Cancer Defeated Newsletter #244
Lee Euler, Editor
New Evidence that Inflammation
Causes Cancer — and an Exciting
New Anti-Inflammatory
If you've ever experienced aching joints… stuffy nostrils… skin eruptions… or asthma attacks…then you have firsthand knowledge of some uncomfortable effects of INFLAMMATION.
But the pain and discomfort are the least of your worries. Inflammation is a serious health risk. It can prevent your organs from functioning properly. In fact, it can actually destroy them.
Excessive inflammation from infections or health conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease has been linked to nearly 25 percent of all cancers!
But keep reading and I'll tell you a very promising new solution to inflammation. If the findings hold up, it will not only relieve your pain but help prevent some of the most threatening diseases.
Although specific health problems are often named after the body part where they occur—inflammation can affect almost any body part. It typically involves an influx of white blood cells followed by pain, heat, redness and swelling. The redness and swelling you get when you sprain a joint or cut yourself are symptoms of inflammation.
Inflammation is your body's immune response to infection, injury or irritation. When the infection or injury is healed, the inflammation should stop. But when you're constantly exposed to some cause of irritation like pollution, chemicals or unhealthy foods, the inflammation never stops and the damage becomes deep and permanent.
It can lead to the chronic diseases of aging like heart disease, diabetes, cancer and arthritis.
It sounds like a paradox, but chronic inflammation both causes these long-term health problems AND results from them. The disease gets worse because of the inflammation and the inflammation gets worse as the disease progresses.
A recent study from researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center -- Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute found that inflammation causes a rise in levels of a molecule called microRNA-155 (miR-155).
An increase in the levels of this molecule has been associated with the development of leukemia, as well as breast, gastric and lung cancers.
What's more, the researchers found that when miR-155 levels increased, the proteins needed to repair DNA began to decrease. The results?
A higher rate of gene mutations which can lead to cancer.
And these results don't appear to be a fluke. Several published studies demonstrate a strong link between inflammation and cancer incidence. Some studies have shown that low levels of inflammation seem to indicate reduced cancer risk—and increased chances of survival.
Others have demonstrated that high inflammation levels indicate an increased cancer risk… impaired immune systems… and a higher resistance to some anti-cancer therapies.
These results have led some researchers to believe that levels of inflammation actually may predict a person's potential for surviving cancer.
My interpretation is that low-level inflammation indicates an immune system that's doing its job, while high-level inflammation indicates an immune system that overwhelmed and working overtime.
So what causes inflammation to occur in the first place?
Well, there are several common causes of inflammation.
Just take the foods you eat as an example. Here are some top offenders that can lead to chronic inflammation and health problems:
SUGAR—not only can excess sugar rot your teeth, but it also increases your risk of experiencing inflammation associated with chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and cancer.
OILS—vegetable cooking oils typically have very high omega-6 fatty acids, which promote inflammation and health disasters such as cancer and heart disease.
DAIRY—some estimates show that nearly 60 percent of the world's population cannot tolerate the lactose in dairy products! Milk and many other dairy products can trigger inflammation in your body. People of non-European descent have much high rates of lactose intolerance.
ALCOHOL—regularly consuming high quantities of alcohol can irritate and inflame your esophagus, larynx and liver. Such chronic inflammation becomes a breeding ground for cancerous tumors.
TRANS FATS—these darlings of the fast food industry are health assassins! They increase your levels of "bad" cholesterol and promote inflammation and obesity.
This list barely scratches the surface when it comes to foods that can trigger inflammation in your body. There are many other factors to consider as well, such as:
Environmental pollutants and toxins
Gum disease
Long-term illness
Obesity
Smoking
Stress
Don't give up the fight!
Considering all the common causes, it might seem hard to avoid inflammation. But the good news is this: there are just as many foods you can eat to help REDUCE inflammation in your body! AND there's a very promising new supplement.
In fact, modifying your lifestyle and diet, including food supplements, is one of the safest, lowest-risk things you can do to fight inflammation.
If you smoke—QUIT! If you eat lots of sugary, high fat foods—STOP!
But by all means do increase your intake of foods such as:
Fruits—berries, melons and citrus fruits are all great choices
Vegetables—squash, sweet potatoes and leafy greens make great choices to boost antioxidant levels
Beans, legumes and whole grains—these items provide plenty of healthy fiber. People who eat high fiber diets tend to experience less inflammation.
Spices—some of your best inflammation fighters are garlic, ginger, hot chilis, and turmeric
The most well-known supplements to reduce inflammation are proteolytic (protein-digesting) enzymes, oils such as fish oil and flaxseed oil that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and the spice turmeric or its active ingredient, curcumin.
But now there's another nutrient that may be a potential inflammation-stopper. It's a dietary supplement called Anatabloc®, produced by a Virginia-based company called Star Scientific, Inc.
Each tablet contains 1 milligram of anatabine base. This nutrient occurs naturally in plants such as tomatoes and peppers. It's known to reduce activity of a protein that causes inflammation.
Here's how they say it works…
First the anatabine in Antabloc® enters a cell. Once inside, it deactivates the protein called NFkB.
This prevents the NFkB from entering the cell nucleus—and triggering inflammation throughout your body.
The product is subject of an ongoing clinical trial, with two more scheduled to begin by the end of the year. But according to the company website, Anatabloc® already has shown significant anti-inflammatory effects in test tube and animal studies, and in human epidemiological studies of tobacco alkaloid exposures.
If this non-prescription supplement performs as expected, it could very well be a wonderful addition to a healthy diet and exercise regimen to help shield you from deadly inflammation! The big supplement chain GNC says Anatabloc is their most successful new product of the year.
