Over the last few years there have been dramatic increases in the understanding of how cancer operates at a cellular level. There are now moves towards a more intelligent way of dealing with cancer that work with the body, and a gradual shift away from the toxicity of therapies like chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

This greater understanding has, in some quarters, changed the concept of what cancer actually is. A recent scientific paper suggests that a tumour has a lot of similarities to a wound, and has been likened to ‘a wound that doesn’t heal’. A wound induces rapid growth but then switches off the growth when the wound has healed – in cancer that ‘off switch’ fails.

We do know that a diet high in fresh fruit and vegetables can greatly reduce our chances of getting cancer, and also, being overweight can increase our chances of getting cancer. What has been missing up until now has been the fine detail of the processes involved.

Fresh fruit and vegetables, nutritional supplements and herbs contain a multitude of anti cancer nutrients. Research from parts of the world that have a mixture of Eastern and Western philosophies, such as India, China and Japan, have been showing how powerful some nutrients are.

A search of PubMed, the online library of medical studies and reviews, returns almost 400 papers to the search words ‘turmeric’ and ‘cancer’ and almost 600 papers for ‘mushroom’ and ‘cancer’ For such well researched foods/nutrients it’s a shame that they are not more widely used in cancer support.

The spice turmeric has a blocking effect on a cellular protein called NF kappa B. This protein acts like an accelerator pedal for cell growth and so blocking its action is vital to slow down the growth of tumours. NF kappa B is also implicated in the resistance of tumours to the toxicity of chemotherapy. Some studies show that turmeric can greatly increase the effectiveness of some chemotherapy drugs. I have prescribed turmeric to help support a client with mesothelioma, an asbestos related cancer.

In the Far East, mushrooms have a long history of being used for medicinal purposes.
Sugars within the mushrooms, known as polysaccharides, have been found to be the active components that stimulate the immune system and give the mushrooms their anti cancer properties. Beta glucan is the most well studied of the saccharides and has the ability to stimulate the production of Natural Killer cells. Natural Killer cells are a vital part of the immune system’s response to cancer cells.

Fat cells, more correctly called adipocytes, also produce NF kappa B which then triggers inflammation. Inflammation causes cells to proliferate and so is a major risk factor for cancer. Saturated fat can also trigger NF kappa B production but only if the fat is over a certain length. Fats are made from chains of carbon atoms and if the chain is 16 carbons or over, it can trigger NF kappa B. Under 16 carbons and it can protect against cancer!

Butyric acid is a saturated fat that makes up 3% of the fat in butter. It is 4 carbons in length and has strong anti cancer properties. Studies have found it to be supportive in both colon and liver cancer. Caprylic acid is 8 carbons long and is a strong anti fungal, and lauric acid is 12 carbons long and has anti viral properties. Lauric acid is one of the main fats in coconut oil. When we talk about saturated fat being bad for us, it’s important to differentiate between good and bad saturated fats.

The fish oils DHA and EPA and another oil CLA all have anti cancer properties and influence a group of receptors called PPAR within a cell. PPARs trigger the cell to make anti inflammatory chemicals that have anti cancer properties. PPARs also have a beneficial effect on blood sugar and fat metabolism and it is at this level that the connection between cancer, blood sugar balance and weight management can be seen more clearly.

The life of a cell

The life of a healthy cell starts with growth, then it goes through a maturing stage called differentiation. Once it has differentiated, it becomes a functional cell until it wears out and then undergoes programmed cell death or apoptosis. With a cancer cell, the same growth stage occurs but the maturing stage fails to occur. Without differentiation the cell continues to grow and if enough cells fail to differentiate, a tumour can form.

The growth stage of a cell’s life is called cell cycle progression. Nutrients can work at all stages of cell cycle progression to both slow down cell growth and to encourage a cell to move out of the growth stage, differentiate and move on to programmed cell death.

Most literature we see talks about food and nutrients supporting and protecting against cancer in a non specific way. New research shows that we can be very specific and may even be able to combine several nutrients to target cell growth, differentiation, and cell death simultaneously. The non toxicity or low toxicity of nutrients makes this possible.

Vitamin A, vitamin D, lycopene from tomatoes, resveratrol from grapes, ellagic acid from raspberries, broccoli extracts, lactoferrin from milk and not forgetting turmeric and Japanese mushrooms – these are all examples of the many nutrients and foods that can help reduce the risk of getting cancer and also support cancer patients alongside their mainstream treatment.

It is essential that the patient’s oncologist is advised of any nutritional protocols. If they are unaware of the wealth of positive research supporting the use of nutrition with cancer, then I feel it’s important to bring it to their attention!

Working with clients

I have nutritionally supported seven clients so far with cancer or tumours, and see the work as helping deal with metabolic issues around tumour growth. I have used similar protocols with clients with psoriasis and inflammatory disorders – the proliferation of cells occurs in both conditions.

I use Kinesiology, a form of muscle testing developed by chiropractors, to work out which supplements might be of benefit to a client. As mentioned above, the relative low cost and low toxicity of supplements means that several metabolic pathways can be addressed at the same time. Some nutrients might be contraindicated in some forms of cancer, so it is extremely important to thoroughly research a protocol.

Ray Griffiths has been working as a Nutritional Therapist/Kinesiologist for the last ten years and is based in Surrey UK.

Contact: Tel 01276 479814
Website: www.nutritionsupport.org.uk
© Ray Griffiths 2009 All rights reserved

This article should be regarded as a reference source only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Seek the advice of your doctor before beginning any protocol. The author disclaims any liability arising from the use of information on these pages.