Island Sun Times

Plenty of sunshine and vitamin D may help people with early stage lung cancer survive longer after surgery, according to a Harvard study released on in mid-April. Patients who had high levels of vitamin D and had surgery in sunny months were more than twice as likely to be alive five years after surgery compared to patients with low levels of vitamin D who had surgery in the winter, the researchers said. Exposure to sunshine is a significant source of vitamin D, which also comes from food and dietary supplements.

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health studied the survival data of 456 patients with early stage lung cancer treated between 1992 and 2000. “The survival advantage at five years is pretty dramatic,” lead researcher, Dr. David Christiani said in a telephone interview. “It’s 72 percent versus 29 percent when you compare the highest level of intake (of vitamin D) versus the lowest level of intake.” If the research is validated it may mean that taking vitamin D or fortified nutritional supplements soon after a diagnosis and before surgery could provide “a survival advantage,” Christiani said.

The link between vitamin D and surgery outcome is not known but other studies have hinted that it may work to inhibit a variety of cancers, the researchers said.
“It looks like vitamin D is anti-proliferative, so it inhibits proliferation of abnormal cells,” Christiani said, adding that there was also evidence to suggest vitamin D inhibits the spread of tumors. While ultraviolet rays from the sun trigger the production of vitamin D in the skin, the researchers said they are not suggesting that people make season or location factors in scheduling their cancer surgeries.
“There’s certainly no implication that anyone should ever postpone their surgery or move to L.A. or Florida,” Christiani said. “The only reason season comes into play is that in certain parts of the country, like the northeast, during winter we make virtually no activated vitamin D, so the entire population is pretty deficient in it.”

HOW MUCH IS KNOWN ABOUT ANTIOXIDANTS?

They help fight disease, but there is more to be learned

It’s common knowledge that antioxidants protect us from dangerous substances called free radicals that can create cell damage leading to many chronic diseases. Yet scientists say there is more to learn about the health benefits of antioxidants.
Studies demonstrate that vegetables, fruits and whole grains supply an abundance of vitamins and natural phytochemicals that act as antioxidants. A greater consumption of these antioxidant-rich foods has been shown to lead to higher blood levels of antioxidant power.

Studies also show that when people eat diets high in antioxidants, their risk of cancer and heart disease decreases. However, if antioxidant vitamins and phytochemicals are responsible for the health benefits seen, antioxidants from supplements may not yield the same results.

A higher dose of antioxidants from supplements could actually be counterproductive by upsetting the natural balance of antioxidants in the body. The various kinds of antioxidants are now believed to work in different parts of the body. People may also vary in their need for each kind of antioxidant, depending on how much damage from free radicals, or oxidation damage, they are exposed to from tobacco smoke, overeating and other influences. To measure the amount of oxidation damage in a person, researchers examine certain biomarkers or physical signs. The level of biomarkers is usually determined through blood sample tests.

Elevated biomarkers of DNA damage are linked to cancer risk. Signs of damage to blood vessel walls and oxidation of LDL cholesterol are connected to heart disease risk. Some research even suggests that oxidation damage to nerves may be linked to age-related brain changes. Although oxidation damage has been linked to these diseases, this damage cannot be said yet to cause them. One reason that the effect of antioxidants on disease is still unsure is that many studies of antioxidants use people known to be at an increased risk.

For example, scientists will see if antioxidants offer any protection against heart attacks to people who have already had one. Since antioxidants seem to offer protection from damage that occurs early in the development of diseases, these studies may miss measuring some of the impact of antioxidants. In later stages, other factors may be more decisive.

Boost intake through diet
At one time, people thought that oxidation damage to cells was always bad. But studies now show that certain highly reactive compounds (free radicals) stimulate cancer cells to commit suicide. Radiation and chemotherapy work in this way. That is why many experts recommend avoiding antioxidant supplements during chemo and radiation therapy. The body may naturally combat the early stages of cancer, too, in this way, when abnormal cells are forming.

Consequently, scientists are working to discover the amounts and combinations of antioxidants that best protect our cells without interfering with this natural defense mechanism. For now, you would be wise to limit major sources of oxidation damage and boost your intake of antioxidants through healthy eating. Major sources of oxidation damage are tobacco smoke and unprotected exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

Since free radicals are formed when the body processes calories, avoiding excessive calories may also limit the oxidation damage to your body, as well as weight gain. By following the mostly plant-based diet recommended by the American Institute for Cancer Research, your intake of antioxidants will rise. Most importantly, by eating a wide variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and beans, you will receive a wide range of antioxidants which science shows work most effectively together.

Dear Dr. Mirkin:
What can I do to keep from losing “brain power” as I get older?

If you feel you are losing your ability to reason or think clearly, or if you suffer mood disorders such as depression, ask your doctor to do blood tests for homocysteine, folic acid, pyridoxine and vitamin B12. If these tests are normal, you should get tests for thyroid function, cholesterol and other causes of arterial damage. People with high levels of homocysteine levels or low levels of B12, folic acid or pyridoxine levels should eat plenty of whole grains and leafy green vegetables for folic acid and pyridoxine, and 1000 micrograms of B12 in a pill each day.

You can suffer from B12 deficiency even if your blood levels are normal. You may have low blood levels of homotranscobalamine II, the protein that transports B12 into the mitochondria. When your body lacks B12, your red blood cells do not mature properly and are much larger than normal, and homocysteine accumulates in your bloodstream, damaging your arteries and brain cells.

Also be sure that your doctor checks for diabetes, which can damage blood vessels that supply the brain, heart and other organs. Diabetics may suffer loss of memory long before they are diagnosed as having diabetes. While we await further studies, protect your memory with a lifestyle that will help you avoid diabetes, control your weight, eat a wide variety of plants, limit refined carbohydrates and get plenty of exercise.

Aldara Cream
Remedies Skin Damage from Sun

A particular type of skin lesion called actinic keratosis, caused by long-term exposure to the sun, responds well to thrice-weekly application of Aldara cream, which contains a 5 percent concentration of the drug Imiquimod, U.S. researchers report.

Actinic keratoses consist of abnormal skin cells, probably resulting from immune suppression caused by ultraviolet light, and they can sometimes become cancerous. Imiquimod stimulates the immune system, Dr. Neil Korman and colleagues note in the Archives of Dermatology, and so it could be “ideal” for treating actinic keratoses.

Korman, at University Hospitals of Cleveland in Ohio, and doctors at 26 study centers recruited 492 patients who had four to eight actinic keratoses in a 25 square centimeter area of the face or balding scalp.

The participants were randomly given cream containing 5 percent Imiquimod or an inactive sham cream, and were instructed to apply it to the keratoses three times per week for 16 weeks – although they could take “rest periods” to minimize adverse effects.

The skin lesions cleared up completely in 48 percent of the Imiquimod group but only 7 percent of the vehicle group. Corresponding rates of partial clearance were 64 percent and 14 percent. The team notes that the clinical response to Imiquimod applied three times per week was higher than that seen with twice-weekly application in another study.

Localized itching occurred in 29 percent of those in the Imiquimod group and 4 percent of those in the placebo group. Although local skin reactions were generally well tolerated, they led 10 subjects in the Imiquimod group to discontinue treatment. However, some discomfort seems to be the price of a good result. Korman’s group found that clearance rates were significantly associated with the intensity of local skin reactions, especially redness. n

SOURCE: Archives of Dermatology, April 2005.

CHILI, BROCCOLI HELP PREVENT CANCER: STUDIES

Broccoli and red chili peppers may help fight cancer by slowing the growth of cancerous tumor cells, U.S. researchers reported in mid-April. They may be especially helpful in hard-to-treat cancers such as pancreatic and ovarian cancer, the team at the University of Pittsburgh said. “In our studies, we decided to look at two particular cancers – ovarian and pancreatic – with low survival rates, to ascertain the contribution of diet and nutrition to the development of these cancers,” said Sanjay Srivastava, who led the study. “We discovered that red chili pepper and broccoli appear to be effective inhibitors of the cancer process.”

Speaking to a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Anaheim, California, Srivastava said he and colleagues tested capsaicin, which makes peppers hot, against pancreatic cancer cells in a lab dish. The compound caused the cancer cells to self-destruct in a process called apoptosis, while not affecting normal pancreatic cells. “Our results demonstrate that capsaicin is a potent anticancer agent, induces apoptosis in cancer cells and produces no significant damage to normal pancreatic cells, indicating its potential use as a novel chemotherapeutic agent for pancreatic cancer,” Srivastava said.

His team also examined phenethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC), a constituent of cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, on ovarian cancer cells. PEITC interfered with a protein called epidermal growth factor receptor, which is involved in the growth of ovarian and other cancerous tumors. The studies may help explain why people who eat large amounts of fruits and vegetables have a lower risk of cancer, Srivastava said.

“SuperFood”
OF THE MONTH:
STRAWBERRIES!

Ounce for ounce, strawberries have more Vitamin C than citrus fruit. According to the American Cancer Society, foods rich in Vitamin C may lower the risk of cancers of the gastrointestinal tract. One cup of sliced fresh strawberries contains 1g Protein, 23.24mg Calcium, 16.60mg Magnesium, 29.38mcg Folate, 44.82IU Vitamin A, 1.16mg Selenium, 44.82mg Potassium.