Good article-liver cancer/low fat diet relationship

[evangelin]

Low-Fat Diet Helps Genetically Predisposed Animals Avoid Liver Cancer : Penn Study Could Lead to Screening Methods to Detect Precancerous Conditions, Cancer Prevention Strategies Related to Obesity
AScribe News

06-15-09

PHILADELPHIA, Jun 12, 2009 (ASCRIBE NEWS via COMTEX) -- In a study comparing two strains of mice, one susceptible to developing cancer and the other not, researchers found that a high-fat diet predisposed the cancer-susceptible strain to liver cancer, and that by switching to a low-fat diet early in the experiment, the same high-risk mice avoided the malignancy. The switched mice were lean rather than obese and had healthy livers at the end of the study.

The findings, from a joint University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Case Western Reserve University study, appear online this month in Human Molecular Genetics.

The investigators studied hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a type of liver cancer that is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Thirty percent of cases of this type of liver cancer are associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and related metabolic diseases, although a direct link between these and liver cell cancer has not been completely established. "The connection between obesity and cancer is not well understood at this point," says senior co-author John Lambris, PhD, the Dr. Ralph and Sallie Weaver Professor of Research Medicine at Penn. The researchers hope the results will lead to the development of blood tests that can detect precancerous conditions related to diet.

The remaining seventy percent of HCC cases result from hepatitis B and C viral infections, exposure to the fungal toxin aflatoxin, chronic alcohol use, or genetic liver diseases.

The usual outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma is poor, because only 10 to 20 percent of these tumors can be surgically removed. If the cancer cannot be completely removed, the disease is usually deadly within 3 to 6 months. Hepatocellular carcinoma causes close to 700,000 deaths worldwide per year, mostly outside the U.S.

The researchers tested the long-term effects of high-fat and low-fat diets on males of two inbred strains of mice and discovered that one strain, named C57BL/6J, was susceptible to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and hepatocellular carcinoma on a high-fat, but not a low-fat diet. The other strain, called A/J, was not susceptible to disease on a high-fat diet. The mice were fed their respective diets for close to 500 days, weighed periodically, and then analyzed for the presence of disease.

RNA profiles of hepatocellular carcinoma versus tumor-free liver tissue at the end of the experiment showed that two signaling networks - one centered on Myc and the other on NF-kappa B - were involved. This result is similar to findings obtained from studies on the two major classes of hepatocellular carcinoma in humans.

At the end of the experiment, mice susceptible to cancer showed characteristics of NASH such as inflammation and fibrosis, and, in some cases, cirrhosis as well as hepatocellular carcinoma, in their livers. A switch from a high-fat to a low-fat diet reversed these outcomes in groups of C57BL/6J mice that were fed a high-fat diet early in the experiment. The switched C57BL/6J mice were lean rather than obese and had healthy livers at the end of the study. All mice kept on a high-fat diet for the duration of the experiment had liver tumors at the end of 500 days.

A similar change in diet may have important implications for preventing liver cancers in humans, suggest the researchers. "The reason these findings are so provocative is that it relates to diet and we now have a unique model we know will develop cancer," says Lambris.

"By waiting for evidence of disease before terminating the study, instead of using an arbitrary endpoint as is done in most experimental studies, we were able to discover an important new experimental model for a common cancer in humans," says senior co-author Joseph Nadeau, Professor and Chair of the Department of Genetics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.

The work was funded by the National Center for Research Resources and the Charles B. Wang Foundation.

Co-authors, in addition to Lambris and Nadeau are Maciej M. Markiewski from Penn, Annie E. Hill-Baskin, David A. Buchner, Haifeng Shao, David DeSantis, Nathan A. Berger, and Colleen Croniger from Case Western, and Gene Hsiao, and Shankar Subramaniam from University of California, San Diego.

- - - -

ABOUT PENN MEDICINE:

PENN Medicine is a $3.6 billion enterprise dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, and excellence in patient care. PENN Medicine consists of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System.

Penn's School of Medicine is currently ranked #3 in the nation in U.S.News & World Report's survey of top research-oriented medical schools; and, according to the National Institutes of Health, received over $366 million in NIH grants (excluding contracts) in the 2008 fiscal year. Supporting 1,700 fulltime faculty and 700 students, the School of Medicine is recognized worldwide for its superior education and training of the next generation of physician-scientists and leaders of academic medicine.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) includes its flagship hospital, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, rated one of the nation's top ten "Honor Roll" hospitals by U.S.News & World Report; Pennsylvania Hospital, the nation's first hospital; and Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, named one of the nation's "100 Top Hospitals" for cardiovascular care by Thomson Reuters. In addition UPHS includes a primary-care provider network; a faculty practice plan; home care, hospice, and nursing home; three multispecialty satellite facilities; as well as the Penn Medicine at Rittenhouse campus, which offers comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation facilities and outpatient services in multiple specialties.



Articles featured in Life Extension Daily News are derived from a variety of news sources and are provided as a service by Life Extension. These articles, while of potential interest to readers of Life Extension Daily News, do not necessarily represent the opinions nor constitute the advice of Life Extension.

[merryBe]

hey there Ev, while we are on the subject, I came across an interesting blurb in one study, indicating that more even than fat perhaps in the most succeptible rat strain f344 or more even than genetic coding that certain druga were becoming suspect as predisposing us to HCC...so again the P450 flockhart charts are looking like they need more attention given them.

It would be great to have not only predictive markers but also for docs to become more aware of what drugs induce more fibrosis and oxidative stress.

the study was long but here's the excerpt:

Susceptibility to the development of tumors in rodent and human tissues has been attributed to interindividual variations in the inducibility of some cytochrome P-450 isoforms that are able to activate carcinogens (10). However, various rat strains resistant to hepatocarcinogenesis, including NAR, ODS and some Wistar strains, exhibit a higher inducibility of cytochrome P-450 isoforms, by phenobarbital and 3-methylcholanthrene, than susceptible strains including Fisher 344 (F344) (10). Furthermore, a body of evidence indicates that susceptibility genes do not influence the initiation of hepatocarcinogenesis in rodents, but affect the capacity of preneoplastic lesions to grow autonomously and evolve to full malignancy (10, 12).

I'm still sure as you are of the need to watch fats, especially due to oxidation, but every new study brings more to light about not just alcohol or pot but MANY pharmaceuticals actually GIVING us cancer, and this may have far reaching effects for all types of cancer.

We are only just beginning to see what the chemical cascading effects are.
It wouldn't surprise me to see many drugs pulled in the next deade as the mechanisms become more clearly understood. Unfortunately it's not the big bucks from the Pharm Co's that will fund this research. No drug company wants to prove it's drug causes cancer!
Yet now that Dr. Flockhart's excellent work is out of the bag I suspect the reevaluation process will begin in ernest. At least, we can all pray that this will be the case.

BTW, did you see this
http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/news/20090701/fda-may-restrict-acetaminophen  or this
http://www.kveo.com/news/health/fda-wants-acetaminophen-pulled-off-market

tylenol may be pulled of the US market completely!

I feel vindicated. almost every liver patient in here thought my "tylenol is toxic" thread was nuts. Well, pass me the nutcracker folks, I'll be yer huckleberry!

mb

[evangelin]

HR told us that acid /alkaline balance was not something that needed our help to balance but that our bodies were set up to handle that efficiently without our help.  He pretty much said it was hogwash too.
Thanks,
Ev

[merryBe]

Acid/Alkaline Theory of Disease Is Nonsense
Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Have you seen advertisements for products such as coral calcium or alkaline water that are supposed to neutralize acid in your bloodstream? Taking calcium or drinking alkaline water does not affect blood acidity. Anyone who tells you that certain foods or supplements make your stomach or blood acidic does not understand nutrition.

You should not believe that it matters whether foods are acidic or alkaline, because no foods change the acidity of anything in your body except your urine. Your stomach is so acidic that no food can change its acidity. Citrus fruits, vinegar, and vitamins such as ascorbic acid or folic acid do not change the acidity of your stomach or your bloodstream. An entire bottle of calcium pills or antacids would not change the acidity of your stomach for more than a few minutes.

All foods that leave your stomach are acidic. Then they enter your intestines where secretions from your pancreas neutralize the stomach acids. So no matter what you eat, the food in stomach is acidic and the food in the intestines is alkaline.

You cannot change the acidity of any part of your body except your urine. Your bloodstream and organs control acidity in a very narrow range. Anything that changed acidity in your body would make you very sick and could even kill you. Promoters of these products claim that cancer cells cannot live in an alkaline environment and that is true, but neither can any of the other cells in your body.

All chemical reactions in your body are started by chemicals called enzymes. For example, if you convert chemical A to chemical B and release energy, enzymes must start these reactions. All enzymes function in a very narrow range of acidity. (The degree of acidity or alkalinity is expressed as "pH."). If your blood changes its acidity or alkalinity for any reason, it is quickly changed back to the normal pH or these enzymes would not function and the necessary chemical reactions would not proceed in your body.

For example, when you hold your breath, carbon dioxide accumulates in your bloodstream very rapidly and your blood turns acidic, and you will become uncomfortable or even pass out. This forces you to start breathing again immediately, and the pH returns to normal. If your kidneys are damaged and cannot regulate the acidity of your bloodstream, chemical reactions stop, poisons accumulate in your bloodstream, and you can die.

Certain foods can leave end-products called ash that can make your urine acid or alkaline, but urine is the only body fluid that can have its acidity changed by food or supplements. ALKALINE-ASH FOODS include fresh fruit and raw vegetables. ACID-ASH FOODS include ALL ANIMAL PRODUCTS, whole grains, beans and other seeds. These foods can change the acidity of your urine, but that's irrelevant since your urine is contained in your bladder and does not affect the pH of any other part of your body.

When you take in more protein than your body needs, your body cannot store it, so the excess amino acids are converted to organic acids that would acidify your blood. But your blood never becomes acidic because as soon as the proteins are converted to organic acids, calcium leaves your bones to neutralize the acid and prevent any change in pH. Because of this, many scientists think that taking in too much protein may weaken bones to cause osteoporosis.

Cranberries have been shown to help prevent recurrent urinary tract infections, but not because of their acidity. They contain chemicals that prevent bacteria from sticking to urinary tract cells.

Taking calcium supplements or drinking alkaline water will not change the pH of your blood. If you hear someone say that your body is too acidic and you should use their product to make it more alkaline, you would be wise not to believe anything else the person tells you.

________________

Dr. Mirkin is an associate clinical professor of pediatrics at Georgetown University School of Medicine and is board-certified in four specialties: allergy and immunology; sports medicine; pediatrics; and pediatric immunology. He practices medicine in Kensington, Maryland; produces and hosts a syndicated radio that can be heard online; publishes a monthly newsletter (The Mirkin Report); and has written books on sportsmedicine, weight control, and low-fat eating. His Web site contains reports on hundreds of topics.

[merryBe]

thanks for this article Ev, it is one more proof that we need to all watch our fat intake. Even if they do soon have a test to show predisposition, it will not change the fact that the disease alone predisposes us, so unless one catches and treats very early, low fat would be judicious.

I do have a problem with the vinegar theory however.
Vinegar, along with B6 and a few other natural products have been touted by the natural and quack docs for umpteen years.
The problem is, fat is not burned by consuming acidic things, fat is only burned for fuel in the absence of enough fuel or calories in the bloodstream.
Furthermore, vinegar can leach calcium from the bones.
There are myriad theories of vinegar changing PH in the body, some of the proponents of this nonsense do not even believe in germs...I kid you not. It's all bunk.
The only potential benefit of vinegar is that you may break down veggies better and absorb more minerals as a result. Yet your stomach make Hydrocloric acid which does a fine job for most.
Vinegar can allow for greater iron absorption....but as MANY liver disease patients have too much iron, iron which deposits in the liver and then is thought to be the main contributor to Hepocellular cancer, HC
it makes sense to get a full iron panel done before adding anything to the diet, be it vinegar or juices, that might worsen iron deposits in the liver.

here's an article I found interesting:

mb  

[franke566]

thank you_ I'm going to the health store today and get the ACV I rejected because I saw brown flakes in it.  I thought it was spoiled so I got another organic brand that is slightly tinted brown and says organic "Filtered" so from what you sent me I need the"Mother" which is the brown flaky stuff!  You're a doll-Thank YOU!  Enjoyed the information. franke

[evangelin]

Here is some information that explains it.  Distilled vinegar seems to be lacking some of the health properties we are looking for because of the processing. Braggs isn't the only brand that you can get.  There is one called "Tree of Life" where I live but you usually have to go to a health food store to find the unprocessed kind.
Ev
Excerpts from Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar Miracle Health System

ACV Table of Contents
How to Use The Powerful Health Qualities of Natural Apple Cider Vinegar

Research worldwide supports and commends what Hippocrates (the father of medicine) found and treated his patients with in 400 B.C. He discovered that natural, undistilled Apple Cider Vinegar (or ACV)* is a powerful cleansing and healing elixir, "a naturally occurring antibiotic and antiseptic that fights germs and bacteria" for a healthier, stronger, longer life!

The versatility of ACV as a powerful body cleansing agent is legendary. It’s been traced to Egyptian urns as far back as 3000 B.C. The Babylonians used it as a condiment and preservative, while Julius Caesar’s army used ACV tonic to stay healthy and fight off disease. The Greeks and Romans kept vinegar vessels for healing and flavoring. It was used in Biblical times as an antiseptic and a healing agent and is mentioned in the Bible. In Paris during the Middle Ages, it was sold from barrels by street vendors as a body deodorant, healing tonic and a health vinegar drink.

Even Christopher Columbus and his crew on his voyage to discover America in 1492 had their vinegar barrels for prevention of scurvy as did the soldiers in the American Civil War. For centuries in Japan, the feared Samurai warriors drank it for strength and power. ACV has been used for thousands of years not only for health reasons, but also as a cleansing agent to remove bacteria, germs, odors, and even stains and spots.

A teacher for the day can be a guiding light for a lifetime!

Bragg books are silent health teachers—never tiring, ready night or day to help you help yourself to health! Our books are written with love and a deep desire to guide you to a healthy lifestyle.
– Patricia Bragg

ACV – Mother Nature's Perfect Food

Natural (undistilled) organic, raw ACV can really be called one of Mother Nature's most perfect foods. It is made from fresh, crushed apples which are then allowed to mature naturally in wooden barrels, as wood seems to "boost" the natural fermentation. Natural ACV should be rich, brownish color and if held to the light you might see a tiny formation of "cobweb-like" substances that we call the "mother." Usually some "mother" will show in the bottom of the ACV bottle the more it ages. It never needs refrigeration. You can also save some "mother" and transfer it to work in other natural vinegars. When you smell natural ACV, there's a pungent odor and sometimes it's so ripened it puckers your mouth and smarts your eyes. These are natural, good signs.

Why Has Natural Apple Cider Vinegar Disappeared from Grocers' Shelves?

The blame for the disappearance of natural raw Apple Cider Vinegar from supermarkets lies on the shoulders of the general public, as well as the producers of vinegar.

Most people buy food with their eyes, not thinking of good nutrition. The vinegar producers failed to enlighten the public on what powerful health qualities were locked within natural ACV. Why? Because most of them had not the slightest knowledge of the health values of natural, organic, unfiltered, cloudy (and to some, less attractive-looking) Apple Cider Vinegar with the "mother." They produced pasteurized, refined and distilled vinegars because the public demanded the clear look. It was simply filling current supply and demand.

Powerful Health Qualities Removed

You cannot completely blame the producers of vinegar. They are not nutritionists, nor are they biochemists. Their business is to give the customers what they want. Most people purchase vinegar for flavoring, also for pickling and marinating their foods. Some women use it to rinse their hair after shampooing, as it leaves it squeaky clean, softer and much easier to manage.

ACV is also a germ fighter in the home, lab, etc.. Some mix it with water to wash windows, as it removes sludge and keeps them sparkling clean. ACV has hundreds of uses and its versatility is legendary as a powerful household cleansing and deodorizing agent free of dangerous chemicals. (See pages 102 to 104 for vinegar cleaning hints.)

ACV Has Powerful Health Qualities

Both the general public and the producers of vinegar have been informed as to the powerful health qualities of organic, raw, unfiltered, fully ripened ACV. Ignorance isn't always bliss! When most people see natural apple cider vinegar with the brownish color and the tiny, cobweb "mother" floating in it, they think it looks unappetizing. The general public has been educated and brainwashed to want everything they purchase to have perfect eye appeal!

To meet this demand of clear, light-colored vinegar sans the brownish, cobweb "mother" is the reason producers distill their vinegar. In distilling, the vinegar is turned to steam by heating, thus destroying the powerful enzymes and evaporating the life-giving minerals such as potassium, phosphorus, natural organic fluorine, silicon, trace minerals and pectin as well as many other powerful nutrients! Distilling also destroys the natural malic and tartaric acids which are important in fighting body toxins and inhibiting unfriendly bacteria.

You can see how the public, with their obsession for eye appeal foods, reacts. The producers of Apple Cider Vinegar, who agree to sell their product for a profit, put a death warrant against healthy, organic, raw, fully ripened ACV. The public got what they wanted—a clear, appealing, but dead ACV. When natural ACV was hard to find, other strange vinegars began to appear on grocery shelves. The first was malt vinegar, a refined vinegar. It's clear and acceptable to the public. It tastes like vinegar, but has none of the healing qualities of natural, raw ACV.

The universally accepted #1 fruit, the apple, is popular across America and around the world. Early American settlers, the Pilgrims, brought apples to America in the early 1600's and became Johnny Appleseeders, starting apple orchards that eventually spread throughout America.

Commercial Vinegars are Real Tragedies

Then came the real tragedy: a food chemist produced an imitation vinegar from coal tar! It looked clean, white and tasted like vinegar. Today it's the most popular vinegar in supermarkets. It's cheaper than distilled vinegar or malt vinegar. Most people buy these worthless vinegars. There is nothing redeeming about commercial vinegars, besides their clean look and vinegar-like taste. They have no health value! They don't contain the health values of organic, raw ACV with the mother. Millions worldwide never get the health benefits of this natural ACV as Hippocrates used in 400 B.C.

[franke566]

I could be mistaken but I think "The Mother" is Royal Jelly. I was told to avoid honey
oddly enough.  Weird, but I've come to enjoy my apple cider vinegar and water-tastes like a home made wine gone bad.  I take a sauna (steam) every day to sweat and-now this is gross-  noticed BO yesterday!  Bad.  I called my PA and she said thats the toxins being excreted from the vinegar toddy as it breaks them down.  So I said if I stink thats good? and she said yes-but shower after your steam...Please! LOL

[evangelin]

Thanks for the vinegar information.  I have read some good things about apple cider vinegar but this coming from a hepatologist makeing it extra interesting.
Brushing lightly with a little baking soda might help neutralize the acid on your teeth.  I know I've read that you wouldn't necessarily want to brush hard because the baking soda is abrasive.
Joe has been craving baked potatoes with apple cider vinegar on them.  That wouldn't appeal to me but he likes it.  I have had it like a hot tea with a little honey and didn't mind it that way.
  The kind you buy at health food stores with "the mother" in it, is suppose to be better for you.  I always thought "the mother" sounded scarey. :>) I have bought it before and it is just a little blob of junk in the bottom.  I never researched that.
Thanks,
Ev

[franke566]

No I didn't know this so thank you very much!  I did rinse just to get the taste out of my mouth but I'll be sure to brush good afterwards from now on! Franke

[meakea]

Franke566, I'm sure you know this but, for others who might not know, be sure to brush your teeth after drinking vinegar/water because vinegar is very caustic to the teeth.

[franke566]

My new Hepatologist put me on a low fat no sodium diet just last month-said the last thing we want is a fatty liver especially with Cirrhosis and fatty livers turn into cirrhosis.  He also has me taking one teaspoon of Apple Cider vinegar in an 8 0z glass of water twice a day.  Said it is being understood that vinegar (apple) dissolves fat in the body and flushes it out of the liver, arteries and veins plus it balances our PH levels cleans sweat glands, cuts back the microbial toxins in our intestinal tract-his words cleans all our pipes.