for a bogeyman that doesn't exist," argues Reinhold Vieth, professor at the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto and one of the world's top vitamin D experts. Instead, he says, the critical factor "is more likely a lack of vitamin D."

What's more, researchers are linking low vitamin D status to a host of other serious ailments, including multiple sclerosis, juvenile diabetes, influenza, osteoporosis and bone fractures among the elderly.

The main way humans achieve healthy levels of vitamin D is not through diet but through sun exposure. (Eliseo Fernandez/Reuters)

Internet Links

The Vitamin D Council

Not everyone is willing to jump on the vitamin D bandwagon just yet. Smoking and some pollutants, such as benzene and asbestos, irrefutably cause many cancers.

But perhaps the biggest bombshell about vitamin D's effects is about to go off. In June, U.S. researchers will announce the first direct link between cancer prevention and the sunshine vitamin. Their results are nothing short of astounding.

A four-year clinical trial involving 1,200 women found those taking the vitamin had about a 60-per-cent reduction in cancer incidence, compared with those who didn't take it, a drop so large — twice the impact on cancer attributed to smoking — it almost looks like a typographical error.

And in an era of pricey medical advances, the reduction seems even more remarkable because it was achieved with an over-the-counter supplement costing pennies a day.

One of the researchers who made the discovery, professor of medicine Robert Heaney of Creighton University in Nebraska, says vitamin D deficiency is showing up in so many illnesses besides cancer that nearly all disease figures in Canada and the U.S. will need to be re-evaluated. "We don't really know what the status of chronic disease is in the North American population," he said, "until we normalize vitamin D status."

Sunshine vitamin

For decades, vitamin D has been the Rodney Dangerfield of the supplement world. It's the vitamin most Canadians never give a second thought to because it was assumed the only thing it did was prevent childhood rickets, a debilitating bone disease. But the days of no respect could be numbered. If vitamin D deficiency becomes accepted as the major cause of cancer and other serious illnesses, it will ignite the medical equivalent of a five-alarm blaze on the Canadian health front.

For many reasons, Canadians are among the people most at risk of not having enough vitamin D. This is due to a quirk of geography, to modern lifestyles and to the country's health authorities, who have unwittingly, if with the best of intentions, played a role in creating the vitamin deficiency.

Authorities are implicated because the main way humans achieve healthy levels of vitamin D isn't through diet but through sun exposure. People make vitamin D whenever naked skin is exposed to bright sunshine. By an unfortunate coincidence, the strong sunshine able to produce vitamin D is the same ultraviolet B light that can also causes sunburns and, eventually, skin cancer.

Only brief full-body exposures to bright summer sunshine — of 10 or 15 minutes a day — are needed to make high amounts of the vitamin. But most authorities, including Health Canada, have urged a total avoidance of strong sunlight or, alternatively, heavy use of sunscreen. Both recommendations will block almost all vitamin D synthesis.

Those studying the vitamin say the hide-from-sunlight advice has amounted to the health equivalent of a foolish poker trade. Anyone practising sun avoidance has traded the benefit of a reduced risk of skin cancer — which is easy to detect and treat and seldom fatal — for an increased risk of the scary, high-body-count cancers, such as breast, prostate and colon, that appear linked to vitamin D shortages.

The sun advice has been misguided information "of just breathtaking proportions," said John Cannell, head of the Vitamin D Council, a non-profit, California-based organization.

"Fifteen hundred Americans die every year from [skin cancers]. Fifteen hundred Americans die every day from the serious cancers."

Health Canada denies its advice might be dangerous. In an e-mailed statement, it said that most people don't apply sunscreen thoroughly, leaving some skin exposed, and that people spend enough time outside without skin protection to make adequate amounts of vitamin D.

However, the Canadian Cancer Society last year quietly tweaked its recommendation to recognize that limited amounts of sun exposure are essential for vitamin D levels.

Avoiding most bright sunlight wouldn't be so serious if it weren't for a second factor: The main determinant of whether sunshine is strong enough to make vitamin D is latitude. Living in the north is bad, the south is better, and near the equator is best of all.

Canadians have drawn the short straw on the world's latitude lottery: From October to March, sunlight is too feeble for vitamin D production. During this time, our bodies draw down stores built by summer sunshine, and whatever is acquired from supplements or diet.

Government regulations require foods such as milk and margarine to have small amounts of added vitamin D to prevent rickets.

Other foods, such as salmon, naturally contain some, as does the cod liver oil once commonly given to children in the days before milk fortification. But the amounts from food are minuscule compared to what is needed for cancer prevention and what humans naturally can make in their skin.

Vitamin D levels in Canada are also being compromised by a lifestyle change. Unlike previous generations that farmed or otherwise worked outside, most people now spend little time outdoors.

One survey published in 2001 estimated office- and homebound Canadians and Americans spend 93 per cent of waking time in buildings or cars, both of which block ultraviolet light.

Consequently, by mid-winter most Canadians have depleted vitamin D status. "We're all a bit abnormal in terms of our vitamin D," said Dr. Vieth, who has tested scores of Canadians, something done with a simple blood test.

How much is enough?

Just how much vitamin D is required for optimum health is the subject of intense scientific inquiry.

Dr. Vieth has approached the matter by asking: What vitamin D level would humans have if they were still living outside, in the wild, near the equator, with its attendant year-round bright sunshine? "Picture the natural human as a nudist in environments south of Florida," he says.

He estimates humans in a state of nature probably had about 125 to 150 nanomoles/litre of vitamin D in their blood all year long — levels now achieved for only a few months a year by the minority of adult Canadians who spend a lot of time in the sun, such as lifeguards or farmers.

For the rest of the population, vitamin D levels tend to be lower, and crash in winter. In testing office workers in Toronto in winter, Dr. Vieth found the average was only about 40 nanomoles/L, or about one-quarter to one-third of what humans would have in the wild.

The avalanche of surprising research on the beneficial effects of vitamin D could affect dietary recommendations as well. Health Canada says that, in light of the findings, it intends to study whether recommended dietary levels need to be revised, although the review is likely to be years away.

A joint Canadian-U.S. health panel last studied vitamin D levels in 1997, concluding the relatively low amounts in people's blood were normal. At the time, there was speculation vitamin D had an anti-cancer effect, but more conclusive evidence has only emerged since.

"There needs to be a comprehensive review undertaken and that is planned," says Mary Bush, director general of Health Canada's office of nutrition policy and promotion.

But Ms. Bush said the government doesn't want to move hastily, out of concern that there may be unknown risks associated with taking more of the vitamin.

Those who worry about low vitamin D, however, say this stand is too conservative — that the government's caution may itself be a health hazard.

To achieve the vitamin D doses used for cancer prevention through foods, people would need to drink about three litres of milk a day, which is unrealistic.

If health authorities accept the new research, they would have to order a substantial increase in food fortification or supplement-taking to affect disease trends. As it is, the 400 IU dosage included in most multivitamins is too low to be an effective cancer fighter.

Dr. Vieth said any new recommendations will also have to reflect the racial and cultural factors connected to vitamin D. Blacks, South Asians and women who wear veils are at far higher risks of vitamin D deficiencies than are whites.

Although humans carry a lot of cultural baggage on the subject of skin hue, colour is the way nature dealt with the vagaries of high or low vitamin D production by latitude.

Those with very dark skins, whose ancestors originated in tropical, light-rich environments, have pigmentation that filters out more of the sunshine responsible for vitamin D; in northern latitudes, they need more sun exposure — often 10 times as much — to produce the same amount of the vitamin as whites.

Dr. Vieth says it is urgent to provide information about the need for extra vitamin D in Canada's growing non-white population to avoid a future of high illness rates in this group.

Researchers suspect vitamin D plays such a crucial role in diseases as unrelated as cancer and osteoporosis because the chemical originated in the early days of animal evolution as a way for cells to signal that they were being exposed to daylight.

Even though living things have evolved since then, almost all cells, even those deep in our bodies, have kept this primitive light-signalling system.

In the body, vitamin D is converted into a steroid hormone, and genes responding to it play a crucial role in fixing damaged cells and maintaining good cell health. "There is no better anti-cancer agent than activated vitamin D. I mean, it does everything you'd want," said Dr. Cannell of the Vitamin D Council.

Some may view the sunshine-vitamin story as too good to be true, particularly given that the number of previous claims of vitamin cure-alls that subsequently flopped. "The floor of modern medicine is littered with the claims of vitamins that didn't turn out," Dr. Cannell allowed.

But the big difference is that vitamin D, unlike other vitamins, is turned into a hormone, making it far more biologically active. As well, it is "operating independently in hundreds of tissues in your body," Dr. Cannell said.

Referring to Linus Pauling, the famous U.S. advocate of vitamin C use as a cure for many illnesses, he said: "Basically, Linus Pauling was right, but he was off by one letter."

[edwardandtubs]

Suggestion: emphasize foods rich in Nitrilosides^** as an integral part of your daily diet.

I found out, mostly by accident, why mung beans, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, etc. are all so prominent in the daily diets of just about ALL Asian cultures: these all contain high amounts of Nitrilosides, which are important in cancer amelioration (yes, I didn't say cancer 'prevention'. I meant cancer treatment.

What do these mung beans look like? Are they the ones that look like sweetcorn? I always assumed they were sweetcorn. Or are they the ones that look like lentils?

[Searchin4Truth]

Hi,

I wish you all health and wealth,

I believe I have something to contribute that would be helpful.

First, I would like to respond to something that I found difficult to believe.

Addressing this issue is the subject of my first post to this list. I have no experience with the people on this list, so my apologies to any that deserve them.

"a bottle of Portwine a day keeps cancer away!"

my claim has as much value as any other rubbish published until this very day.

I can not believe a "doctor" would say this.

A bottle (meaning a fifth) of ANY wine a day is two much by far according to any recent study of the benefits of resveritrol and other beneficial ingredients of dark grapes.

Damage was produced by far LESS than 12 oz a day in women. Men should drink 1 or 2 glasses (I don't believe they mean 12 oz glasses) depending on body weight. Read a study for accuracy.

The best way to get the benefits without the excess sugars and to be sure of getting the dosages indicated by peer studies to be beneficial is an extract capsule dose.

For anyone with cancer, a diet tailored specially for them should be followed, preferably, before chemo or rad therapy and before surgery is needed. If chemo/rad therapy has been used, then you are fighting the effects of the damages from the "therapy".

If I had cancer I would go the "alternate" route of treatment FIRST. This means diet, diet, diet. Not calorie resriction, what we eat. Many here have said as much.