by Dr. Marcel Hernandez, ND
Link revealed between obesity and increased risk of colorectal cancer
There’s long been a well-recognized link between obesity and an increased risk of colorectal cancer, but the inner workings of the link have never been understood.
Dr. Marcel Hernandez, ND
Summary of recent research. A team at Thomas Jefferson University has revealed the underlying biological basis of the connection. In the process, they’ve identified an approved drug that may help prevent development of the cancer. (The study was published in Cancer Research.)
The researchers found that a high-calorie diet turned off expression of a key hormone in the intestine in mice, leading to deactivation of a “tumor suppressor pathway.”
Genetic replacement of the hormone turned the tumor suppressor back on, preventing cancer development – even when the mice continued to eat excess calories.
Dr. Marcel comments. Increased cancer risk is NOT the only danger associated with obesity and excess caloric intake. Excess weight causes a broad range of dangeroius mischief in the body, including a large number of life-threatening chronic system breakdowns.
The danger, with this new information, is that overweight people will take it as an “out” from doing anything about their condition – turning a blind eye to the well-established fact that cancer is only one life-threatening risk of excess weight.
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Can Low Vitamin D Levels Increase the Risk of Leukemia?
Many cases of leukemia may be caused by vitamin D deficiency as a result of low sunlight exposure. This is the conclusion of a new study published in PLOS One.
While scientists are still uncertain about the exact causes of leukemia, genetic and environmental factors are thought to play a role.
While vitamin D is found in some foods, including oily fish, cheese, and egg yolks, it is present in small amounts. The body’s best source of vitamin D is sunlight. The sun’s ultraviolet B rays penetrate bare skin, causing the body to create vitamin D.
The researchers found that individuals who live in countries father from the equator (the US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Ireland) were at least twice as likely to have leukemia as people in countries closer to the equator (Nigeria, Bolivia, Samoa, Madagascar, etc.).
The researchers explained that people living farther from the equator receive weaker solar energy, reducing the amount of UVB radiation in the sun’s rays that reach their skin.
Dr. Marcel comments. I find this research quite interesting, since we find that every single cancer patient who enters our clinic has low levels of Vitamin D when we first test them.
Also interesting is that even those patients who spend lots of time outdoors have low Vitamin D levels. Conclusion: here in the San Francisco area, at 37.78 degrees north latitude, we urgently need to keep our Vitamin D levels high through sun exposure, appropriate nutrition, and supplements.
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For more information about our supplementary cancer care offerings, and to make an appointment, give us a call.
The Hernandez Center for Adjunctive Cancer Care
2570 W. El Camino Real, Suite 111
Mountain View, CA 94040
650-917-1121 (v) * 650-917-1127 (f)
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