Ian Gawler Blog: Cancer prevention – it’s all in the mind - and the booze and the shopping!

The World Cancer Report 2014 has just been released and it is another major document that highlights the best way to treat cancer – prevent it. The report, compiled by over 250 leading scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IACR) emphasizes prevention through adopting a healthy lifestyle, including cutting down on alcohol.

So this week, we look at this new evidence and consider 5 ways in which we can use our minds to keep healthy – and in doing so, prevent cancer – along with most other illnesses you would rather not have! Then more news of the cancer residential program Ruth and I will present soon, but first




Thought for the day

Health is not just a matter 
of thinking happy thoughts.
Sometimes the biggest impetus to healing 
can come from jump-starting the immune system 
with a burst of long-suppressed anger
      
          Candace Pert author of Molecules of Emotion








The World Cancer Report 2014 compiles the most up-to-date analysis of data on all aspects of cancer. Included is a focus on lifestyle behaviors that contribute to cancer, and you probably know the main ones - smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, being overweight or obese, and lack of exercise.

Yet what controls our lifestyle choices and the choices others make? Simple! It is our mind of course. But who or what controls our mind? Is it our own habits and beliefs? If so, how well do they serve us? Is it our family and friends with their own particular views? If so, how well do they serve us? What about the advertisers? Many of them seem hell bent on having us eat and drink large quantities of unhealthy rubbish.

In response to the report, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) called for action, highlighting a "need to deepen the global commitment to cancer prevention."

"Decades of research have shown that cutting tobacco use is the single most powerful way to prevent many deadly cancers, especially in developing countries where smoking is most widespread. Tackling obesity, a key modifiable risk factor for many cancers, is another top prevention priority," ASCO said in a statement.

“In the United States, 1 in 3 cancer deaths is related to obesity, poor nutrition, or physical inactivity, and the problem will only increase as more countries and regions adopt the diet and lifestyles of more economically developed economies."

"We can take action, in part by making healthier choices in our own lives and helping our patients and their families do the same. But we also need to hold national and global leaders accountable for curbing tobacco use and encouraging and ensuring access to cancer treatment and prevention resources for everyone in need," ASCO commented.

Alcohol is way more damaging than many yet realize
The IACR has labeled alcoholic beverages "carcinogenic to humans" and listed them as a group 1 carcinogen. (follow the link to see the full list). This classification was first made in 1988, and then confirmed in 2007 and 2010. The IACR estimates that in 2010, alcohol-attributable cancers were responsible for 337,400 deaths worldwide.

Why does alcohol cause cancer? One of its major constituents, ethanol is metabolized to acetaldehyde, and this has a genotoxic effect. There may also be other mechanisms involved, including increased oxidative stress, increased estrogen concentrations, and changes in folate metabolism and DNA repair.

The agency says “cancers caused by drinking alcoholic beverages include those of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, liver, colorectum, and female breast.

What to do? Five ways to use your mind and be well!

1. Be informed 
You probably already know the risk factors, although the news on alcohol may be somewhat new and a bit disconcerting. For guidelines, see the earlier blog that clarifies safe recommendations around alcohol – CLICK HERE

Be reminded that enjoying a healthy lifestyle is the answer to long lasting good health and is powerfully preventive.

2. Develop an enthusiasm for looking after your self
How extraordinary to be in a human body! Yet how fragile it is. Delight in your body’s complexity and capacities. Take a modest but firm pride in caring for it.

3. Be diligent
Yes, this is the thing. Consistency in what you do mostly. Eat well most of the time, avoid alcohol most of the week, play up occasionally if that takes your fancy, and enjoy being vibrantly healthy.

4. Train your mind
Meditate, use affirmations and imagery if you need to change old habits or establish new ones (refer to The Mind that Changes Everything).

Seek out the company of like-minded people; avoid situations or people that are likely to lead you astray. Maybe join me and Ruth for one of the series of workshops I am presenting this year on the theme Health, Healing and the Mind. First one is in Warrnambool on May 4th. This and the others are on the website. For details CLICK HERE


5. Final tip - meditative shopping


Eating begins with the shopping!
If it ain't in the cupboard,
you can't eat it!
If home is full of good food,
you have a good chance.
Remember to be on guard when shopping
and make good choices when doing so.

Ideally, treat shopping as a meditation in its own right – an active meditation that is done with a calm and clear mind and the welfare of your own good self and those you care for at heart. While this may take just a tad longer, it is worth planning for; and speaking personally, it turns shopping into something I really enjoy.

RESOURCES
Book: You Can Conquer Cancer -  There is so much about prevention in this book. I would love it if more people who were well were to read it.

CD: Mind Training – How the mind works and how we can use it to best advantage – including developing healthy habits

RELATED BLOGS
Exercise - and how to do it

Alcohol, health and wellbeing

NOTICEBOARD
Cancer, Healing and Wellbeing 
This 8 day cancer recovery program residential program is evidence based and will be highly experiential. We will cover the full range of Integrative Medicine options, with the emphasis on what people can do for themselves – therapeutic nutrition, exercise and meditation, emotional health, positive psychology, pain management, the search for meaning and so on.

Kawai Purapura - the beautiful location outside Auckland NZ where the program will be held

I will personally present the majority of the content but along with Ruth, participants will have the additional support and experience of Liz Maluschnig and Stew Burt; two very experienced and committed New Zealanders.

For details on this and the other cancer related residential programs for 2014 CLICK HERE

Eating meat or smoking? Which is worse for your health?

“Animal protein-rich diets could be as harmful to health as smoking”.

This was the startling headline in The Guardian newspaper recently following the release of a new study that ran over 18 years and reported that people under 65 who eat a lot of meat, eggs and dairy are four times as likely to die from cancer or diabetes. Those younger than 65 who ate the most animal protein had a 74% increase in their risk of dying from any cause.

Given I have been recommending just such a diet for over 30 years, this week let’s go Out on a Limb once more, look at the evidence more fully, the way this study has been reported including mainstream reactions, and how we and our families can eat to save a great deal of future problems.

Then news of how you can receive a 20% discount for this year's Happiness and its Causes conference that I highly recommend, but first

Thought for the day

Nothing will benefit human health
And increase chances for survival of life on Earth
As much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet

Albert Einstein









Why did I use a low protein, plant-based, wholefood diet to help me to recover from my own difficult cancer, and why did I begin to recommend such a diet way back in 1981 when I first began helping others to either recovery from cancer or to prevent it?

Well, the truth is that it was a combination of first principles and personal experience. As a veterinarian I had been well trained in nutrition, but perhaps even more importantly, also trained in comparative anatomy.

The fact is that we humans are omnivores and as such, our digestive tracts are best designed for a relatively low protein diet. (See the previous blog Would you eat like a dog? for details - link below). Fortunately I also knew that unlike in the dog, the metabolic waste products from a high meat diet place a heavy burden on our human bodies.

However, even more than the science, what was most convincing for me personally was that when first diagnosed with secondary cancer, I ate a very pure diet for some time and meditated a lot (several hours per day). This made me very aware and very sensitive to what I ate. I soon found that if I did eat high protein I felt heavy, even toxic; low protein, I felt much lighter and had more energy. It was clear what suited me best.

Once I began working with others, I told them of my personal theories and experiences and suggested they might like to try them. Many found the same thing – low to medium protein intake, avoid meat, eggs, dairy and they felt better. Many seemed to “co-incidentally” do much better than their doctors predicted.

Of course, the full details of the overall diet I recommend for prevention, management or recovery have been in You Can Conquer Cancer since 1984 and these recommendations were expanded and given more detail in the recent new edition.

What has been gratifying, and I guess somewhat re-assuring, is that over the last few years more and more high quality research is confirming these recommendations (see the recent blogs Let food be your medicine Parts 1 and 2 - links below)and I do plan another research based blog soon – the evidence is compelling).

So let’s restate this latest study’s findings “high levels of dietary animal protein in people under 65 years of age was linked to a fourfold increase in their risk of death from cancer or diabetes, and almost double the risk of dying from any cause over an 18-year period.

So what is the commentary?
“Nutrition experts have cautioned that it's too early to draw firm conclusions from the research”.

“Gunter Kuhnle, a food nutrition scientist at Reading University, said it was wrong "and potentially even dangerous" to compare the effects of smoking with the effect of meat and cheese as the study does.
"

“Heather Ohly at the European Centre for Environment and Human Health in Exeter said: "Smoking has been proven to be entirely bad for us, whereas meat and cheese can be consumed in moderation as part of a healthy diet, contributing to recommended intakes of many important nutrients."

Ho hum. I guess the paper has to give voice to caution and the prevailing way of thinking. I guess.... This is certainly the way of journalism these days.

Yet if we dig further into this research, we find that the harmful effects from the high protein diet were almost negated if that protein was derived from plant sources, such as beans and legumes; except in cancer where the risk was still three times as high in middle-aged people who ate a protein-rich diet, compared with those on a low-protein diet.

And there are more important suggestions from this research. It suggests that once you are over 65, things may well change. Over 65 and your protein needs tend to go up, so once over 65, increasing your protein levels seem to be protective against cancer, diabetes and other diseases. According to this study, doing so cuts the risk of death from any cause by 28%, and reduces cancer deaths by 60%.

So how did this study define a low protein diet? 
No more than 0.8g of protein a day for every kilogram of body weight, which means 48g for a 60kg person, and 64g for an 80kg person. These are very close to the amounts that result from following my Wellness Diet or the more specific cancer recovery diet.

According to The Guardian “most people in Britain eat more protein than they need. The British Dietetic Association recommends a daily intake of 55g and 45g of protein for the average man and woman respectively. But according to the British Nutrition Foundation the average protein intake per day is 88g and 64g for men and women.”

When I had cancer, the recommendation was around 120gm per day! The mainstream scientist's understanding of protein has changed over the years.

Full reference: Levine ME, Suarez JA, Brandhorst S, et al. Low protein intake is associated with a major reduction in IGF-1, cancer, and overall mortality in the 65 and younger but not older population. Cell Metab. 2014; 19:407-417. DIRECT LINK HERE

What to do? A summary:
1. IN GENERAL TERMS, the way I recommend to eat is best described as a plant-based, wholefood, organic diet.

2. READ  and LEARN: In the new edition of You Can Conquer Cancer you will find both the Wellness Diet (for those who are basically well, interested in prevention and living a long, happy and healthy life) and the more specific Healing Diet are set out in detail.

3. LISTEN to the 2 food CDs (or download the MP3s) Eating well, Being well and Eating for Recovery

4. ENJOY the recipes in the Gawler Foundation’s book Eat Well, Be Well

5. SEEK personal help if needed - see the resources below

6. DELIGHT in the fact, and the tastes of eating well

RESOURCES -  DOCTORS & INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE
To locate a doctor trained in nutritional medicine, refer to
i) The Australian College of Nutritional Medicine (ACNEM)

ii) The Australasian Integrative Medical Association (AIMA)

RELATED BLOGS
Would you eat like a dog?

Let food be your medicine - Part 1

Let food be your medicine - Part 2

NOTICEBOARD
1. Meditation in the Forest
There are just a couple of places available for our Pre-Easter meditation retreat in the Yarra Valley. This annual event is a highlight for Ruth and myself; this year as well as relaxation, mindfulness and meditation, we will be delving into that most useful of personal tools, contemplation.

For details CLICK HERE
For bookings, call the Gawler Foundation +61 3 59671730

2. Cancer, Healing and Wellbeing 
This 8 day cancer recovery program residential program is evidence based and will be highly experiential. We will cover the full range of Integrative Medicine options, with the emphasis on what people can do for themselves – therapeutic nutrition, exercise and meditation, emotional health, positive psychology, pain management, the search for meaning and so on.

I will personally present the majority of the content but along with Ruth, participants will have the additional support and experience of Liz Maluschnig and Stew Burt; two very experienced and committed New Zealanders.

For details on this and the other cancer related residential programs for 2014 CLICK HERE 

3. Happiness & Its Causes - 29 & 30 May 2014 - Seymour Centre, Sydney

Have an inspiring and productive 2014! Revitalise, refresh, learn, explore, network and be motivated at the world's leading happiness event – celebrating its 9th year - Happiness & Its Causes 2014 - with 30+ world-renowned international and local speakers – leaders in psychology, science, education, business, the arts and more.

As I have endorsed this conference, I have been able to secure a 20% discount for all my readers!

Book before 28 March and save $300 off the full 2 day conference fee and $500 off the full 4 day gold pass fee (including workshops)

Book online using promotion code RMEE or call (02) 8719 5118 to register.

Go to www.happinessanditscauses.com.au

SIX INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:
• Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, USA, one of the greatest psychologists of our time, pioneering researcher into optimal experience or ‘flow’ on a rare visit to Australia!
• Matthieu Ricard, Nepal, inspiring humanitarian monk and best-selling author Happiness: 
A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill.
• Dr Jane Goodall, DBE, UK, legendary primatologist, environmentalist and UN Messenger of Peace.
• Professor Jean Twenge, USA, psychologist and leading researcher into narcissism and youth mental health.
• Professor Roy Baumeister, USA, respected social psychologist exploring self-control, 
self-regulation, meaning and happiness.
• Professor Felicia A. Huppert, UK, international expert in wellbeing and author of The Science of Wellbeing ... AND 25+ AMAZING LOCAL MINDS TOO!

Exercise – it’s benefits and how to do it

How to get into the exercise habit and use what well may be the best least used remedy!

Everywhere you look these days you see more evidence confirming just how useful exercise is – in reducing the risk of developing most things you would rather not get, and assisting in the recovery of most chronic degenerative diseases as well as mental health problems.

The trick, however, is to do it! So this week we go Out on (an active) Limb and consider some of the recent evidence along with tips from regular exercisers. Then one country’s radical solution – one I am very keen on, but first






Thought for the Day
My husband and I divorced over religious differences.
He thought he was God and I did not.
                             Author unknown


Humour like exercise is meant to be good for you








The evidence is compelling that exercise lowers the risk of developing cancer and improves recovery rates in breast, prostate, bowel and quite possibly most other cancers.

Many more studies have shown how regular exercise improves mood states, is an antidote for depression and has these same positive effects on the state of mind of those dealing with cancer, both during and after the end of active treatment.

This evidence was strengthened with the publication in 2012 of 2 Cochran reviews (Cochran Database Syst Rev. 2012;8:CD008465, CD007566). LINK HERE 

Both found that exercise has a beneficial effect on a number of health-related quality-of-life domains, including cancer-specific concerns, body image/self-esteem, emotional wellbeing, sexuality, sleep disturbance, and social functioning. In addition, exercise was found to reduce anxiety, fatigue, and pain.

However, another recent study also confirms what I imagine many of us suspect; plenty of people who would benefit (ie all of us, not just people affected by cancer), do not exercise regularly enough.

According to Andrea L. Cheville, MD, from the Mayo Clinic, the lead author of a study in the July 2012 Journal of Pain and Symptom Management: (LINK HERE) their study showed that cancer patients were not exercising.

"There is a real disconnect between clinical trials of exercise and the real world," Dr. Cheville noted. "There is all this great research, but … changing behavior requires more than just counseling, and patients need a support system," she noted.

COMMENTS
1. How to break through and exercise regularly.

It has been clear for years that regular exercise is highly therapeutic, reducing the risk of developing many illnesses and having major quality of life and survival benefits for people with chronic degenerative disease, especially cancer. The trick is to do it.

This is one area wherein family and friends can be particularly helpful. It is not so easy to find the motivation and energy to exercise regularly when you are not well, and yes owning an active dog certainly does helps. However, better still, arrange a roster amongst caring family and friends to share in regular walks or whatever exercise the person affected finds most useful and practical. Something shared is much easier to complete - and enjoy.

2. Lifestyle, exercise and dementia – a follow up to last week's blog thanks to Sue Pieters-Hawke:
Language wise, lifestyle is better described as providing significant "risk reduction". These words work better than "prevention":
a) Reduction is more consistent with the 'accepted' evidence so far, which amounts to 40-60% of risk for the Alzheimer's dementias being attributable to modifiable lifestyle factors.
b) points to multi-factorial rather than mono-factorial causality.
c) I find people 'hear' it better.

Significantly, the evidence is really strong on exercise being a crucial factor in risk for dementia, and has to be stressed in risk reduction recommendations as much as food in my view.

In terms of the brain chemistry involved, a mixture of aerobic (not literally, but circulation etc promoting) and weight-bearing exercise is important.

My comments again: Weight bearing exercise is any activity you do while on your feet and legs that works your muscles and bones against gravity. Weight bearing exercises includes walking, jogging, dancing, step aerobic, ball games, golf, stair climbing and many gym exercises.

Exercises that are non-weightbearing include swimming and cycling.

The best therapeutic exercise seems to combine both weight bearing and aerobic exercise (aerobic is when you breath faster and your heart rate rises).

3. Common sense from an airline
It often peeves me to observe really heavy people checking in at the airline counter, putting on their luggage while I am clearly not so heavy! I want to be weighed with my luggage!

So how is this? The head of a tiny Pacific airline that pioneered a fare system based on passengers' weight said recently the move had been so successful the carrier is upgrading its fleet. Samoa Air introduced its world-first system late in 2012, when it began charging passengers fares based on how much people weigh, rather than a set price for each seat.

Chief executive Chris Langton said the 1.34 tala (64 cents) per kilogram charge had proved popular over the first 12 months as it meant cheaper fares for most passengers. Larger passengers who pay high fares are given more space. He said larger airlines were considering similar schemes.

Read more...

RELATED BLOG
Prevention of dementia through diet

NEWS

In addition to the usual suspects at Davos -- heads of state, Nobel laureates, CEOs and media titans -- the 2014 World Economic Forum annual meeting featured the perspectives of people who have lived far from the centers of finance; including one very happy monk.! Read more…

NOTICEBOARD
Meditation in the Forest : April 11 – 17, 2014.
This is the regular Pre-Easter retreat Ruth and I present in the Yarra Valley each year.

In 2014, as well as providing the opportunity for some meaningful time out - including the space in your life to regain balance and to be revitalized - you will be gently guided to learn more about relaxation, mindfulness and meditation, and to deepen your experience of these wonderful techniques.

Each year we have a particular focus or theme for this meditation retreat and in 2004 we will be giving particular attention to the theory and practise of that invaluable (and in my view, seriously undervalued) skill of contemplation.

This retreat is designed to meet the needs of a broad range of meditators. It is well suited to beginners as well as the more experienced, those who are interested in teaching meditation (we hold specific sessions through the retreat for these people), those on the healing path and anyone keen to rest, reflect and deepen their meditation.

For details CLICK HERE

Ian Gawler Blog: Is soy safe? – part 2

Please note: This blog has been re-posted as there were some technical issues in the original post.

As you tuck into a delightful tofu and veggie stir-fry, or maybe even some tofu ice-cream, is there a lingering doubt? Is this really doing me good? Am I contributing to the prevention of breast and prostate cancer, or am I, as some would have us believe, contributing to their increased likelihood?

If so, you need the answer to this question: Do the phyto-oestrogens in soybeans act like oestrogen or Tamoxifen? Need a full explanation? Let us go Out on a Limb once again, follow on from last week’s exploration of the soybean itself, and explore how cancer and soy beans interact.



Then news of my next workshop; this time in one of Mt Macedon’s most beautiful estates, complete with a gorgeous garden. Duneira on Saturday August 24th. But first




Thought for the day
The doctor of the future will give no medicine, 
But will instruct his patient in the care of the human frame, 
In diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.
                                         Thomas Edison, 1902




WHY LINK SOY and BREAST CANCER?
1. There are historically low breast cancer incidence rates in Asia, where traditional soyfoods are a staple.

2. Research demonstrates isoflavones in soy may exert anti-oestrogenic effects.

3. Some epidemiologic data shows a higher soy intake results in a lower breast cancer risk.

4. Rodent studies demonstrate soy protects against carcinogen-induced mammary cancer.

HOW BREAST CANCER IS EFFECTED BY OESTROGEN
In broad terms, there are 2 types of breast cancer; oestrogen positive and oestrogen negative. Our discussion relates to oestrogen positive cancers in particular and these make up about 70% of all breast cancers.

Oestrogen positive cancers are aggravated by oestrogen (the main female sex hormone). How this happens is that on the surface of oestrogen positive cancer cells there are receptors for oestrogen. When an oestrogen molecule comes into proximity with such a receptor, it attaches (but does not go into the cell) and creates a cascade of reactions within the cell that speeds up the cancer’s progression.

In earlier times, removal of the ovaries was attempted as a way to reduce oestrogen levels in women with breast cancer. But oestrogen is made in other parts of the body, so only in exceptional circumstances has this proven useful.

Many people will have heard of tamoxifen. This was heralded as a breakthrough drug as it attaches to the oestrogen receptors, but does not cause the internal reaction and so blocks the effects of oestrogen. Unfortunately, it does aggravate uterine tissue and is associated with increased uterine cancer, but on balance it remains a widely used anti-cancer drug. Simply put, tamoxifen is an oestrogen antagonist.

WHAT OESTROGEN IS IN SOY?
There are 3 main oestrogen-like chemicals in soybeans; genistein, daidzein, and glycitein. They are present in their beta glycoside forms: genistin, daidzin, and glycitin, hence you may see them written differently.

Genistin/genistein, daidzin/daidzein, and glycitin/glycitein account for approximately 50–55%, 40–45%, and 5–10% of total isoflavone content, respectively in soybeans.

Older adults in Japan and Shanghai, China, typically consume between 25 and 50 mg/day of isoflavones and probably no more than 5% of these populations consume more than 100 mg/day. In contrast, people in the United States and Europe consume an average of less than3 mg/day.

Isoflavones have a chemical structure similar to human oestrogen but bind to estrogen receptors more weakly. Significantly, it has been suggested that genistein, which is the best-studied isoflavone, along with the other isoflavones may act like tamoxifen as estrogen receptor blockers.

What has also drawn attention in recent years are conflicting concerns that isoflavones may stimulate the growth of existing estrogen-sensitive breast tumors. These concerns are based on evidence gathered from studies involving tissue cultures and rodents. However, they do contrast with the human epidemiological evidence that shows among Asian women higher soy intake is associated with a nearly one-third reduction in breast cancer risk and that Japanese breast cancer patients, in comparison to Western women, exhibit better survival rates even after controlling for stage of diagnosis.

SOY FOR THE PREVENTION OF BREAST CANCER
In Asia, isoflavones are consumed as traditional soy foods and not in pure or enriched forms. Epidemiological data associates lifetime, and particularly pre-adolescent consumption of traditional soy with a decreased risk of breast cancer development in humans.

An Asian-American study on soy found that women, pre- and postmenopausal, who consumed tofu, had a 15% reduced risk of breast cancer with each additional serving per week.

Wu AH, Ziegler, et al. Tofu and risk of breast cancer in Asian- Americans. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 1996;5(11):901-906.

Another trial reported that women in the highest tertile intake of tofu had a 51% decrease risk of premenopausal breast cancer when compared with women in the lowest tertile. In this study, no statistical significant association was observed between soy intake and breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women.

Hirose K, Imaeda N, Tokudome Y, Goto C, Wakai K, Matsuo K, et al. Soybean products and reduction of breast cancer risk: a case-control study in Japan. Br J Cancer 2005;93(1):15-22.

Messina and colleagues published a major review on this subject in 2008 and here I quote from what I consider to be one of the very the best review articles on this topic:

The conclusion drawn from this extensive review of the available literature is that currently there is little evidence to suggest that any potential weak estrogenic effects of dietary isoflavones have a clinically relevant impact on breast tissue in healthy women. Limited data suggest this is also the case for breast cancer survivors.

This evidence includes multiple trials showing no effects on breast proliferation or mammographic density and considerable epidemiologic data showing either no effect or a modest protective role of soy/isoflavone intake on breast cancer risk.

Based on this evidence it seems unlikely that isoflavone consumption at dietary levels (i.e. <100 mg/day) elicits adverse breast cancer-promoting effects in healthy women or breast cancer survivors not undergoing active treatment.

Messina MJ and Wood CE; Nutrition Journal 2008.  For the full reference, CLICK HERE 

SOY AND ITS AFFECTS ON BREAST CANCER
Several earlier studies suggested that whole soy foods appeared to have no negative or positive effect on breast cancer. For example the following two studies found soy foods had no negative impact on breast cancer survival.

Boyapati SM, et al. Soyfood intake and breast cancer survival: a followup of the Shanghai Breast Cancer Study. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2005;92(1):11-17.

Nishio K, et al. Consumption of soy foods and the risk of breast cancer: findings from the Japan Collaborative Cohort (JACC) Study. Cancer Causes Control. 2007;18(8):801-808.

This, and other evidence, prompted Messina and colleagues in their 2008 review quoted above to state:

Available data on breast cancer recurrence and mortality provide some assurance for breast cancer patients that soyfoods/isoflavone supplements, when taken at dietary levels, do not contribute to recurrence rates although more data are clearly needed to better address this issue.

Currently there are no data to support the idea that soyfoods or isoflavone supplements improve the prognosis of breast cancer patients.

However, in 2009, following more analysis of the Shanghai study, strong new evidence was published showing significant benefits of consuming soy for women with breast cancer in terms of better survival and less cancer recurrence, making Messina’s claim seem outdated.

Women consuming soy in the highest quartile had a 29% lower death rate over the 4 year follow up, and 32% reduced risk of recurrence. The protective effect was present regardless of oestrogen receptor status of the cancer, or whether tamoxifen was used or not.

This is the most compelling evidence to date of a benefit for soy consumption by women with breast cancer (as opposed to no harm). It is important because it shows a benefit for increased soy consumption irrespective of oestrogen receptor status or tamoxifen use.
Shu XO et al. Soy food intake and breast cancer survival; JAMA. 2009 Dec 9; 302(22):2437-43.
For the full reference, CLICK HERE

BUT BEWARE:  NATURAL SOY, PROCESSED SOY – DIFFERENT OUTCOMES
However, it may be that the non-traditional soy foods do create problems. Significantly, soy protein isolates do not contain many of the bioactive components present in whole soy. As we clarified last week, refined products include soy flour and its processed derivatives.

Research has demonstrated that soy protein isolates (85–90% soy protein) do stimulate the growth of estrogen-dependent tumors. Another study evaluated the relative effects of different degrees of soy processing on the growth of pre-existing tumors and demonstrated that consumption of isoflavones in increasingly purer or more highly enriched forms may have a proportionally worse effect on estrogen-dependent tumor growth.

Allred CD,et al. Soy processing influences growth of estrogen-dependent breast cancer tumors. Carcinogenesis 2004;25:1649-1657.

Some research has shown that soy processing increases breast cancer growth in mice. This may be related to isoflavone metabolism and bioavailability, but more research is needed.
Allred CD, et al. Soy processing influences growth of estrogen-dependent breast cancer tumors. Carcinogenesis 2004;25:1649-1657.

SOY AND TAMOXIFEN
There has also been some concern expressed that soy products may actually interfere with the action of tamoxifen itself. However, recent studies examining the interaction between soy and tamoxifen have yielded neutral or beneficial findings.

In one study, soy intake had no effect on levels of tamoxifen or its metabolites.
Wu AH, et al. Tamoxifen, soy, and lifestyle factors in Asian American women with breast cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2007;25(21):3024-3030.

In another, the combination of tamoxifen and genistein inhibited the growth of human breast cancer cells in a synergistic manner in vitro.
Mai Z, et al. Genistein sensitizes inhibitory effect of tamoxifen on the growth of estrogen receptor- positive and HER2-overexpressing human breast cancer cells. Mol Carcinog. 2007;46(7):534-542.

SOY AND YOUNG GIRLS
Of great interest is research that demonstrates eating soy foods during childhood and adolescence in women, and before puberty onset in animals, appears to significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer later in life.

SYNERGISTIC EFFECTS OF SOY
Research evidence indicates a possible synergistic relationship between soy and green tea consumption.

SOY AND THE AUTHORITIES
The American Cancer Society in 2006 concluded that breast cancer patients can safely consume up to three servings of traditional soyfoods per day, although the group advised against the use of more concentrated sources of isoflavones such as powders and supplements.

The United States Health and Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) conducted a review of the available studies and found little evidence of substantial health improvements and no adverse effects, but also noted that there was no long-term safety data on estrogenic effects from soy consumption.

The AHRQ report notes that future studies of the health effects of soy need to better address the complex relationship between health and food components, including how variations in the diets, lifestyles, and health of participants might affect the results. Also, studies that substitute practical amounts of soy products into people's diets would better address the question of whether people should make the effort to include more soy in their diet.

The Cancer Council of New South Wales released a statement saying scientific research suggests that overall the moderate consumption of soy products does not appear to present a risk to women with breast cancer, and there is equivocal evidence that consuming large amounts of soy products may have a protective effect against developing breast and prostate cancer. However, the Council does not recommend taking soy dietary supplements as there is no evidence they are either effective or safe at preventing or treating cancers.

WHAT RUTH AND I DO
We regularly eat organic tofu and soy yoghurt (which Ruth makes from Bonsoy). Ruth drinks small amounts of soymilk (mostly Bonsoy in teas), but I do not – I do not like it and have teas and dandelion coffee black). We eat some tempeh but only have silken tofu if ordered by mistake when eating out! We avoid processed soy products and read labels to avoid the myriad of foods with these products added to them.

MY OWN CONCLUSIONS and RECOMMENDATIONS
In answer to the key question, I conclude the phyto-oestrogens in soy act like tamoxifen not like oestrogen. Based on the evidence available, soy eaten in its traditional forms acts as an oestrogen antagonist, making it helpful in preventing and overcoming both breast cancer and prostate cancer. I also conclude:

1. Traditional soy foods are almost certainly safe and warrant being a part of a healthy diet for healthy people. I recommend them. I particularly recommend regular soy consumption for young and adolescent girls; but then lifetime consumption seems ideal.

2. Processed or refined or concentrated soy products run the real risk of being problematic for everyone. I do not recommend them.

3. For women with breast cancer, the best evidence currently available suggests traditional soy foods, eaten in traditional amounts are likely to be safe and may well be helpful in reducing recurrences and extending survival. I recommend them.

RELATED BLOGS
Is soy safe? - Part 1

Coconut oil – are you nuts?

Food for life – what to eat when

RESOURCES
You Can Conquer Cancer – the revised edition has many other explanations like this one on soy. What type of protein and how much? Which are the best fats to eat and to avoid, and so on. This book is about prevention and long-term good health, as well as cancer recovery.

NOTICEBOARD
1. NEXT WORKSHOP in the Melbourne region: Inner Peace, Outer Health

Mt Macedon on Saturday August 24th, 10am (arrive 9.30) to 4.30pm

Duneira is an exquisite heritage hill station property on the slopes of Mt Macedon. The garden is like a meditative space, so beautiful and filled with majestic trees. I love being there!

Then the house itself is grand enough to host good sized but still quite intimate events. There is a tradition now at Duneira of hosting community events that range from music to personal development and Ruth and I have become regulars.

So, fancy a nice drive to a beautiful place for a meaningful event? If so, CLICK HERE





2. MEDITATION in the DESERT

The experience of a lifetime. Seven day meditation retreat with Ian and Ruth in the extraordinary, natural meditation space of the Central Australian Desert, followed by a few days being in the company of senior local indigenous leaders.

For full details, CLICK HERE










3. IMAGES, WORDS AND SILENCE


Five day retreat/training for everyone interested in Insight, Healing and Wellbeing.

At the Foundation's centre in the Yarra Valley with Drs Ruth and Ian Gawler and Dr Nimrod Sheinman, world authority on the use of creative imagery for healing and personal development.

For full details, CLICK HERE

DNA and the dangly bits

This week, more important news about telomeres, their links to ageing and cancer and what to do about it. Then some more useful feedback from the recent blog survey, and a glimpse of things to come as a result. 

Also, I must say how good it is to be back home after a long and wonderful trip and retreat overseas. More of that next week, but first:

Thought for the Day

I do not want to achieve immortality through the legacy of my work

I want to achieve immortality by not dying

                                                                            Woody Allen

Good luck with that fantasy!!!

Telomere length, the risk of cancer and cancer mortality

Some of you may have seen this post already. It had a few days on the blog having been posted in error while I was travelling home. If so, my apologies and maybe you skip to the feedback.

Telomeres are nucleoprotein complexes at the end of our DNA. The dangly bits! Telomeres shorten each time our cells reproduce and therefore reflect organism aging at a cellular level. At a critically short telomere length, cells loose the ability to divide and replicate, eg they die. Malignant cells, in contrast, reactivate and overexpress the enzyme telomerase that lengthens telomeres and allows for plentiful divisions.

Critically short telomeres may increase cancer risk.

Recent research investigated associations between baseline telomere length, the incidence of cancer and cancer mortality over a follow-up period of 10 years.

The conclusions reached were that there was a statistically significant inverse relationship between telomere length and both cancer incidence and mortality, suggesting that keeping telomeres long through telomerase activation could likely prevent cancer and/or increase the chance of survival for individuals who develop cancer.

Link here for the full article. REFERENCE: Peter Willeit P et al, JAMA. 2010;304(1):69-75.

It has been reported in previous blogs that telomerase levels have been shown to be increased by a healthy lifestyle and meditation. Not surprisingly, a lot of research is now searching for compounds, natural or chemical that might lengthen telomeres.

Of interest is TA-65, a Telomerase Activator that has been available for nearly 5 years and that has been used in some people with cancer.

Dr Ed Park from California reports that a metastatic lung cancer in a dog that had a leg amputated due to an osteosarcoma, and a brain cancer in a man both cleared after being on TA-65. TA-65 is a single extract from the root of the Astragalus plant.

It seems a metastatic pancreatic cancer has also been helped by Product B – a combination of natural compounds thought to lengthen telomeres.

Short videos detailing the above 3 cases can be viewed by linking here.

WHAT TO DO? 

Know that when you are reasonably diligent with a healthy lifestyle, especially eating well, exercising and meditating regularly, you are protecting and quite possibly strengthening and extending your telomeres, and as such, your life span and good health! We just get more and more research evidence of the benefits of living well - now there is a surprise!

As a direction for research, it would be very interesting to  measure the telomere lengths of long-term, remarkable cancer survivors. If as expected, they are longer than the norm, then the question again has to be, what either keeps them long in these people, or extends them. My guess it has to do with lifestyle factors.

RELATED BLOG

Telomeres, meditation and length of life

NEWS 

1. SURVEY FEEDBACK

The range of practical and inspiring suggestions from the blog survey was really useful. But first, who else is reading along with you!

Most of you readers are in good health, while around a quarter are dealing with significant illness. The majority are over 50, in full or part-time work (although around a quarter are retired and there is a good percentage of younger people), and there was a high level of interest in all the common blog topics (with relationships being the exception – only half the level).

Most people have been reading the blog for over 2 months; around 90% prefer to read the blog weekly or fortnightly and most prefer guest bloggers monthly or even less frequently. Most of you forward posts frequently or occasionally and many enjoy feeling connected through the blog to other like-minded people.

There were many great suggestions for future blogs; the most immediate one I will address is how to travel well – without jet lag and illness; but with heaps of energy and delight!

2.  TWO FULL DAY WORKSHOPS IN SYDNEY

Including all the latest research on telomeres!

Saturday, 20 October, 2012

THE MIND THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING

When: 9.30am (for 10am start) - 4pm 

Where: Veterinary Science Conference Centre, Webster Theatre, Sydney University

Sunday, 21 October, 2012

HEALTH, HEALING AND WELLBEING

When: 9.30am (for 10am start) - 4pm 

Where: Veterinary Science Conference Centre, Webster Theatre, Sydney University

Bookings Essential: Call Sarah Tail 0418 22 0590 or Tina Rae (02) 4294 8361

Register on line: at www.rigpa.com.au 

3. THE GAWLER FOUNDATION'S ANNUAL CONFERENCE COMING SOON

I will be speaking amidst a wonderful array of 20 speakers at this year's Annual Conference of the Gawler Foundation in Melbourne this November: 17 - 18. Hope to see you there - it is always a great event and a highlight of TGF's year; not the least because so many supporters, participants and friends of the Foundation gather.

Ian Gawler Blog: Childhood trauma, milk and cancer

This week, disturbing but important research findings demonstrating strong links between childhood trauma and cancer in later life, as well the consumption of milk amongst boys with increased rates of prostate cancer in men. But first:

Thought for the day:
In Australia, over 110,000 people will be diagnosed with cancer this year.

What this translates into, is that for every 100,000 people living in Australia, 
450 will be newly diagnosed with cancer this year, 
and 1350 are currently living with cancer.

This is too much! And cancer is a highly preventable disease.

Abused children have higher cancer risk as adults

New research from the US has indicated childhood trauma increases the odds of developing cancer in later life.

The study investigated over 3,000 people and found those who were emotionally or physically abused by their parents on a regular basis were more likely to develop cancer in adulthood.

The results were even more pronounced when fathers abused sons and mothers abused daughters.

Men who experienced greater cumulative stress during childhood were also more likely to develop cancer but this was not true of women, suggesting men and women had different mechanisms for coping with stress, the authors said.

Although early trauma increased the probability of other cancer risk factors such as smoking or excessive drinking, the link between frequent parental abuse remained even after the results had been controlled for a wide range of health and lifestyle issues.

“Although childhood misfortune is currently not a widely acknowledged risk factor for cancer, this study reveals that it should be: some types of childhood misfortune, especially abuse, are implicated in the development of cancer in adulthood for both men and women,” the authors concluded.

In related research, investigators from the Johns Hopkins and Harvard Universities have found cancer incidence is significantly higher among people with mental illness.

Cancer rates were two and a half times greater than the general population for people with schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, with lung, colorectal and breast cancers a particular problem.

“Clinicians should promote appropriate cancer screening and work to reduce modifiable risk factors ... among persons with serious mental illness,” the authors recommended.

REFERENCES:
Journal of Aging and Health 2012; doi: 11.1177/0898264312449184

Psychiatric Services 2012; doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201100169

COMMENT:

Obviously anything that helps to alleviate stress amongst families, and enhances their coping capacities is of great importance. This research adds to a myriad of evidence that suggests one of the best things for modern families to do together is to learn and to practice meditation.

Ruth and I have made a Meditation for Children CD that not so many people seem to be aware of; it is available through The Gawler Foundation and many stores.

I am very interested in observations, thoughts, comments you may have on this challenging subject, so please feel free to add your voice via the Comment section below. Maybe share this post with friends - what do they think?

Milk in boys leads to more prostate cancer in men

Researchers have investigated whether early-life residency in certain areas of Iceland marked by distinct differences in milk intake was associated with different risks of prostate cancer.

The study involved 8,894 men born between 1907 and 1935. During a mean follow-up period of 24.3 years, it was found that daily milk consumption in adolescence (vs. less than daily), but not in midlife or currently, was associated with over three times the risk of developing advanced prostate cancer.

The researchers concluded that frequent milk intake in adolescence increases the risk of advanced prostate cancer.

REFERENCE: Torfadottir et al, Am J Epidemiol: 2012 Jan 15;175(2):144-53. Epub 2011 Dec 20.

RESOURCES

CD:  Meditation for Children - Ian and Ruth Gawler

NEWS:
1.  Next blog post will be in 2 weeks time.

2. Darwin: The next 'Cancer, Healing and Wellbeing' Program, will be offered in Darwin by Sue Brownlee, from 16 September 2012 on Sundays from 10am - 1pm.

Sue will also be teaching another Beginner's Meditation Program commencing Sunday 23 September for 4 weeks from 2pm - 3.15pm.  A 50% discount applies to those who have previously attended the course, and those who paid for but for various reasons missed some sessions are welcome to come along and catch up. If there is sufficient interest when the Program is finished, the group can continue to meet weekly for meditation until 9 December 2012.

Sue is happy to respond to any queries - please call or email.

Sue Brownlee

Mindful Practice

PO Box 387, Nightcliff NT 0814

P:  0439 498 636

E:  mindfulpractice@gmail.com

Cancer, immunity and survival

Who said the immune system was useless in cancer medicine? Is a biologically elegant, one drug answer to cancer possible?

For years we have known some people have experienced medically unexpected, remarkable recoveries from difficult cancers. How these recoveries have occurred has received very little mainstream attention.

More than this, one popular notion, that a reactivated immune system may be behind these recoveries, was for many years denied as being even remotely possible by leading immunologists and oncologists. They claimed that the immune system did not have the capacity to identify cancer cells, and therefore could not, or would not attack them. I suspect there would be very little of that vehement denial these days as immunological principles, research and therapies have become better explored and implemented.

Also, recent ground- breaking new research points at a remarkable new possibility. A one drug answer to cancer. Well at least the theory sounds good, and here is how it would work.

Basically cancer is triggered by specific genetic damage. All healthy cells have what are called oncogenes and when these particular genes are damaged, and the cells that contain them reproduce, instead of producing another healthy cell, they produce a cancer cell.

Now if you think about it, cancer cells are pretty useless. They are primitive in their nature, they have no purpose or function, they grow out of control and would be of little consequence except for the fact they tend to get in the way and as such have the potential to be fatal.

What cancer cells do have going for them is their ability to convince the body’s defence system that they are not to be attacked.  Essentially, cancer cells have the ability to camouflage themselves from our immune systems. Without this protection, they would be identified as the problem they are and destroyed quickly and effectively.

This destruction would be very similar to what happens when we are faced with a bacterial infection. When foreign bacteria enter our bodies, the immune system recognizes the potential threat, is activated, destroys the bacteria and returns us to good health.

If the immune system and other components of the body’s defence system could detect and recognize cancer, it could and would act swiftly. So having a strong immune system is the starting point, but then getting past the camouflage is the vital issue.

Exciting new research published in January this year in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science has demonstrated that a single drug can shrink or cure human breast, ovary, colon, bladder, brain, liver, and prostate tumours that have been transplanted into mice. The treatment, an antibody that blocks the cancer cells’ ability to conceal themselves, enables the immune system to destroy the cancer cells.

How is this possible? Ten years ago it was discovered that leukemia cells produce higher levels of a protein called CD47 than do healthy cells. CD47 is also displayed on healthy blood cells where its function is to block the immune system from destroying them. The breakthrough has been the discovery that all the cancers tested so far use CD47 to camouflage themselves from the immune system. The research indicates that the amount of CD47 a tumour made could predict the survival odds of a patient, while blocking it could lead to an immune system inspired recovery.

In mice, blocking CD47 with an antibody cured some lymphomas and leukaemias by stimulating the immune system to recognize the cancer cells as invaders. But the new research suggests that the CD47-blocking antibody may have a far wider impact than just blood cancers.

To determine whether blocking CD47 was beneficial, the scientists exposed cancer cells to macrophages, a type of immune cell, and anti-CD47 molecules in artificial tissue culture mediums. Without the drug, the macrophages ignored the cancerous cells; with it the macrophages engulfed and destroyed cancer cells from all tumour types.

Next, the team transplanted human tumours into the feet of mice, where they can be easily monitored. When they treated these mice with anti-CD47, the tumours shrank and did not spread to the rest of the body. In mice given human bladder cancer cancer, 10 of 10 untreated mice had cancer that spread to their lymph nodes. Only one of 10 mice treated with anti-CD47 had a lymph node with signs of cancer. Moreover, colon cancers transplanted into the mice shrank to less than one-third of their original size, on average. And in five mice with breast cancer tumours, anti-CD47 eliminated all signs of the cancer cells, and the animals remained cancer-free 4 months after the treatment stopped.

Although macrophages also attacked blood cells expressing CD47 when mice were given the antibody, the researchers found that the decrease in blood cells was short-lived; the animals turned up production of new blood cells to replace those they lost from the treatment.

Cancer researcher Tyler Jacks of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge says that although the new study is promising, more research is needed to see whether the results hold true in humans. "The microenvironment of a real tumour is quite a bit more complicated than the microenvironment of a transplanted tumour," he notes, "and it's possible that a real tumour has additional immune suppressing effects."

Another important question, Jacks says, is how CD47 antibodies would complement existing treatments. "In what ways might they work together and in what ways might they be antagonistic?" Using anti-CD47 in addition to chemotherapy, for example, could be counterproductive if the stress from chemotherapy causes normal cells to produce more CD47 than usual.

The research team has received a $20 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to move the findings from mouse studies to human safety tests.

So that is something of the science and the potential for a new drug. In the media we hear of so many potential new cancer breakthroughs that eventually come to nothing. This one sounds very exciting to me.

But even more exciting, what if some of the remarkable survivors had found a way to mess up their CD47? What if their meditation or imagery disrupted it? What if something they ate or drank did the job. How good would it be if people who are living much longer than expected had their CD47 levels checked?

And what if these survivors were triggering other biologically elegant mechanisms to turn the tables on their cancers? What if they were producing angiostatins that prevented cancers from developing a blood supply and so starved them to death? What if their meditation somehow switched their faulty oncogenes off? What if… ???

Surely people who stand out, people with cancer who do live much longer than expected warrant investigation. It amazes me how many people I have helped who became long-term survivors and went back to their doctors feeling quite elated, only to be told they must have been misdiagnosed. I was one of them. This response seems to me to be intellectual laziness of the highest order, but it is probably worse. It probably reflects a negligence and lack of commitment to true scientific enquiry that is both scarey and dangerous. Scarey because true science advances when unexpected phenomena are investigated, and dangerous because if the survivors’ experiences could be reproduced, less people would die of the disease.

Clearly what is needed is a dedicated research body that looks into the phenomena of long-term cancer survivors. At the same time, such a body could give attention to the outcomes of lifestyle based programs as these programs are associated with so many remarkable recoveries. All we need is a few million dollars to get it going!

To link to the research paper, click here.

NEWS

1. Chemotherapy appears safe for pregnant women’s babies.

Pregnant women and their doctors can be reassured that chemotherapy does not appear to have long term effects on children prenatally exposed to the treatment, according to research published in the Lancet Oncology.

Dutch and Belgian researchers looked at 68 pregnancies subjected to over 230 cycles of chemotherapy, assessing the children at birth and at regular intervals up to the age of 18. They tested for neurological, cognitive, auditory and cardiac functioning as well as school performance, sporting activities and general health.

 “We show that children who were prenatally exposed to chemotherapy do as well as other children,” the authors concluded.

The study could reassure pregnant women and their physicians the benefits of maternal treatment did not seem to be outweighed by any long-term consequences for the exposed fetus.

Prevalence was expected to rise in developed countries as women give birth later, but prognosis was in general not affected by pregnancy, and with the exception of haema- tological cancer, termination was unlikely to improve prognosis either.

The full paper: The Lancet Oncology 2012; doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(11)70363-1

2. Website update

My personal website, iangawler.com is currently being upgraded, so some of the old features are not yet visible. In the next few weeks, the Information section will have advice for people with cancer and MS, as well as research findings and Frequently Asked Questions. Please pardon any inconvenience, but the new website looks much better, will have more information and will be easy to navigate and use.

RESOURCES

BOOK

Surviving Cancer by Paul Kraus – stories of long–term survivors who attended Gawler Foundation programs – very inspiring and informative.

CD

The Gawler Cancer Program by Ian Gawler – in which I explain how cancer develops, including looking at how the oncogenes can be damaged and what happens after that, then how the body can be helped to reverse the process.

PROGRAMS

The Gawler Foundation