Fasting Cancer – by Dr. Valter Longo
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We’ve previously reviewed Dr. Longo’s “The Longevity Diet”, and whereas that one was about eating, this one is (superficially, at least) about not eating. Nor is this any kind of dissonance, because, in fact, it’s important to do both!
That said, he discusses not just fasting per se, but also the use of a personalized fast-mimicking diet, to accomplish the same goal of not overloading the metabolism—as overloading the metabolism results in metabolic disease, and cancer is, ultimately, a metabolic disease of immune dysfunction with genetic disorder*—which makes for quite a deadly trifecta.
*not in the sense of “hereditary”, though certainly genes can influence cancer risk, but rather, in the sense of “your gene-copying process becomes disordered”.
The first three chapters (after the introduction, which we’ll comment on shortly) are devoted to explaining the principles at hand:
- Fasting cancer while feeding patients
- Genes, aging, and cancer
- Fasting, nutrition, and physical activity in cancer prevention
In those chapters, he details a lot of the science for exactly how and why it is possible to “feed the patient and starve the cancer” at the same time.
After that, the rest of the book—another nine chapters, not counting appendices etc—are given over to fasting and nutrition in the context of nine main types of cancer, one chapter per type. These are not hyperspecific, though, and are rather categorizations, such as “blood cancers”, and “gynecological cancers” and so forth. It’s comprehensive, and while it could be argued that it may mean chapters feel irrelevant to some people (à la “I have never smoked and have no pressing concern about my lung cancer risk” etc), the reality is that it’s good to know how to avoid them all, because if nothing else, it’d be super embarrassing to get a cancer you “thought you couldn’t get”. So, it’s honestly worth the time to read each chapter.
In the category of criticism, he did open the introduction with a handful of anecdotes to defend the consumption of (well-established group 1 carcinogens) red meat and alcohol as “secondary concerns that might not be such a big deal”, even discussing how surprised his colleagues in the field are that he has this view. Suffice it to say, it’s contrary to the overwhelming body of evidence, and reads suspiciously like a man who simply doesn’t want to give up his steak and wine despite his own longevity diet forswearing them.
The style is self-indulgently autobiographical and very complimentary, and (in this reviewer’s opinion) it can be tedious to wade through that to get to the science, but at the end of the day, his self-accolades might be needless fluff, but they don’t actually remove anything from the science in question.
Bottom line: as you can see, there are good and bad things to say about this book, but the information contained in the good makes it well worth reading through the stylistically questionable to get it.
Click here to check out Fasting Cancer, and starve cancer cells while nourishing your healthy ones!
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More Tyrosine, Less Longevity?
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Tyrosine, a non-essential amino acid, is popularly enjoyed as a supplement (usually in the form of n-acetyl l-tyrosine, or “NALT” to its friends) with the intention of boosting dopamine levels (tyrosine is a precursor of dopamine, meaning the body can use it to make dopamine, and dopamine is necessary for an assortment of cognitive functions and also, often forgotten, motor functions).
Does it work? Yes, if and only if dopamine levels were low and the reason dopamine levels were low was because of a shortage of the ingredients. Otherwise, probably not.
We wrote more about that here: The Dopamine Precursor And More
However, beyond supplements, it is also found in most protein-containing foods, and is found most abundantly in meat and dairy products (because those animals, just like humans, were capable of synthesizing it from its precursor phenylalanine, which is found in many plants).
However, if we do not supplement tyrosine and we consume neither meat nor dairy, then our bodies will only synthesize as much as we need.
On the other hand, if we supplement tyrosine and/or we consume meat and/or dairy, then it is possible to end up with higher tyrosine levels.
And that’s what we’re going to be looking at the science of, today:
Beyond “non-essential”
Researchers (Dr. Jie Zhao et al.) analyzed data from 272,475 participants in the UK Biobank to examine whether blood levels of phenylalanine and/or tyrosine were linked to lifespan.
About those participants: of the 272,475 participants, 14,230 men’s deaths were recorded, and 9,734 women’s deaths.
So, what did they find?
Initial findings re phenylalanine: after adjusting for confounders, phenylalanine was associated with a slightly higher risk of all-cause mortality overall with similar results in men and women, but (plot twist!) this association disappeared after controlling for tyrosine in genetic analyses.
Initial findings re tyrosine: higher plasma tyrosine was associated with higher all-cause mortality overall and in men with a hazard ratio of 1.03 per standard deviation increase, but not in women where the hazard ratio was 1.00 (a hazard ratio of 1.00 means it is 1x as likely as otherwise, i.e., no change).
Now, that may not sound like a big difference, but it’s a big difference if you die, so let’s take a close look at the stats:
Mendelian randomization analysis shows that:
- higher tyrosine levels in women were linked to a reduction of 0.91 years of life with high statistical significance
- higher tyrosine levels in women were not significantly associated with any reduction in lifespan; the data did suggest there may be a slight reduction for women too, though (but the association was so weak that we’re effectively talking about the Plato’s cave of data here; it’s a shadow of a shadow, whereas for men it was a clearly smoking gun, for women it was more like a few possible smoke particles in the air that might just turn out to be dust).
Why the sex differences?
It’s not known for sure, but Dr. Zhao and her team highlight that tyrosine is involved in producing neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine, and plays a role in not just stress-related brain chemistry, but also otherwise seemingly unrelated systemic effects such as insulin resistance (which differs by sex), this may explain the difference in life expectancy reduction—since insulin resistance is a major driver of metabolic syndrome.
For more on that, see: Why We Get Sick – by Dr. Benjamin Bikman
This is consistent, by the way, with previous studies* done in Drosophila melanogaster a few years ago, so if ever you wonder “are these animal studies really indicative and what is the point in studying fruit flies?”, then the answer is yes, they can be, and D. melanogaster is particularly useful for studies pertaining to longevity.
*Like this one: Sensing of the non-essential amino acid tyrosine governs the response to protein restriction in Drosophila ← short version is that restricting their tyrosine intake caused them to live longer
And as for this study we’ve been looking at today, you can read it in full here: The role of phenylalanine and tyrosine in longevity: a cohort and Mendelian randomization study
Want to learn more?
For a much deeper dive into the broadly inversely proportional relationship between meat consumption and longevity, you might like:
The China Study – by Dr. T Colin Campbell and Dr. Thomas M. Campbell
Take care!
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Gooseberries vs Grapefruit – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing gooseberries to grapefruit, we picked the gooseberries.
Why?
In terms of macros, gooseberries have 3x the fiber and a tiny bit more protein, while grapefruit has more carbs; an easy win for gooseberries.
In the category of vitamins, gooseberries have more of vitamins B3, B6, and E, while grapefruit has more of vitamins A and B9, yielding a modest win to gooseberries in this round.
Looking at minerals, gooseberries have more calcium copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc, while grapefruit is not higher in any minerals, making this round a one-sided win for gooseberries.
In other considerations, gooseberries have more polyphenols, so that’s another point in their favor.
One more consideration that’s not shown in the nutritional values, is that grapefruit contains high levels of furanocoumarin, which can inhibit cytochrome P-450 3A4 isoenzyme and P-glycoptrotein transporters in the intestine and liver—slowing down their drug metabolism capabilities, thus effectively increasing the bioavailability of many drugs manifold.
This may sound superficially like a good thing (improving bioavailability of things we want), but in practice it means that in the case of many drugs, if you take them with (or near in time to) grapefruit or grapefruit juice, then congratulations, you just took an overdose. This happens with a lot of meds for blood pressure, cholesterol (including statins), calcium channel-blockers, anti-depressants, benzo-family drugs, beta-blockers, and more. Oh, and Viagra, too. Which latter might sound funny, but remember, Viagra’s mechanism of action is blood pressure modulation, and that is not something you want to mess around with unduly. So, do check with your pharmacist to know if you’re on any meds that would be affected by grapefruit or grapefruit juice!
PS: the same substance is quite available in pummelos and sour oranges (but not meaningfully in sweet oranges); you can see a chart here showing the relative furanocoumarin contents of many citrus fruits, or lack thereof as the case may be, as it is for lemons and most limes).
In any case, adding up the sections makes for a clear overall win for gooseberries, but by all means do enjoy either or both (if grapefruit isn’t contraindicated for you because of the medications interactions)!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
Watch Out For Furanocoumarins!
Enjoy!
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Stop Sabotaging Your Weight Loss – by Jennifer Powter, MSc
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This is not a dieting book, and it’s not a motivational pep talk.
The book starts with the assumption that you do want to lose weight (it also assumes you’re a woman, and probably over 40… that’s just the book’s target market, but the same advice is good even if that’s not you), and that you’ve probably been trying, on and off, for a while. Her position is simple:
❝I don’t believe that you have a weight loss problem. I believe that you have a self-sabotage problem❞
As to how this sabotage may be occurring, Powter talks about fears that may be holding you back, including but not limited to:
- Fear of failure
- Fear of the unknown
- Fear of loss
- Fear of embarrassment
- Fear of your weight not being the reason your life sucks
Far from putting the reader down, though, Powter approaches everything with compassion. To this end, her prescription starts with encouraging self-love. Not when you’re down to a certain size, not when you’re conforming perfectly to a certain diet, but now. You don’t have to be perfect to be worthy of love.
On the topic of perfection: a recurring theme in the book is the danger of perfectionism. In her view, perfectionism is nothing more nor less than the most justifiable way to hold yourself back in life.
Lastly, she covers mental reframes, with useful questions to ask oneself on a daily basis, to ensure progressing step by step into your best life.
In short: if you’d like to lose weight and have been trying for a while, maybe on and off, this book could get you out of that cycle and into a much better state of being.
Get your copy of “Stop Sabotaging Your Weight Loss” from Amazon today!
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More Reasons To Enjoy Watermelon
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Watermelon is generally thought of for what it most superficially is: a refreshing, juicy, sweet summer fruit.
Now, its water content alone is actually highly beneficial in several ways, but research has highlighted more benefits than just that!
First let’s quickly touch on those “several ways”:
- One way is because enjoying food that contains water is generally more hydrating than just drinking water: Things Many People Forget When It Comes To Hydration
- Another way is that its volume (which is only possible because of its water content) increases satiety too: Some Surprising Truths About Hunger And Satiety
For how it goes beyond these benefits, though, let’s get to…
Worth its weight
Examining data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), researchers (Dr. Kristin Fulgoni et al.) found that people who enjoy watermelon in their diet tend to have higher overall diet quality and higher intake of fiber, magnesium, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin C, lycopene, and carotenoids.
You can read about it here: Watermelon Intake Is Associated with Increased Nutrient Intake and Higher Diet Quality in Adults and Children, NHANES
But that only shows the association, not that the watermelon brought all of that (although it does bring all those nutrients, but cannot be given the credit for the entire overall higher diet quality). So, what of watermelon’s proven benefits?
Another plucky band of researchers (Dr. Mônica Volino-Souza et al.) did a review of vascular health evidence reports that show how watermelon and its compounds, especially l-citrulline, support endothelial function and nitric oxide* production.
*For understanding why this is important, we recommend: The Nitric Oxide (NO) Solution – by Dr. Nathan Bryan & Janet Zand
The reviewed clinical and experimental evidence also shows improvements in vascular function measures, including blood vessel dilation and circulation-related markers.
There were other indicators of even more extra benefits too, such as maintaining vascular function during hyperglycemia, but the evidence was at best preliminary from that particular study (remember, this paper was a review of studies, so this was just one study of many in the paper):
❝We acknowledge that while the sample size was small (18 healthy young men and women) and more research is needed, this study adds to the current body of evidence supporting regular intake of watermelon for cardio-metabolic health.❞
You can read this paper in full, here: Current Evidence of Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) Ingestion on Vascular Health: A Food Science and Technology Perspective
You may be wondering whether someone will kindly do both sets of science together, and the answer is yes, and for that we must look to Dr. Vania Paschoalin et al., whose narrative review focuses on watermelon’s nutritional composition, emphasizing its high water content, lycopene, vitamin C, and l-citrulline as key bioactive components.
They also discuss how l-citrulline and l-arginine contribute to nitric oxide production, which—as we’ve noted—is important for vascular relaxation and cardiovascular health.
One last thing this paper gets into is watermelon’s additional cardioprotective effects through antioxidant activity, as well as the improved vascular function that we talked about.
You can read this paper in full for free, here: Watermelon Nutritional Composition with a Focus on L-Citrulline and Its Cardioprotective Health Effects—A Narrative Review
Want to learn more?
Check out:
Lycopene’s Benefits For The Gut, Heart, Brain, & More ← tomatoes are famous for their lycopene content, but watermelon has more!
Enjoy!
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Why You Feel Like You Have To Pee Again Right After You Just Went
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Dr. Amy Konvalin talks us through breaking the pattern:
When nature calls… Repeatedly
Fun fact: feeling like you need to pee again right after standing up is often more a matter of bladder sensation, pelvic floor tension, positioning, and learned bathroom habits, rather than necessarily incomplete emptying.
Notably, repeatedly sitting back down “just in case” can accidentally train your brain and bladder into expecting a second round, reinforcing the pattern over time.
So, what to do instead?
- Before: sit down, take three slow deep belly breaths in through your nose, then exhale fully, to help relax your nervous system and pelvic floor before starting.
- During: consciously relax your pelvic floor instead of rushing or straining.
- After: once you feel done, take one more deep breath, exhale, and check once, dry and stand up, resisting any urge to return.
- After after: distract yourself and move on with your day to help break the automatic “go twice” pattern.
Safety note, though: persistent urinary urgency, frequent urination, pain, burning, blood in your urine, prolapse symptoms, recurrent infections, or trouble emptying should all be checked out by an medical professional, as many causes—including UTIs, overactive bladder, pelvic floor dysfunction, or prostate/bladder issues and even cancer—can overlap.
For more on all of this and for some mysterious reason absolutely no visual demonstrations for this one, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like:
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Kate Middleton is having ‘preventive chemotherapy’ for cancer. What does this mean?
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Catherine, Princess of Wales, is undergoing treatment for cancer. In a video thanking followers for their messages of support after her major abdominal surgery, the Princess of Wales explained, “tests after the operation found cancer had been present.”
“My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment,” she said in the two-minute video.
No further details have been released about the Princess of Wales’ treatment.
But many have been asking what preventive chemotherapy is and how effective it can be. Here’s what we know about this type of treatment.
It’s not the same as preventing cancer
To prevent cancer developing, lifestyle changes such as diet, exercise and sun protection are recommended.
Tamoxifen, a hormone therapy drug can be used to reduce the risk of cancer for some patients at high risk of breast cancer.
Aspirin can also be used for those at high risk of bowel and other cancers.
How can chemotherapy be used as preventive therapy?
In terms of treating cancer, prevention refers to giving chemotherapy after the cancer has been removed, to prevent the cancer from returning.
If a cancer is localised (limited to a certain part of the body) with no evidence on scans of it spreading to distant sites, local treatments such as surgery or radiotherapy can remove all of the cancer.
If, however, cancer is first detected after it has spread to distant parts of the body at diagnosis, clinicians use treatments such as chemotherapy (anti-cancer drugs), hormones or immunotherapy, which circulate around the body .
The other use for chemotherapy is to add it before or after surgery or radiotherapy, to prevent the primary cancer coming back. The surgery may have cured the cancer. However, in some cases, undetectable microscopic cells may have spread into the bloodstream to distant sites. This will result in the cancer returning, months or years later.
With some cancers, treatment with chemotherapy, given before or after the local surgery or radiotherapy, can kill those cells and prevent the cancer coming back.
If we can’t see these cells, how do we know that giving additional chemotherapy to prevent recurrence is effective? We’ve learnt this from clinical trials. Researchers have compared patients who had surgery only with those whose surgery was followed by additional (or often called adjuvant) chemotherapy. The additional therapy resulted in patients not relapsing and surviving longer.
How effective is preventive therapy?
The effectiveness of preventive therapy depends on the type of cancer and the type of chemotherapy.
Let’s consider the common example of bowel cancer, which is at high risk of returning after surgery because of its size or spread to local lymph glands. The first chemotherapy tested improved survival by 15%. With more intense chemotherapy, the chance of surviving six years is approaching 80%.
Preventive chemotherapy is usually given for three to six months.
How does chemotherapy work?
Many of the chemotherapy drugs stop cancer cells dividing by disrupting the DNA (genetic material) in the centre of the cells. To improve efficacy, drugs which work at different sites in the cell are given in combinations.
Chemotherapy is not selective for cancer cells. It kills any dividing cells.
But cancers consist of a higher proportion of dividing cells than the normal body cells. A greater proportion of the cancer is killed with each course of chemotherapy.
Normal cells can recover between courses, which are usually given three to four weeks apart.
What are the side effects?
The side effects of chemotherapy are usually reversible and are seen in parts of the body where there is normally a high turnover of cells.
The production of blood cells, for example, is temporarily disrupted. When your white blood cell count is low, there is an increased risk of infection.
Cell death in the lining of the gut leads to mouth ulcers, nausea and vomiting and bowel disturbance.
Certain drugs sometimes given during chemotherapy can attack other organs, such as causing numbness in the hands and feet.
There are also generalised symptoms such as fatigue.
Given that preventive chemotherapy given after surgery starts when there is no evidence of any cancer remaining after local surgery, patients can usually resume normal activities within weeks of completing the courses of chemotherapy.
Ian Olver, Adjunct Professsor, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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