Health for life

Lung cancer is a devastating disease with a traditionally poor survival rate less than ten percent after five years from diagnosis. There are a number of well documented triggers that cause tissue damage that eventually results in DNA damage, allowing lung cancer cells to develop and spread.

Researchers from the University of Colorado publishing in the journalMolecular Carcinogenesis found that treatment with silibinin, a major component of milk thistle effectively treated wound development in lung cancer cells that halted the disease and prevented metastasis. Long known for its rejuvenating effects on the liver, milk thistle is now emerging as a viable therapy to help prevent and reverse the damage caused by years of cellular breakdown in lung tissue and halt the spread of this deadly disease.

Although milk thistle use has been documented for nearly 2,000 years, very little solid science exists to validate the beneficial effects on human health. Cells communicate with one another through a complex series of signals to achieve an end result, normally the creation of a protein or completion of an enzymatic reaction. When this chain is broken as a result of poor dietor lifestyle choices that affect metabolic homeostasis, diseases such as cancer are allowed to develop and manifest in tissues throughout the body.

Big Pharma frequently looks to break these chain reactions in an unnatural way to halt metabolic processes in the body, commonly with undesired or potentially deadly consequences.  COX2 and iNOS are two enzymesthat are involved in a chain of actions that elicit an inflammatory response to wounds and infectious processes. If you were to cut yourself, inflammation at the local site is a desired response that will aid healing. Unfortunately, systemic inflammation caused by excess body weight and poor dietary choices is a serious problem underlying many chronic diseases including lung cancer.

Both COX2 and iNOS aid tumor growth when they remain in circulation as a response to chronic inflammation. Two transcription factors known as STAT1 and STAT3 allow the blueprint of DNA to bind with proteins that continue the signal cascade, eventually leading to the production of harmful COX2 and iNOS. Researchers found that when chain is broken, tumor growth is halted and metastatic growth stops. They found that a derivative of milk thistle called silibinin was able to inhibit the upstream signals that lead to the expression of COX2 and iNOS to help prevent lung cancer.

Lead study authors concluded“What we showed is that STAT1 and STAT3 may be promising therapeutic targets in the treatment of lung cancer… and that naturally-derived products like silibinin may be as effective as todays best treatments.” Milk thistle represents another natural compound that provides a powerful effect to prevent and treat chronic diseases. Alternative health experts recommend supplementing with 250 mg of a standardized milk thistle extract each day to fight the threat of lung cancer.

Cruciferous vegetables have long been associated with a lowered risk of prostate cancer, but this is the first study to demonstrate the `search and attack` capability of the natural chemical compound. Consuming small amounts of crucifers several times each week can help to significantly lower your risk of developing many types of potentially deadly cancer lines.

The study was led by Dr. Emily Ho, associate professor from the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. Tissue from cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower contain high levels of the powerful natural compound chemically known as glucosinolates. In the body glucosinolates are broken down into sulforaphane that exert protective anti-cancer characteristics.

Based on prior research to indicate that crucifers and sulforaphane specifically kill cancer cells, researchers designed a trial study using mouse models to demonstrate that sulforaphane selectively targets hormone dependent cancers such as breast and prostate. Dr. Ho commented “It is well documented that sulforaphane can target cancer cells through multiple chemopreventive mechanisms” and  continued “Here we show for the first time that sulforaphane selectively targets benign hyperplasia cells and cancerous prostate cells while leaving the normal prostate cells unaffected.”

The study demonstrated that sulforaphane is an inhibitor of histone deacetylase, or HDAC enzymes. HDAC enzymes are theorized to develop in the body as a result of metabolic inefficiency resulting from systemic inflammation and low antioxidant status. HDAC enzymes provide fuel to the cancer initiation and progression processes when they occur in excess and their action runs unabated. HDAC inhibition is currently an important research area targeted by Big Pharma and synthesized drugs that can be addressed with natural nutrients from food and lifestyle modifications.

Scientists clearly demonstrated the specific mechanism to explain how sulforaphane targets breast and prostate cancer cells. Many existing studies show that nutrients present in cruciferous vegetables can halt all cancer cell lines by inhibiting the fuel necessary for the cells to multiply out of control. Researchers concluded the data collected “provide(s) further support for the relevance of sulforaphane as a dietary HDAC inhibitor and chemopreventive agent.” Nutritional experts recommend several three to four ounce servings of lightly steamed crucifers each week to prevent cancer development.

Health-conscious individuals will want to consider drinking several cups of java each day to dramatically lower the risk of developing Alzheimer`s disease and preserve precious memories that can be stolen as the disease progresses.

Researchers used mice that are genetically predisposed to develop Alzheimer`s disease to demonstrate naturally occurring compounds in coffee are able to fight off the disease process. Prior studies confirm that caffeine alone does not protect against the memory-robbing condition, yet observational studies in humans reported that daily coffee/caffeine intake during mid-life decreases the risk of Alzheimer`s disease.

The study demonstrated that caffeine consumption is an important part of the protective nature of coffee, but another yet unidentified chemical is required to maximize the effect. No protection against Alzheimer`s disease was found with consumption of decaffeinated coffee. Lead study author, neuroscientist Dr. Chuanhai Cao commented “Caffeinated coffee provides a natural increase in blood GCSF levels”.

Mice that were fed a regular diet of caffeinated coffee (equivalent to 4 or 5 cups of coffee each day) showed a significant increase in GCSF compared to control animals fed decaffeinated coffee or water only. Dr. Cao found “The exact way that this occurs is not understood. There is a synergistic interaction between caffeine and some mystery component of coffee that provides this beneficial increase in blood GCSF levels.”

The study authors identified three critical ways that increased levels of the protective protein GCSF improve memory performance. GCSF encourages stem cells from the bone marrow to enter the brain and remove harmful beta-amyloid clusters that are the hallmark of disease progression. Further, GCSF helps to create new connections between brain cells and increases the number of new neurons in the brain. Any natural compound that promotes the release of this protein complex will protect against the development of Alzheimer`s disease.

Caffeinated coffee consumption is safe for the vast majority of adults. The study authors concluded “We see no reason why an inherently natural product such as coffee cannot be more beneficial and safer than medications, especially to protect against a disease that takes decades to become apparent after it starts in the brain.” Five cups of coffee each day may provide a protective shield against this devastating form of dementia.