functional medicine and nutritional genomics - American Association ...
functional medicine and nutritional genomics - American Association ...
functional medicine and nutritional genomics - American Association ...
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AAPI’S NUTRITION GUIDE TO OPTIMAL HEALTH: USING PRINCIPLES OF FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE AND NUTRITIONAL GENOMICS<br />
much more sugar. All our cells take in sugar<br />
through a mechanism that can be conceptualized<br />
as a ‚lock <strong>and</strong> key‛ system where insulin is the<br />
key <strong>and</strong> an insulin receptor is the lock. It turns<br />
out that cancer cells have many more ‚doors‛<br />
with these ‚locks <strong>and</strong> keys‛ than normal cells.<br />
This is underst<strong>and</strong>able because any cancer cell<br />
without a mechanism for concentrating sugar will<br />
not survive. Only those cells with high<br />
concentrations of these receptors will be able to<br />
rapidly divide <strong>and</strong> develop into cancerous tumors.<br />
Conventional physicians are aware (or should be)<br />
of this mechanism <strong>and</strong> even use it to help<br />
diagnose cancer with the PET scan (positron<br />
emission tomography). Its theory is very simple:<br />
a radioactively labeled sugar is injected into the<br />
person’s vein. The sugar travels through the<br />
body <strong>and</strong> causes the body to produce insulin.<br />
The insulin ‚keys‛ then attach to the receptor<br />
‚locks‛ on all the body’s cells <strong>and</strong> the ‚doors‛ of<br />
the cells open. Cancer cells, however, will have<br />
many more ‚open doors‛ <strong>and</strong> therefore will<br />
concentrate the sugar with the radioactive tracer.<br />
The body is then scanned for radioactivity <strong>and</strong> the<br />
cancer ‚lights up‛ on the scan.<br />
If we think about this process carefully, does it tell<br />
us anything about the way we should eat? Of<br />
course we should limit (or preferable eliminate)<br />
our sugar intake <strong>and</strong> our intake of anything else<br />
that will cause a significant rise in our blood<br />
sugar (especially refined carbohydrates but even<br />
sweet fruits <strong>and</strong> grains can be a problem in some<br />
patients). This is essentially the same diet we<br />
recommend for our patients with diabetes. In fact,<br />
there is an association between diabetes <strong>and</strong> prediabetes<br />
with high blood sugar <strong>and</strong> insulin levels<br />
on the one h<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> with cancer incidence on<br />
the other h<strong>and</strong>. We also know that rising blood<br />
sugar interferes with immune function.<br />
We also need to eat organic food to limit the<br />
toxins entering our body. We must be careful to<br />
limit our intake of omega 6 fats which are proinflammatory<br />
<strong>and</strong> pro-cancerous. We should<br />
increase our intake of omega 3 fats which are<br />
anti-inflammatory <strong>and</strong> generally anti-cancer. The<br />
proper balance of these fats fights inflammation<br />
137<br />
<strong>and</strong> cancer. We must avoid trans fats or partially<br />
hydrogenated fats which are pro-inflammatory <strong>and</strong><br />
interfere with cellular communication <strong>and</strong> with the<br />
transport of nutrients. In short, a whole food diet,<br />
focusing on plenty of vegetables (mostly raw)<br />
with organic, naturally fed (grass for cows, grass<br />
<strong>and</strong> worms for chickens) animal products (freerange<br />
chicken <strong>and</strong> eggs, wild salmon, grass fed<br />
beef, raw milk, kefir <strong>and</strong> cheese, etc). Recent<br />
studies have shown that the right diet can improve<br />
survival rates for several cancer types.<br />
The second pillar is supplements. Many<br />
supplements have been shown to have anticancer<br />
effects in preclinical studies <strong>and</strong> some even in<br />
clinical studies in humans. Some have been<br />
shown to be powerful immune stimulants (such as<br />
the various mushroom products). Others have<br />
been shown to have direct effects on cancer<br />
metabolism causing cancer cells to die. It’s a<br />
good idea to develop a protocol of natural agents<br />
that interfere with cancer angiogenesis (cancer<br />
blood vessel formation). If cancer cannot make<br />
blood vessels, its growth <strong>and</strong> ability to spread<br />
would be severely limited. This is the theory<br />
behind conventional agents such as Avastin but<br />
the natural agents work through many<br />
mechanisms. This protocol could even potentiate<br />
the effects of agents like Avastin as well as<br />
classic chemotherapy drugs. There are other<br />
natural agents that have been shown to potentiate<br />
conventional chemotherapy drugs by increasing<br />
their penetration into cancer cells <strong>and</strong> by<br />
interfering with the ability of the cancer cells to<br />
become resistant to these drugs.<br />
Exercise is another crucial pillar. Recent studies<br />
have shown improved survival rates in patients<br />
battling cancer as well as improved quality of life.<br />
Exercise can be thought of as a continuum<br />
between activity <strong>and</strong> rest, both of which are<br />
important. Overtraining can be just as destructive<br />
to immune health as inactivity. We have found<br />
that the most effective exercise program is the<br />
one that patients are willing to follow. It can be<br />
walking, swimming, yoga, weight lift training, etc.<br />
Ideally, short bursts of intense activity with longer<br />
periods of rest or easy activity in between, will<br />
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