Are there ways to treat cancer other than by the conventional means of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation? Yes, there are. In this presentation, Dr. Joseph Mercola interviews Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez, a New York physician, who has been having remarkable success in using alternative means to treat patients with many types of cancer, including advanced cases where there might otherwise have been no hope.

Dr. Mercola’s Comments:

Alternative cancer treatments are a kind of “forbidden area” in medicine, but Dr. Gonzalez chose to go that route anyway, and has some remarkable success stories to show for his pioneering work.

He didn’t set out to treat cancer at first, let alone treat patients. His original plan was to be a basic science researcher at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, a teaching hospital for Cornell Medical College. However, while he was a medical student he had a chance meeting with Dr. William Kelley, a controversial dentist, who was one of the founders of nutritional typing. This meeting with Dr. Kelley, who had reported success with alternative and nutritional approaches to cancer treatment, inspired him to begin a student project investigation into the work in the summer of 1981.

“I started going through his records and even though I was just a second year medical student, I could see right away there were cases that were extraordinary,” he says. “Patients with appropriately diagnosed pancreatic cancer, metastatic breast cancer in the bone, metastatic colorectal cancer… who were alive 5, 10, 15 years later under Kelley’s care with a nutritional approach.”

This preliminary review led to a formal research study, which Dr. Gonzalez completed while doing his fellowship in cancer, immunology and bone marrow transplantation.

The “Impossible” Recoveries of Dr. Kelley’s Cancer Patients

After going through thousands of Kelley’s records, Dr. Gonzalez put together a monograph, divided into three sections:

1. Kelley’s theory

2. 50 cases of appropriately-diagnosed lethal cancer patients still alive five to 15 years after diagnosis, whose long-term survival was attributed to Kelley’s program.

3. Patients Kelley had treated with pancreatic cancer between the years 1974 and 1982.

According to Dr. Robert A. Good, President and Director of the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, who had become Gonzalez’ mentor, if Kelley could produce even one patient with appropriately diagnosed pancreatic cancer who was alive 5-10 years later, it would be remarkable. They ultimately tracked down 22 of Kelley’s cases. Ten of them met him once and didn’t do the program after being dissuaded by family members or doctors who thought Kelley was a quack.

The average survival for that group was about 60 days.

A second group of seven patients who did the therapy partially and incompletely (again, dissuaded by well-intentioned but misguided family members or doctors), had an average survival of 300 days.

The third group consisting of five patients, who were appropriately diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer and who completed the full program, had an average survival of eight and a half years! In Dr. Gonzalez’ words, this was “just unheard of in medicine.”

One of those patients included a woman diagnosed by the Mayo Clinic with stage four pancreatic cancer who had been given six months to live. She’d learned about Kelley’s program through a local health food store. She completed his treatment and is still alive today, 29 years later.

The Truth about Medical Journals: Why Dr. Gonzalez’s Book Was Never Published.

However, despite—or rather because of—the remarkable success of the treatment, Dr. Gonzalez couldn’t get his findings published.

“We tried to publish case reports in the medical journals; the whole book, parts of the book, individual case reports—with no success,” he says.

This is an important point that many fail to realize.

Those of us who practice natural medicine are frequently criticized for not publishing our findings. My justification for that is that it’s not going to be published anyway, and Dr. Gonzalez’ anecdotal story confirms this view.

His mentor and supporter, Dr. Good, was one of the most published authors in the scientific literature at that point, with over 2,000 scientific articles to his name. He’d been nominated for the Nobel Prize three times, and yet he was refused because the findings were “too controversial,” and flew in the face of conventional medical doctrine.

If the cream of the crop is refused, how does a general primary care physician get an article published?

He doesn’t…

“Robert A. Good was at the top of his profession: President of Sloan-Kettering, the father of modern immunology who did the first bone marrow transplant in history. Yet, he couldn’t get it published,” Gonzalez says. “He couldn’t even get a single case report published.

In fact, I have a letter from one of the editors, dated 1987, who wrote a blistering letter to Good saying “You’ve been boondoggled by a crazy quack guy. Don’t you see this is all a fraud?”

It was just the most extraordinary, irrational letter… Because in the report the patients’ names were there, the copies of their pertinent medical records were there… Any of them could have called these patients, like Arlene Van Straten who, 29 years later, will talk to anyone… But no one cared. They wouldn’t do it; they didn’t believe it.

They couldn’t believe it.

It was very disturbing to me because I say, “It is what it is.” I come out of a very conventional research orientation, and it was astonishing to me—I had assistance; I had the president of Sloane-Kettering who couldn’t get this thing published because it disagreed with the philosophy that was being promoted in medicine; that only chemotherapy, radiation, or immunotherapy can successfully treat cancer, even though the success rate was abysmal.

The idea that medical journals are these objective and unbiased repositories of the truths about science is total nonsense. Most of them are owned by the drug companies. They won’t publish anything that disagrees with their philosophy.”

By the end of 1987, it was clear that the work would never get published, and since Dr. Good had retired from Sloan-Kettering, they no longer had the power-base to conduct clinical trials.

Dr. Kelley, realizing his work would never be accepted, let alone get published, “went off the deep end,” in Dr. Gonzalez’ words, and stopped seeing patients altogether.

“When I last spoke to him in the summer of 1987, he accused me of being part of a CIA plot to steal his work, and I knew that I had to move on,” Dr. Gonzalez says.

“To this day, of course, I give him credit for his brilliant innovation. It’s kind of like Semmelweis, who ended up going crazy during the 19th century after showing doctors should wash their hands before delivering babies and no one accepted that. Semmelweis just went off the deep end, and that’s what kind of what happened to Kelley, I say with great sadness.”

Starting the Alternative Cancer Treatment Practice

Dr. Gonzalez set up a practice in New York together with his associate, Dr. Linda Isaacs, and started seeing patients using Kelley’s three-pronged approach. The results were impressive.

One of his remarkable success stories includes a woman diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer, which is the most aggressive form. She’d been given a death sentence.

Today, over 23 years later, she’s still alive and well, and cancer free.

“Here’s a woman that was given six months to a year to live AND developed metastases while getting aggressive multi-agent chemotherapy, yet 23 and a half years later, she’s alive and well, enjoying her life and just doing so well.

We could see that Kelley’s approach really worked and when I report these cases I’m giving Kelley the credit because he developed this treatment,” Dr. Gonzalez says.

Recognition from the National Cancer Institute

In 1993, as part of a legitimate effort to reach out to alternative practitioners, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) invited Dr. Gonzalez to present 25 of his cases in a closed-door, invitation-only session. On the basis of that presentation, the NCI suggested he conduct a pilot study with patients diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer, which in conventional medicine is known to be an untreatable, highly lethal form of cancer.

Interestingly, Nestle stepped in to finance this pilot study. It may seem an odd choice, but the business motivation was the same then as it is today—making junk food appear healthier is a good business move, even if it’s only in theory.

Supervised directly by Dr. Ernst Wynder, a premier cancer researcher, the study was completed in early 1999 and published in June that year. According to Dr. Gonzalez:

“It showed the best results for the treatment of pancreatic cancer in the history of medicine.”

Chemo Therapy vs. the Kelley Treatment

To put his results in perspective, the chemo drug, Gemzar, approved for pancreatic cancer dates back to 1997, and the major study that led to its approval had 126 patients. Of those, 18 percent lived one year. Not a single patient out of the 126 lived beyond 19 months.

Dr. Gonzalez’ study had 11 participants, of which:

•Five survived for two years
•Four survived three years
•Two survived five years
Based on these results, the NCI decided to fund a large scale clinical trial, to the tune of $1.4 million, to test his nutritional approach against the best chemo available at the time.

“My friends say “Why did you get involved with something like this? How could you trust the NCI?”

Well, the NCI had been very fair, up to that point, and the then-director, Richard Klausner, in face-to-face meetings with him said he thought I was doing something really interesting and needed to be properly supported,” Dr. Gonzalez says.

But that goodwill soon disappeared.

How to Sabotage a Clinical Study 101

About a year after the study was approved, Klausner left the NCI and was replaced by new management with a wholly different attitude.

“[F]rom our first meeting, we knew something has changed significantly,” Dr. Gonzalez says, “and all the people that had initially been assigned to the study, who were supportive and believed we were doing something useful, were taken off it. In fact one of them couldn’t even talk to me. She said she’d be fired if she talked to me; if she took my phone call.

I was told by another person who had supported me at the NIH that I shouldn’t call him at his office; that he was afraid his line was tapped, and I should only call him at home.

That’s how insane the politics over this clinical study got. I couldn’t believe it! I thought this was just something you’d read about or see on TV, or that some paranoid or crazy person would make up. But here I was living it. Coming out of Robert Good’s group, I don’t say that to impress people, but my background is so pure and conventional! It was unbelievable to see that the profession I respected and wanted to join could behave like this.”

Unfortunately, the study was, in the end, sabotaged.

“Turned out the principal investigator at Columbia, who’s supposed to be completely neutral, had helped develop a chemo regimen that was being used against us—a conflict of interest that was never declared,” Dr. Gonzalez explains.

“[T]here are specific requirements for entry into a clinical study. Ours is a nutritional program, and when the first protocol version was written, we had a list of specified criteria… They have to be able to eat…Ours is a nutritional program, so patients have to be able to eat. If they can’t eat, they can’t do the therapy. They have to be able to take care of themselves…

This is a program the patients have to follow at home.

Initially, the patients could do it and responded to the treatment. Then, there was a sudden change, around 2000-2001, when the Columbia group took total control of the entry of patients in the study. We were excluded from that process, except during the initial months. The thinking was that if we were involved in the admission process, we’d enter the dreaded bias, whereas if conventional doctors were in control, they couldn’t possibly be biased.

Of course, the chief investigator helped develop the chemo regimen used in the study. That’s virtually the definition of a ‘potential bias’!

He started sending us patients that couldn’t eat. We had patients that were so sick we would never have accepted them into our private practice. That were so sick, they died before they got the treatment.

Whether it was a trick to the protocol or not, the Columbia team, the NCI, and the NHI insisted that we had an “intent to treat provision into protocol”. This means that the minute a patient is accepted into the trial, they’re considered treated, even if they never do the therapy. So the chief of the study at Columbia would enter patients that were so sick, several died before they could pursue their treatment. But because of this intent to treat provision into protocol, they were considered treatment failures.

Ultimately, 39 patients were entered for treatment. Maybe at best, being kind and optimistic, maybe five or six actually did it, the great majority were so sick they couldn’t do it.”

As a result, the chemo treatment appeared to be a clear winner in this head-to-head evaluation of treatments against incurable pancreatic cancer.

In 2006, Dr. Gonzalez and his partner filed a complaint with the Office of the Human Research Protection (OHRP), which is a group responsible for making sure federal-funded clinical trials are run properly. After a two-year investigation, the OHRP determined that 42 out of 62 patients had been admitted inappropriately. Unfortunately, this never made it to the media, and the Columbia team was able to publish the research findings without mentioning the results of the OHRP review.

“So the study was a total boondoggle; a waste of $1.4 million,” Dr. Gonzalez says. “Even though I won the grant, all the money went to Columbia. It’s all gone. The data, as far as I’m concerned, is worthless, and the NIH and NCI are using it to show that my therapy doesn’t work.

So that’s how this long journey of 30 years, from when I first met Kelley, has gone.

“I tell people now regarding the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), I wouldn’t send a dog to that group.

They’re not there to help you objectively investigate alternative therapies; they’re there to undermine them. It gives the illusion that the government’s interested in alternative therapies, when in fact that office is being used, as it was in my case, to help undermine promising useful alternative therapies.”

Dr. Gonzalez’s Three-Pronged Approach to Cancer Treatment

Although most of the studies done on this approach were done on pancreatic cancer, Dr. Gonzalez uses it to treat ALL cancers, from brain cancer to leukemia. His treatment, which is based on Kelley’s work, consists of three protocols: diet, supplements and enzymes, and detoxification.

The Dietary Protocol:

The cornerstone of the treatment is a personalized diet based on your nutritional- or metabolic type.

Dr. Kelley originally had 10 basic diets and 90 variations that ranged from pure vegetarian and raw food, to heavy-protein meals that included red meat three times a day.

“In terms of diet, Kelley… found that patients diagnosed with the typical solid tumors: tumors of the breast, lungs, stomach, pancreas, liver, colon, uterus, ovaries, and prostate needed a more vegetarian diet,” Dr. Gonzalez explains. “But he had all gradations of a vegetarian diet; one that was 80 percent raw, one that was 80 percent cooked. So even on the vegetarian side, there were all different variations.

Some had minimal animal protein, some had fish, some had also red meat.

A patient with immune cancer (leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, and sarcomas,( which are connective tissue cancers that are related to immune cancers) tended to do best on a high-fat, high meat diet.

… Then there are balanced people that do well with a variety of foods, both plant foods and animal products, but they don’t tend to get cancer.

Cancer tends to occur on the extremes, the extreme vegetarians—those that tend to be too acid—or extreme meat eaters, who tend to be too alkaline. Balanced people don’t tend to get cancer too much. So we continued the individualized approach, as did Kelley.”

Individualized Supplementation and Enzyme Protocol:

The second component is an individualized supplement protocol, designed for your particular metabolism.

“For example, our vegetarian patients need completely different supplements from our meat eaters. The vegetarians do very well with most of the B vitamins, while the meat eaters don’t. The vegetarians don’t do well with vitamin A, but the meat eaters do. The vegetarians do well with vitamin D; the meat eaters not so well with large doses, and so on,” Dr. Gonzalez explains.

“The meat eaters do well with calcium ascorbate as a vitamin C source, while the vegetarians do well with large doses of ascorbic acid. So the supplement protocols are very individualized and very precisely engineered.”

Omega-3 fats are also prescribed, but even here Dr. Gonzalez prescribes different types of omega-3′s depending on the patient’s nutritional type. In his experience, vegetarians, or carbohydrate types, tend to fare better on flaxseed oil, which contains alpha linoleic acid (ALA) – a plant-based omega 3.

“It is thought that the conversion of the plant-based ALA into the fish-oil based eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is not that efficient,” he says, “But we find that our vegetarian patients actually do it very well and don’t use the fish oil or animal-based omega-3 fatty acids as effectively.”

Chia and hemp seed oils can also be used.

Protein types, on the other hand, appear to need the EPA and the DHA and do better on animal-based omega-3 such as krill oil.

“They don’t do well with flaxseed,” he says. “Those are the people who can’t make the conversion.”

In addition to vitamins, minerals and trace elements, he also prescribes large doses of pancreatic enzymes.

“The essence of Kelley’s work was based on the work of Dr. John Beard, which goes back to the turn of the last century, about 110 years ago. Beard was a professor at the University of Edinburgh, an embryologist who first proposed that pancreatic proteolytic enzymes are the main defense against cancer in the body and are useful as a cancer treatment,” he explains.

When treating cancer, however, he found it’s important to take the right ratio of active and inactive enzymes. The inactive precursors are particularly active against cancer. They also have far longer shelf life, and are more stable.

“That would be my advice – get an enzyme that isn’t completely activated,” Dr. Gonzalez says. “More active isn’t better when it comes to pancreatic enzymes, just like more and more D isn’t better than getting the right dosage. You want the right proportions of activated and inactive—most of it as an inactive precursor.”

His proprietary enzyme formula is manufactured by NutriCology. According to Dr. Gonzalez, pancreatic enzymes are not only useful as treatment for active cancer but are also one of the best preventive measures.

Antioxidants, such as astaxanthin, are also very helpful, both in the prevention and treatment of cancer.

The Detoxification Protocol:

The third component is a detoxification routine. Coffee enemas are used to help your liver and kidneys to mobilize and eliminate dead cancer cells that have been broken down by the pancreatic enzymes.

Coffee enemas, although often scoffed at today, were actually used as part of conventional medicine all the way up to the 1960s, and were included in the Merck Manual, which was a handbook for conventional medical treatments into the 1970s.

“They fell out of favor not because they didn’t work, but because the drug industry took over medicine, so things like coffee enemas were kind of laughed at,” Dr. Gonzalez says. “So Kelley learned about coffee enemas from conventional literature and incorporated them into his program and found them extremely helpful.”

When you drink coffee, it tends to suppress your liver function, but when taken rectally as an enema, the caffeine stimulates nerves in your lower bowels, which causes your liver to release toxins as a reflex. Other detox strategies include colon cleanses and liver flushes developed by Kelley.

It’s important to realize, however, that conventional coffee should NOT be used for enemas. The coffee MUST be organic, naturally caffeinated coffee, and were you to do this at home, you’d also want to use non-bleached filters to avoid introducing toxins into your colon.

“[Organic coffee] is loaded with antioxidants,” Dr. Gonzalez says. “In fact, there are recent studies showing that coffee loaded with antioxidants can have an anti-cancer effect and that coffee may actually help suppress cancer.

But you have to use organic coffee, it has to have caffeine, and you have to use a coffee maker that doesn’t have aluminum, and preferably no plastic.”

Dr. Gonzalez also relies on sodium alginate as a detoxifying agent.

“We have a preparation that we put together and it’s very effective… It’s an algae and it chelates heavy metals and halides. I never use intravenous chelation; we just use sodium alginate.”

He recommends taking three capsules three times a day, away from meals, for six weeks to detoxify your body of heavy metals, such as mercury, and halides.

Final Thoughts

This is one of the most fascinating interviews I’ve ever done, and it is chock full of information—far more than I can summarize here. So please, I urge you to take the time to listen to the interview in its entirety.

In addition to expounding on the subjects mentioned above, Dr. Gonzalez also reviews the benefits of optimizing vitamin D during cancer treatment, and how iodine supplementation can benefit breast cancer—not to mention help protect against thyroid cancer, in light of the current nuclear crisis in Japan.

We discuss the benefits of juicing and chiropractic adjustments, and the importance of regular exercise for cancer patients. We also review the dangers of electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure, in terms of how it may aggravate cancer growth and hinder cancer recovery, and the benefits, along with some surprising precautions, of earthing or grounding.

For more information about Dr. Gonzalez and his practice, see www.dr-gonzalez.com. He’s also working on a series of books, two of which have already been published and received five-star reviews: The Trophoblast and the Origins of Cancer, and One Man Alone: An Investigation of Nutrition, Cancer, and William Donald Kelley , which is the original monograph of Dr. Kelley’s work that he couldn’t get published 23 years ago.

This written summary is only a small glimpse of the insights that were shared in our interview. If you or anyone you know struggles with cancer I would strongly encourage you to listen to the entire interview

Thankfully, Dr. Gonzalez is still practising medicine and actively engaged in treating cancer patients with natural alternatives to toxic drugs and radiation. His office is in Manhattan and he can be reached at 212-213-3337.

Recently, two dear friends of mine were diagnosed with breast cancer and now they are dealing with the consequences. It’s hard to imagine the thoughts and fears going through their minds and how their lives and those of their family members have been turned upside down. How can we fight back against this scourge and its debilitating consequences? Knowledge is power and nowhere is this more important than in dealing with cancer, and protecting ourselves and our loved ones from it and from any recurrence as much as possible.

It seems to me that we must do everything in our power to maximize our body’s immune system, keep our weight in the normal range, exercise regularly, get fresh air and minimize our exposure to toxic chemicals, alcohol, smoking and bad food. So how can we do this? I will consider protection in three categories; a) after puberty, b) between birth and puberty, and c) before birth.

After Puberty

Both men and women can get breast cancer so men should pay attention also, even though their risk is 100 times less. There are also women in their lives who are special. Obviously, after puberty we cannot control the events that occurred beforehand and so we have to act now. Here’s what we should do to protect ourselves and our adolescent children.

1) Keep Your Weight in the Normal Range. Aim for a BMI ( Body Mass Index ) between 18.5 and 24.9 (see reference 1). In 2007, the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research reported (2) that obesity is a convincing risk factor for cancer at several sites in the body, including the breast in post-menopausal women. It is not, however, a risk factor for breast cancer in pre-menopausal women although this may change as more women are becoming obese earlier and in childhood, and will thus be exposed for longer periods to estrogens and inflammatory agents released by fatty tissue.

2) Eat a Predominantly Plant-Based Diet with as much fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables as possible. Choose organic or pesticide-free produce such as is available in farmers’ markets. Do not compromise; otherwise you will be exposing yourself and your family to chemicals whose effects have not been properly tested. The benefits of eating fruits and vegetables is that they provide phyto (plant) chemicals many of which are anti-oxidants and counter the deleterious effects of free-radicals which are the by-products of our oxidative metabolism. Vegetables should take priority over fruits. It is tempting to each too much fruit because of the sweetness but an excessive intake of sugars should be avoided as they can weaken our immune response and compromise our body’s defenses.

Include mushrooms in your diet. Regular consumption of mushrooms is associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer in both pre- and post-menopausal women (3,4,5). Certain polysaccharides in mushrooms are thought to exert anti-cancer and anti-viral effects by stimulating our immune system (6). Studies with breast cancer cell lines in culture have suggested that mushrooms can also exert anticancer effects via a different mechanism. When an extract of shiitake mushrooms was applied, it was found to inhibit both the growth of the cancer cells and hasten their demise (7). The mechanism of this action is currently being investigated.

3) Exercise. Regular exercise has been shown to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer and prostate cancer, both directly by lowering the circulating levels of estrogen and testosterone and the tissues’ responses to them, and indirectly by promoting weight loss (8).

With respect to breast cancer, several studies involving pre-and post-menopausal women have suggested that regular exercise may reduce the incidence of the disease by 20-40%. (8, p.233). For those who are diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, a recently reported study of 1,500 women found that if they walked at least 30 minutes each day for 6 days each week and ate at least five servings of fruits and vegetables every day, their risk of mortality was reduced by half and this reduction was seen in both obese and non-obese women (8, p.231).

4) Avoid Meat and Dairy Products Containing Added Hormones and Antibiotics. If you eat meat and dairy products, avoid those containing hormones and antibiotics. These are added for convenience and profit and put our health and wellbeing at risk. Choose organic or naturally-raised produce, free from added hormones and antibiotics.

5) Avoid Alcohol Consumption. Based on extensive case-controlled and prospective studies, the World Cancer Research Fund has reported that consumption of alcoholic drinks is a convincing cause of breast cancer in both pre- and postmenopausal women. There is no threshold in the amount of alcohol consumed but the risk of getting breast cancer increases with increasing alcohol consumption (2). There is a dose-response relationship.

6) Don’t Smoke or Breathe in Second-Hand Cigarette Smoke. Smoking increases the risk of breast cancer in both pre- and post-menopausal women (9). Women who start smoking at an early age have a 20% greater chance of getting breast cancer than women who never smoke. Also, exposure to second-hand smoke has been shown to increase the risk of breast cancer in premenopausal women. Women who have slow-acting forms of the NAT2 gene which codes for the breakdown of aromatic amines such as those occurring in cigarette smoke (10) are at greater risk of getting breast cancer (9). Breast cancer risk has been shown to be 27-50% higher in long-term smokers who have the slow-acting form of the NAT2 gene.

7) Have Your First Child Early. The younger a woman is when she has her first child; the lower will be her risk of developing breast cancer. If she does not have her first child until after age 35, her risk of developing breast cancer is approximately twice that of a woman who has her first child before age 20 (11) .

Breastfeed. There is convincing evidence that breastfeeding protects the mother against both pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer (2). The longer the breastfeeding continues, the greater is the protection conferred.

9) Minimize Exposure to Environmental Toxins. We are being increasingly exposed to chemicals in our environment; in the foods we eat, the fluids we drink, the personal care and household products we use, the materials we touch and the air we breathe (12). It is estimated that there are now over 80,000 chemicals used in commerce and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has only required testing of approximately 200. We have virtually no knowledge of the long-term effects of exposure to these chemicals, either separately or in the combinations employed. Just as with alcohol and with the aromatic amines in cigarette smoke, people may differ considerably in their ability to break down and dispose of these chemicals and so in some individuals they may remain in their tissues for longer and cause chronic damage.

The first step is to become aware of the products we use by reading labels and checking for safety by consulting with non-profit organizations such as the Environmental Working Group (13). Pay special attention to any products applied to the breast and the under arm region. We have to unprocess our lives and purify our environment as much as possible, for the benefit of our health and wellbeing and for our loved ones.

10) Be Aware of Family History. If there is a family history of breast cancer, it is important to be aware of it. Be vigilant in performing regular breast examinations (14) and consulting your doctor. Avoid all of the known risk factors discussed here and pursue those lifestyle factors known to promote breast and bodily health.

From Birth to Puberty

1) Babies Should Be Breastfed. The World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research have recommended that babies should be breastfed (2). Breastfeeding provides the perfect food formulated for the baby and confers significant health benefits, including enhanced immunity and resistance to infections and allergies (10). It also reduces the likelihood of obesity later (15), which in turn will reduce the risk of certain cancers, including breast cancer.

2) Baby Food. Ideally, baby food like other foods should be prepared at home from fresh and preferably organic ingredients. If the baby’s food is purchased ready made then it should be minimally processed and free from environmental chemicals and preservatives.

3) Minimize Exposure to Environmental Chemicals. As young children begin to explore their surroundings they come into contact with carpets, furnishings and draperies that may have been chemically treated. When they touch these and then place their hands in their mouths, the chemicals are ingested.

4) Avoid Hormone-Treated Foods. There is a clear difference in the development of children raised on a predominantly vegan or vegetarian diet compared to those raised on meat. Girls raised as vegans will not have their first period until they are 17 and will have an earlier menopause, thus their exposure to estrogens and their breast cancer risk will be greatly reduced. Girls raised on meat in their diet can enter puberty at 12 or earlier and the earlier age at which adult height and features are obtained is a risk factor for cancer of the breast, colon, ovary and pancreas (2). It has been shown that for every year that a girl’s first period (menarche) is delayed, there is a 7-9% reduction in the risk of getting premenopausal breast cancer (2).

5) Keep Your Children’s Weight within the Normal BMI Range. Encourage exercise and avoid processed, high carbohydrate foods low in nutrients such as white bread, white rice, cake, sugary drinks and sweets. It is essential to protect our children from becoming overweight and obese. Prolonged sedentary behavior such as watching television or playing video games should be actively discouraged. It is a tragedy that so many children are overweight today and at future risk of serious chronic diseases, including cancer.

Before Birth

1) Protect from the Earliest Stage. Protection against cancer should begin in the womb. It is clear that most cancers are triggered by environmental causes and the developing fetus is especially at risk from environmental chemicals that can cross the placenta. There is now clear evidence that babies are being born already polluted (13). In many cases, the pollutants are present in higher concentrations in the baby than in the mother. The mother should therefore follow the recommendations above for optimal health and minimize her exposure to environmental toxins.

(i) In the womb, toxins may be secreted by the fetus but then they are reabsorbed again when the fetus swallows the amniotic fluid. Because of this they can be concentrated in the fetus.
(ii) Fetuses, infants and young children do not have fully developed detoxification systems and so are more at risk from the chemical effects of toxins.
(iii) Their cells are rapidly growing and dividing as tissues and organs develop and these processes are vulnerable to the action of toxic chemicals.

In order to maximize our health, we need to unprocess our lives as much as possible and return to a much more natural way of living; engaging in regular low intensity exercise, spending more time out of doors, eating fresh, locally grown and preferably organic produce, using personal care and household products that are as natural as possible and avoiding cigarette smoking and alcoholic drinks.

© Christopher J. Jones, M.Sc., Ph.D

References

1) Jones, C. J. (2009) Obesity and How It Can Affect Our Health. http://www.health360.info/?p=143

2) World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (2007) Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective. AICR, Washington DC, pp. 516. http://www.dietandcancerreport.org

3) Zhang, M. et al. (2009) Dietary Intakes of Mushrooms and Green Tea combine to reduce the Risk of Breast Cancer in Chinese Women. Int. J. Cancer 124: 1404-1408.

4) Shin, A. et al. (2010) Dietary Mushroom Intake and the Risk of Breast Cancer based on Hormone Receptor Status. Nutr. Cancer 62(4): 476-483.

5) Hong, S.A. et al. (2008) A Case-Control Study on the Dietary Intake of Mushrooms and Breast Cancer Risk among Korean Women. Int. J Cancer 122(4): 919-923.

6) Borchers, A.T. et al. (2008) The Immunobiology of Mushrooms. Exp. Biol. Med. 233(3): 259-276.

7) Fang, N. et al. (2006) Inhibition of Growth and Induction of Apoptosis in Human Cancer Cell Lines by an Ethyl Acetate Fraction from Shiitake Mushrooms. J. Altern. Complement. Med. 12(2): 125-132.

Ornish, D. (2007) The Spectrum: A Scientifically Proven Program to Feel Better, Live Longer, Lose Weight, and Gain Health. Ballantine Books, New York, 386 pp.

9) Fiore, K. (2009) Smoking Causes Breast Cancer, Analysis Shows.
http://www.breastcancer.org/risk/new_research/20090424b.jsp

10) NAT2 (2010) http://www.snpedia.com/index.php/NAT2

11) National Cancer Institute. Pregnancy and Breast Cancer Risk.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/pregnancy

12) Jones, C. J. (2009) So Just How Toxic Are We? http://www.health360.info/so-just-how-toxic-are-we.html

13) Environmental Working Group http://www.ewg.org

14) Breast Self-Examination (2009)
http://healthline-update.blogspot.com/2009/03/how-to-perform-breast-self-examination.html

15) WebMD. What are the Benefits of Breastfeeding for Baby? http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/breastfeeding-9/nursing-basics

This article is contributed by my friend and colleague, Dr. Ricardo Parker, who has worked in cancer research for 25 years and began his career as a Research Fellow and subsequently Staff Fellow at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, MD.

Cancer and Nutrition

Nutrition is the relationship of foods to the health of the human body, and plays a fundamental role in either promoting health or contributing to the development of various chronic diseases, including cancer. Cancer is currently the number two cause of mortality in the United States, trailing only heart disease. Cancer is a disease of the genes, and is manifested by uncontrolled growth of cells. While only a small proportion (3-5%) of cancers is inherited, it is becoming increasingly clear that the influence of diet along with other environmental factors – both external (e.g., chemicals, radiation, viruses) and internal (e.g., hormonal imbalances, immune impairment, body composition, inherited genetic mutations, etc.) account for 75% to 80% of cancer cases and deaths in the US, with about 45% of cancers being influenced by a combination of nutrition, physical activity, and obesity (1-4) – all factors that can be modified.

Over the past 2 decades in developed countries, there has been a steady shift in the major causes of disease and death toward chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. Interestingly, these disease trends are becoming more and more associated with an increasingly overweight and sedentary population. Do you think diet and lifestyle might be the common link?

Certain dietary patterns are now known to be associated with risks for a number of diseases, including cancer. In 1994, the China Study was published which showed significant associations between diet, lifestyle and disease (2-5). This was a 20-year comprehensive study involving over 6,500 native-born Chinese adults (87% of Han ethnicity) covering 65 counties in 24 geographically different provinces of (mostly rural) Mainland China and Taiwan. The study revealed two basic findings: (1) people who had diets ranging from rich to very rich in plant-based foods were the healthiest and virtually devoid of chronic diseases including cancer; and (2) those who had diets ranging from rich to very rich in animal-based foods had high rates of diabetes, coronary heart disease, and increased occurrences of seven of the most common cancers in China – cancers of the colon, lung, breast, childhood brain, stomach, liver, and leukaemia (6, 7). This distinction offers an opportunity to compare China’s dietary experiences and health consequences to that of the so-called Standard American Diet (SAD) – a very rich animal-based “diet of affluence” that consists of primarily meats and dairy products.

There is no longer any doubt that the SAD diet (comprised of 40 to 50% fat; most of which is saturated fat obtained from consumption of animal-based foods – primarily meats and dairy products) has contributed to the development of chronic diseases that afflict a significant proportion of the US population, including our children. In addition, consumption of certain non-nutrients and preservatives in food, as well as certain vitamin and mineral supplements appear to also contribute to conditions that can increase risk for the four most common cancers in the US – colorectal, breast, prostate, and lung cancers. We will take a closer look at the relationship between diet and risk factors associated with three of these; cancers of the colon, breast and prostate.

Nutrition and Cancer will be presented in two parts. This article is Part I: Colorectal Cancer; and Part II: Breast and Prostate Cancers will be published subsequently.

Colorectal Cancer
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the US, affecting about 1 person in 20, and constituting 15% of all newly diagnosed cancers (1). It generally starts in the colon or rectum as a polyp (adenoma) and, slowly over a period of several years becomes an adenocarcinoma. Removing the polyp early prevents it from becoming cancer. This is why colonoscopies (at 50 years and periodically thereafter) are so important. Since this cancer occurs within the digestive system, both risk and prevention are related to diet. In fact, the November 2007 Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective report (2), which is the most comprehensive International study undertaken, involving an analysis of 7,000 research studies (such a study of studies is called a meta-analysis) by a panel of 21 experts, showed convincing evidence that the environmental factors of food, nutrition, physical activity, and body composition influence the risk for cancer. The evidence showed a direct link between excess fat and increased risk for seven different cancers including colorectal cancer, and breast cancer in post-menopausal women.

The report emphasizes that we can reduce our cancer risk through increased physical activity, increased consumption of whole plant-based foods, and decreased consumption of red meats and meats preserved by smoking, curing or salting. The experts were in particular agreement that we should eliminate from our diets processed meats (e.g., hot dogs, sausage, bologna, etc.) because they contain nitrates and nitrites as preservatives that can be converted by the bacteria in our colon into potent cancer-causing substances called nitrosamines (8, 9). In addition, grilling, charring, broiling or frying of animal fats and proteins in meat including fish was discouraged because these activities can produce potent cancer-causing compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCA). Indeed, the typical SAD diet is very highly refined, high in animal fat and protein, and low in fiber; and is highly correlated to colon cancer.

In contrast, diets that are whole food-based, high in fiber, and consist of small amounts of animal fat and protein are associated with a very low occurrence of colon cancer (10). It is thought that dietary fiber lowers risk for digestive tract cancers by decreasing bowel transit time, which can physically decrease contact of carcinogens in the digestive tract, thus preventing them from attacking the mucosal wall of the colon. Studies show that vegetarians consume more than twice the amount of dietary fiber compared to meat-eaters, and have the least tendency to develop colon cancer, and lower risks of lymphomas and cancers of the pancreas, stomach, colon, rectum, breast, uterus, mouth, throat, liver, and thyroid (10). It is, therefore, reasonable to avoid refined and processed meats, while taking in adequate amounts of green leafy vegetables which are an excellent source of phyto(plant)nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Did you know that a single apple contains over 10,000 phytochemicals?

The known negative risk factors associated with diet, lifestyle and colorectal cancer are: a diet high in fat, especially fat from animal sources and, over time, eating a lot of red meats and processed meats; lack of exercise, especially in people who are not active; being very overweight or obese increases a person’s risk of dying from colorectal cancer; smoking – we know it causes lung cancer and increases the risk of many other cancers, but recent studies show that smokers are 30% to 40% more likely than nonsmokers to die of colorectal cancer; heavy users of alcohol are usually malnourished with chronic debilitating health that increases their risk for colorectal and other cancers; and diabetics have a 30% increased risk and tend to have a higher death rate from colorectal cancer.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are the principal whole food sources of phytonutrients, and play an important role in both prevention and protection against cancer (2). Indeed, the consumption of vegetables is more helpful in reducing cancer because they contain much higher amounts of cancer-protective compounds–especially green vegetables. Among these green vegetables, the cruciferous family has demonstrated the most dramatic protection against cancer (11-14). Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, bok choy, collards, arugula, and watercress) contain a symphony of phytonutrients with potent anti-cancer effects, which appear to play a protective role by lowering the risk for cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, and stomach. Researchers have identified a number of phytochemicals in cruciferous vegetables (i.e., glucosinolates, crambene, indole-3-carbinol and isothiocyanates [products of enzymatic breakdown of glucosinolates]) that have been shown to help control critical enzyme systems in the body that defend against cancer; and have the ability to stop the growth of cancer cells, including tumors of the breast, cervix, endometrium, lung, liver and colon. These compounds also appear to play a protective role against prostate cancer (13, 14).

Evidence is mounting that the minerals, vitamins and phytochemicals in plant foods interact to provide extra cancer protection. This concept is called synergy. In addition, vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans are low calorie, high nutrient foods that help to protect against weight gain, especially since being overweight or obese is implicated in the development of certain types of cancer. Eating a predominantly plant based diet can help prevent weight gain and therefore protect against cancer risks that are convincingly increased by higher body fat – namely cancers of the colorectum, esophagus, endometrium, pancreas, kidney, and breast in postmenopausal women. The current general recommendation is that at least 2/3 of your plate should be filled with vegetables, fruit, whole grains and beans.

© Ricardo J. Parker, M.S., Ph.D.
Department of Pediatrics,
Loma Linda University Health Care,
Loma Linda, CA 92350, USA.

Adventist Health Ministry,
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677, USA.

References

1. Cancer Facts and Figures 2007. American Cancer Society. www.cancer.org/downloads/STT/CAFF2007PWSecured.pdf

2. World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (2007) Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective. AICR, Washington DC, pp. 516. http://www.dietandcancerreport.org/

3. Chen, J. et al. (1991) Diet, Lifestyle and Mortality in China. A Study of the Characteristics of 65 Chinese Counties. Oxford, UK; Ithaca, NY; Beijing, PRC: Oxford University Press.

4. Medical Publishing House (1990); Campbell, T.C. and Chen, J. Diet and Chronic Degenerative Diseases: Perspectives from China.” Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 59 (Suppl.) 1152S-1161S, 1994.

5. Campbell, T. C. (1994) The Dietary Causes of Degenerative Diseases: Nutrients vs. Foods. In: N. J. Temple and D. P. Burkitt (Eds), Western Diseases: Their Dietary Prevention and Reversibility, pp 119-152. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press.

6. Campbell, T. C. and Chen, J. (1994) Diet and Chronic Degenerative Diseases: A Summary of Results from an Ecologic Study in Rural China. In: N. J. Temple and D. P. Burkitt (Eds), Western Diseases: Their Dietary Prevention and Reversibility, pp 67-118. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press.

7. Campbell T. C. et al. (1992) China: From Diseases of Poverty to Diseases of Affluence. Policy Implications of the Epidemiological Transition. Ecol. Food Nutr. 27: 133-144.

8. Bartsch, H. and Montesano, C. (1984) Relevance of Nitrosamines to Human Cancer. Carcinogenesis, Vol.5 no.ll. pp. 1381 -1393.

9. Article 15: Minerals Matter. The Wrong Amount Can Harm You. Consumer Report on Health. Vol. 18, No. 6. June 2006, pp1, 4-6. In: Annual Editions. Nutrition 07/08, 19th Edition. D. Klimis-Zacus, ed. McGraw Hill. pp. 60-62, 2008.

10. Jacobs, D. R. Jr. et al. (1998) Whole-Grain Intake and Cancer: An Expanded Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutr. Cancer 30: 85–96.

11. Seow, A. et al. (2002) Dietary Isothiocyanates, Glutathione S-Transferase Polymorphisms and Colorectal Cancer Risk in the Singapore Chinese Health Study. Carcinogenesis 23(12): 2055-261.

12. Steinkellner, H. et al. (2001) Effects of Cruciferous Vegetables and Their Constituents on Drug Metabolizing Enzymes involved in the Bioactivation of DNA-Reactive Dietary Carcinogens. Mutation Research/Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis Vols. 480-481: 285-297.

13. Singh, S. V. et al. (2005) Sulphoraphane-Induced Cell Death in Human Prostate Cancer Cells is initiated by Reactive Oxygen Species. J. Biol. Chem. 280(20):19911-19924.

14. Xiao, D. et al. (2003) Allyl Isothiocyanate, a Constituent of Cruciferous Vegetables, inhibits Proliferation of Human Prostate Cancer Cells by causing G2/M Arrest and Inducing Apoptosis. Carcinogenesis 24(5):891-897.

In 2007, a report entitled “Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective” was published by the American Institute for Cancer Research (1). It was a project of the World Cancer Research Fund International and the culmination of a systematic review of many published findings concerning the possible involvement of specific factors in causing or preventing cancer. A panel of international experts, chaired by Sir Michael Marmot of University College London, made the final judgments and produced a set of recommendations designed to prevent cancer and improve world health (1).

Cancer is a group of over 100 diseases defined by their tissue of origin. The process begins with a single cell, which loses control over its growth and replication. Cancer is essentially a disease of the DNA, our genetic material, which during our lifetime can become progressively altered by a process known as mutation. Approximately 5-10% of cancers are the result of inheriting genes that pre-dispose to cancer but the rest are considered to be environmentally-induced, the result of exposure to risk factors encountered through diet, habits (such as smoking), certain infections, radiation, and environmental toxins. It is interesting to note that approximately 85% of cancers are carcinomas, originating in the coverings and linings of the body, collectively known as epithelia. These surfaces are the first sites of contact with cigarette smoke, dietary components, infectious agents and toxic environmental chemicals. So epithelia are most at risk. All of the cancers considered in the World Cancer Research Fund Report are cancers of epithelia.

For the purpose of this report, we will focus on the convincing and most probable risk factors for causing or preventing certain types of cancer.

Explanation of Terms

Adult-attained Height: The height reached in adulthood.

Aflatoxins: A group of toxins produced by several species of the mold Aspergillus, which can grow on crops such as corn, rice and wheat, on oilseeds such as peanuts and soybean, on spices such as black pepper, chili peppers and ginger, and on tree nuts including almonds, pistachios and walnuts. When contaminated produce is ingested, the Aflatoxins are converted by the liver into a highly reactive potent cancer-causing compound, Aflatoxin M1.

Cantonese-style Salted Fish: A type of fish preservation employed in Southern China which is characterized by less use of salt than in the North. The reduced salt concentration permits more fermentation to occur as the fish dries in the hot and humid conditions found nearer the Equator.

Endometrium: The epithelium lining the uterus.

Mate: A herbal infusion traditionally drunk at a very high temperatures in parts of Latin America.

Factors Producing a Convincing Increased Risk of Cancer, and Sites Affected:

Adult-attained Height – Colorectum, Breast (post-menopausal)
Aflatoxins – Liver
Alcohol – Mouth, Pharynx, Larynx, Esophagus, Colorectum (in men), and Breast (pre-and post-menopausal)
Arsenic in Drinking Water – Lung
Abdominal Fatness – Colorectum
Body Fatness – Esophagus, Pancreas, Colorectum, Breast (post-menopausal), Endometrium and Kidney
Processed Meat – Colorectum
Red Meat – Colorectum

Factors Producing a Probable Increased Risk of Cancer, and Sites Affected:

Adult-attained Height – Pancreas, Breast (pre-menopausal), Ovary
Alcohol – Liver, Colorectum (in women)
Cantonese-style Salted Fish – Nasopharynx
Diets High in Calcium – Prostate
Salt and Salty Foods – Stomach
Mate – Esophagus
Abdominal Fatness – Pancreas, Breast (post-menopausal), Endometrium
Body Fatness – Gall Bladder
Greater Birth Weight – Breast (pre-menopausal)

Factors Producing a Convincing Decreased Risk of Cancer, and Sites Affected:

Physical Activity – Colorectum
Lactation – Breast (pre-and post-menopausal)

Factors Producing a Probable Decreased Risk of Cancer, and Sites Affected:

Foods Containing Dietary Fiber – Colorectum
Non-starchy Vegetables – Mouth, Pharynx, Larynx, Esophagus, Stomach
Allium (Onion) Vegetables – Stomach
Garlic – Colorectum
Fruits – Mouth, Pharynx, Larynx, Esophagus, Lung, Stomach
Foods Containing Folate – Pancreas
Foods Containing Carotenoids – Mouth, Pharynx, Larynx, Lung
Foods Containing B-Carotene – Esophagus
Foods Containing Lycopene – Prostate
Foods Containing Vitamin C – Esophagus
Foods Containing Selenium – Prostate
Milk – Colorectum
Calcium – Colorectum
Physical Activity – Breast (post-menopausal), Endometrium
Body Fatness – Breast (pre-menopausal)

It is clear that by performing tasks for which we are designed, namely physical activity, and lactation (in women) and by eating fresh unprocessed fruits and vegetables, we reduce the risk of cancer at many locations. Conversely, when we engage in the opposite and consume alcohol, excess calories, moldy grains or legumes, red meat, processed meat, and are overweight, our risk of getting cancer increases.

Based on the expert panel’s judgments, eight Recommendations and two Special Recommendations were made and they are as follows:

Recommendations “Verbatim from the report.”

1) “Body Fatness. Be as lean as possible within the normal range of body weight.” The normal weight range for adult body mass index (BMI) in the U.S.A. is 18.5 – 24.9. To calculate BMI, multiply your body weight in pounds by 705 and divide the result by your height in inches squared.
2) “Physical Activity. Be physically active as part of everyday life.”
3) “Foods and Drinks that Promote Weight Gain. Limit consumption of energy-dense foods. Avoid sugary drinks.”
4) “Plant Foods. Eat mostly foods of plant origin.” Choose a rainbow of colors of non-starchy fruits and vegetables.
5) “Animal Foods. Limit intake of red meat and avoid processed meat.”
6) “Alcoholic Drinks. Limit alcoholic drinks.” The report says no more than two drinks a day for men and one drink a day for women. In his preface, Sir Michael Marmot says “From the point of view of cancer prevention, the best level of alcohol consumption is zero.” I agree.
7) “Preservation, Processing and Preparation. Limit consumption of salt. Avoid moldy cereals (grains) or pulses (legumes).”
“Dietary Supplements. Aim to meet nutritional needs through diet alone.” This is not always possible and a diet analysis should be conducted to check for deficiencies.

Special Recommendations

1) “Breastfeeding. Mothers to breastfeed; children to be breastfed.”
2) “Cancer Survivors. Follow the recommendations for cancer prevention.”

© Christopher J. Jones, M.Sc., Ph.D.
Adventist Health Ministry,
Laguna Niguel, California 92677, USA.

Reference

1) World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (2007) Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective. AICR, Washington DC, pp. 516.

http://www.dietandcancerreport.org/

Vitamin D is best known for its role in calcium metabolism and the maintenance of healthy bones, but recent research has suggested a far more extensive role for this very important vitamin. In this video, Dr. Marc Sorenson, an expert on vitamin D and author of the book “Vitamin D and Solar Power for Optimal Health”, discusses the association between sunshine, vitamin D levels and reduced cancer rates.