Why These “Dangerous” Free Radicals Are Good for Cancer Survivors

For years, we’ve heard that nitrites, like those in cured meats, are harmful to our health. We’ve heard that they’re carcinogenic and that we should avoid them at all costs. Well, we’ve heard wrong!

Their bad press comes from a few poor animal studies done in the 1970s and 1980s. The media heard about these studies and ran with this misinformation — and another myth was born. The fact is that research has failed to find any evidence that nitrites and nitrates cause cancer.

Nitrites are not carcinogenic. They are a safe food additive that occurs naturally in many vegetables. And nitrates, which turn into nitrites when you mix them with saliva, also are in fruits and vegetables. What’s more, your body makes these molecules in the intestines by normal metabolism. There’s nothing artificial about them. And both occur naturally in high quantities in breast milk. Researchers have never proven that either of these additives causes cancer in animals or humans.

In fact, it turns out that they can save the lives of cancer survivors who are taking a medication that can have lethal side effects.

But there’s a lot more to this story. Along with antioxidants and other substances, the nitrates and nitrites found naturally in unprocessed fruits and vegetables form nitric oxide (NO). NO is a tiny gas molecule that sends signals to every cell in the body. Thousands of good scientific studies prove that it is exceptionally beneficial to the heart and brain.

So why all the wrong information?

The IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) was wrong when they said in 2006 that nitrites and nitrates were “probably carcinogenic” to humans. They failed to say that this was a weak association that applied only to stomach cancer. They also either disregarded or misinterpreted the conclusions of the National Toxicology Program that found that sodium nitrite — the food additive used in cured meats — was not carcinogenic in laboratory animals.

According to the US National Cancer Institute, there were a few reports of an association between nitrites and nitrates in meats and bladder, prostate, and colon cancer. But once again, these studies were too weak to have much meaning.

If there are, indeed, any consequences from the nitrites and nitrates in foods, it looks like the presence of antioxidants cancels them out. There are studies that showed that vitamin C prevented nitrates from producing liver and bladder tumors in lab rats. So this means that nitrites plus antioxidants are protective, not carcinogenic. And our diets should be high in both of these beneficial nutrients.

Helps cancer patients

As I mentioned earlier, this is especially important for anyone undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.

Chemotherapy is powerful medicine. It kills cancer cells and, at times, it kills patients as well. One particular anti-cancer drug remains popular in spite of its side effects. Why? It stops cancer extremely well. This drug is doxorubicin, otherwise known as the antibiotic adriamycin. The problem is that doxorubicin can permanently damage your heart and even kill you.

So far the FDA hasn’t approved anything to prevent or treat the damage to the heart caused by doxorubicin even though one such substance exists: nitrates. A mouse study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (May 2011) showed that dietary nitrates protected against the free-radical damage that doxorubicin causes.

Here’s what happens.

Doxorubicin promotes free radicals in cardiac cells. This causes heart cells to die. Eventually, this cell death can reduce the heart’s function and even cause heart failure.

But if you get plenty of nitrites and nitrates in your diet, you can prevent damage to your heart. Better yet, you can take a nitric oxide supplement that’s stronger than dietary nitrites. (For more information on NO and its benefits, read my past articles available on my website.) Nitric oxide can protect your heart from the damage doxorubicin causes — and it can do much more. One such supplement is Neo40 Daily (800-791-3395). It has superior ability to protect the heart from free radicals. It also lowers blood pressure if it’s high and increases circulation throughout the body.

It’s time we put this myth to rest. Just because cured meats, high in sodium, aren’t healthful doesn’t mean that nitrites are dangerous. Look at the science. Nitrites have an undeserved reputation for being harmful.

The truth is they are one of the most healthful substances in your body. n
Machha, Ajay and Alan N. Schechter, “Dietary nitrite and nitrate: a review of potential mechanisms of cardiovascular benefits,” Eur J Nutr DOI 10.1007/s00394-011-0192-5.

Milkowski, et al. “Nutritional epidemiology in the context of nitric oxide biology: A risk–benefit evaluation for dietary nitrite and nitrate,” Nitric Oxide (2009), doi:10.1016/j.niox.2009.08.004.

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (2010, October 27). “Breast milk study furthers understanding of critical ingredients.” ScienceDaily. Retrieved November 1, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2010/10/101027145849.htm

Zhu, Shu-Guang, Rakesh C. Kukreja, Anindita Das, Qun Chen, Edward J. Lesnefsky, and Lei Xi. “Dietary Nitrate Supplementation Protects Against Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiomyopathy by Improving Mitochondrial Function.” J Am Coll Cardiol, 2011; 57:2181-2189 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2011.01.024.

Fake Ingredients in Weight Loss Foods Cause More Problems Than They Solve

You know the old adage, “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” Well, this certainly applies to several ingredients in a number of processed foods designed to help people lose weight.

Obesity and diabetes are worldwide epidemics. In an effort to control both of them, the food industry has manufactured “foods” designed to help with weight loss. The problem is that they not only don’t work well, some backfire and actually cause weight gain and health problems.

Take the fat substitute, olestra. It’s a synthetic fat with zero calories. When you add it to a snack food like potato chips, it tastes just like ordinary potato chips. That’s the problem. When you eat a food made with fake fats, your body sends out a signal to expect calories. When it doesn’t get them, it asks for more. The same phenomenon occurs with artificial sweeteners. After all, calories are essential. They mean energy and life.

When no calories appear, it can confuse your body’s innate ability to control your intake of food. Instead of losing weight, you could gain it. Foods that taste either sweet or fatty trigger salivation, hormone secretions, and metabolic reactions. The result is that your body expects a burst of calories that it doesn’t receive. This can ultimately lead to weight gain.

In fact, this is exactly what occurred in an animal study where researchers put rats on either a high- or low-fat diet. Then they gave each group either regular high- fat potato chips or fat-free chips made with olestra. The rats that ate a high-fat diet and ate the chips made with olestra actually gained weight!

So, a high-fat diet plus olestra equals weight gain. A low-fat diet — either now or in the past — doesn’t. But the majority of people who reach for olestra-laced foods are eating either a high-fat diet now or have done so in the past.

Unfortunately, weight gain is not the only problem with olestra. It prevents your body from digesting the fats in your diet or supplements. Instead, your body excretes them. This often results in diarrhea or bowel leakage. What’s more, olestra can’t distinguish between good and bad fats. It excretes beneficial fish oil and other omega-3 fats as well as vitamins A, D, and E — and saturated and trans fats. Be smart. Omega-3 fats are not only healthful, they happen to contribute to weight loss — without the leakage.

What about fake sugar?

This same phenomenon occurs with fake sweeteners. Past animal studies found that rats overate, and gained weight, when they ate artificial sweeteners.

In a human study out of the University of Texas Health Science Center, researchers found that people who drank sodas sweetened with aspartame grew fatter over time, not thinner. This study followed nearly 500 participants over 9.5 years. They discovered a 70% increase in waist circumference in people who drank any diet drinks compared with those who drank none at all.

But the news gets even worse. People who drank two or more diet drinks a day had increases in the circumference of their waists that were 500% greater than non-users. So if you’re drinking diet sodas and think they’ll help you get or stay thinner, think again. They’re much more likely to have the opposite effect — and negatively affect your health as well by contributing to weight gain around your tummy.

Remember, abdominal fat is a risk factor for a number of chronic illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. If you’ve been drinking diet sodas, especially if you drink them daily, today is the day to stop. You’re much better off drinking a flavored sparkling water or mineral water with a splash or two of fruit juice.

On the path to diabetes

As if weight gain weren’t enough, it looks like aspartame can lead to diabetes in ways other than increased waist circumference. In a recent study, aspartame actually raised the blood sugar levels in 40 diabetes-prone mice!

In this study, half the mice ate food containing corn oil plus aspartame. The other half ate food supplemented with just corn oil — no aspartame. Three months later, the mice that ate aspartame had elevated fasting blood sugar levels. Their insulin levels also were lower, which can indicate that beta cells, the cells that make insulin, are impaired. Insulin is the hormone that lowers blood sugar after eating. When beta cells aren’t working well, this ultimately leads to diabetes.

Foods with fake ingredients won’t improve your weight or your figure. They won’t improve your health. In fact, they’re much more likely to cause these and other problems. Instead of buying in to the media hype about synthetic ingredients, eat smaller quantities of fatty and sweet foods. They taste much better than fake foods and they’ll help you lose weight.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/229429.php

University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 2011, June 27. “Waistlines in people, glucose levels in mice hint at sweeteners’ effects: Related studies point to the illusion of the artificial.” ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 28, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ releases/2011/06/110627183944.htm

Why I Mention Some Brands of Supplements and Not Others

I get a lot of questions about the products I endorse. I try to answer as many of these on the “Ask Dr. Nan” page as I can. But one question I get quite often requires more space to answer than I have on page 8. That question is “Why do you mention some brands of supplements and not others?”

It’s a great question that needs an explanation. When I accepted the position of editor of this newsletter, the publisher gave me the opportunity to formulate some nutritional supplements and endorse others. I explained that I could only create and endorse supplements that met my standards of purity and effectiveness. And I said that I was picky. Very picky.

For instance, at that time, most multivitamin/mineral formulas contained twice as much calcium as magnesium. Decades of research led me to the realization that this was too much calcium and could lead to heart disease and brittle bones. I wanted a multi with equal amounts of these two minerals — and not too much of them. Although this flew in the face of popular belief, the manufacturer agreed to this small but significant change. The result is that Women’s Vitality, now called Healthy Resolve, contains 500 mg of calcium and magnesium — the optimal amount in my expert opinion for these minerals in a dietary supplement.

At times there were products I just couldn’t endorse even though they were excellent in concept and quality. One of these was DHEA, a hormone many women lack. The problem was that I believed that a qualified health practitioner (after testing or a thorough evaluation) should prescribe hormones. So the company pulled the DHEA supplement. I didn’t — and don’t — believe that we should experiment with hormones, even bio-identical hormones. They can upset a delicate balance and have severe consequences.

So I want to assure you that my endorsement of any product occurs only after passing my close scrutiny.

Building a superior team

The biggest roadblock when they first asked me to create supplements was finding the right professional formulators for my team. I knew dozens of them and had been impressed with very few. In fact, over the years, I had settled on two people whose knowledge of ingredients was unparalleled and whose ethics matched mine.

Let me give you an example of what I mean by this.

There was a time when the herb St. John’s wort had become popular as a natural antidepressant. But it was difficult to find. I called these formulators to order a supply for my patients only to be told that there was a three-month wait.

“Why such a long wait?” I asked.

“We received our latest shipment last week,” they told me. “But as you
know, it should contain 0.3% hypericin. Our shipment was 0.2% hypericin, so we sent it back.”

“What happened to it?”

“Someone else bought it and will sell it as 0.3%.”

These were the people I wanted for my team. The problem was that I would have to work with the people my publishers had found. I was not happy about this until they told me who they were. Of all the supplement formulators in the world, they asked me to team up with the two formulators I had worked with for the past 20 years! I was thrilled! It’s more than 30 years now, and we couldn’t have a better team to support your health with products that are among the best in the industry.

What I don’t mention

You may have noticed that I don’t mention products sold through multi-level marketing (MLM) companies. In this form of marketing, people receive compensation for sales they generate and for sales of people they recruit. There are often high initial start-up fees and an emphasis on recruiting other sellers. As a result, MLM products tend to be more expensive than non-MLM products. High-quality nutritional supplements are expensive enough without compensating numerous people.

While some MLM products are quite good, the cost can be prohibitive. But that’s not all. Most MLM salespeople are ordinary people who have learned the art of selling. Most have minimal knowledge of nutrition. They don’t know who should avoid a particular supplement or when to send them to a health practitioner. This can be dangerous.

Another problem is that many MLM products don’t have sound scientific studies behind them. So the marketing focuses on testimonials. Testimonials are an important part of marketing. But if that’s all they have, it’s not enough. Before I recommend any product, it has to have sound scientific studies proving it works.

I not only endorse Advanced Bionutritionals products, I also mention and endorse products from other excellent companies. These include Thorne, ProThera, Klaire Labs, NOW, and Source Naturals. They all have science-based products. And I’ll continue to mention products from companies that use the
best ingredients and whose formulas are in alignment with my research.

Like all experts, I receive a small compensation for my formulations and endorsements on Advanced Bionutritionals products, but not for the other products I endorse.

NUTRITION DETECTIVE

The Truth About Soy and Breast Cancer

Many people are still confused about the safety and health impact of soy products. This is especially true if you have had estrogen-positive breast cancer. Two years ago, I told you that soy could save the lives of breast cancer patients. It’s that good for you. But other experts disagree. Some of them say that the only safe soy foods are fermented, such as tempeh, miso, and natto. It’s no wonder people are confused.

There are several reasons for this confusion. One has to do with capturing the attention of readers. When a health writer or health care professional makes a statement that goes against popular belief, people tend to listen. This is true even when the “experts” don’t base their information on sound science.

Because of this confusion and the great soy debate that’s going on, I’ve combed the scientific articles and contacted soy expert Mark Messina about this. Everything I’ve read points to not only the safety of soy, but its benefits — even for women who have had breast cancer.

For instance, researchers combined the resources of four National Cancer Institute-funded studies and followed more than 16,000 women with breast cancer. The researchers looked at the intake of soy isoflavones in tofu and soy milk as well as other forms of soy. Women who had the highest intake had a 9% reduced risk of mortality and a 15% reduced risk for recurrence compared to those with the least intake.

The head researcher of this mega-study, Xiao Ou Shu, MD, PhD, said, “Our results indicate it may be beneficial for women to include soy food as part of a healthy diet, even if they have had breast cancer.” He was talking about soy foods and not soy supplements.

An earlier Chinese study followed over 500 breast-cancer patients over a period of five to six years. It found that the women who consumed the most dietary soy isoflavones had a significantly lower risk of recurrence than those with the lowest consumption.

Soy isoflavones are plant-based dietary estrogens that can either trigger or inhibit estrogen-like actions. When helpful plant estrogens occupy estrogen receptors, they prevent harmful estrogens from getting into cancer cells. Why more health experts don’t recognize this continues to baffle me. Science says that soy from foods is actually protective against breast cancer. So make sure it’s part of your diet.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/221390.php.

Kang, Xinmei, Qingyuan Zhang, Shuhuai Wang, Xu Huang, and Shi Jin. “Effect of soy isoflavones on breast cancer recurrence and death for patients receiving adjuvant endocrine therapy,” CMAJ 10.1503/cmaj.091298.

LETTERS

Q: How can we know whether or not someone has Alzheimer’s disease? Couldn’t memory problems be caused by something else? Maybe, even, something simple to address? — D.N., e-mail

A: As a matter of fact, yes! One theory neurologists are discussing today is that the majority of seniors who have a dementia diagnosis don’t actually suffer from dementia. They really have severe depression!

We know that depression is a risk factor for early Alzheimer’s in seniors. These two conditions share a number of symptoms, including impaired memory, being more withdrawn and less social, poor concentration, and sleeping too little or two much. If their depression was treated with medications that work, could at least some of them stave off this dreaded illness? It’s worth a try.

A recent study found an association between depression and a particular
probiotic, Lactobacillus rhamnosus. When researchers gave this strain of friendly bacteria to laboratory animals, it reduced their anxiety and depression in less than two weeks.

I’ve found that just about everyone can benefit from adding friendly bacteria into their diet or supplement program. Lactobacillus rhamnosus is highest in Culturelle^®, a product found in many health food stores or from Klaire Labs (888-488-2488). You may want to take it twice a day for a month or more. Probiotics are safe to take with any other supplements or medications. If you notice a change in mood, continue using it and see if it also affects cognition. You, or a loved one, could be suffering from treatable depression, not Alzheimer’s.

Advanced Probiotic Formula also contains this strain (800-791-3395). If you’re already taking it, and it’s not changed your mood, try adding some Culturelle to it for a month and see how it works.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/233514.php.

Q: Last winter, I took 5,000 IU of vitamin D; my vitamin D level is now only 28. I don’t have a gall bladder. Could this be why I didn’t absorb the vitamin D? I do take a digestive formula with ox bile with every meal. — M.S., Highland, Il

A: Your lack of a gall bladder most likely has very little to do with your low vitamin D level, especially since you’re taking a supplement that helps break down fats. My questions are: What was your vitamin D level before you began taking 5,000 IU/day? How much vitamin D had you been taking and for how long? When and why did you stop this amount?

A vitamin D blood level of 28 is extremely low. I like to see it around 70 to 80 ng/mL. I would take 10,000 IU/day for a month or two and then retest. Continue until you reach at least 60 ng/mL and then resume 5,000 IU/day.
“Isn’t this too much?” you may ask. Not according to the Vitamin D Council, which sets the limit at 100 ng/mL and a toxic level as being twice this amount. I find that most people are low in vitamin D — even when they spend a lot of time outdoors.

I take, and recommend, 5,000 IU daily, with more if indicated by a blood test. We’re finding that this vitamin/hormone is extremely necessary in many body functions. Increasing its levels can often make a noticeable difference in health.