Diet and Lifestyle
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Good morning!
Has anyone been using NAC supplements here? The below article is pretty interesting. I am thinking of start using NAC 600 mg twice a day moving forward.
Cancer / OncologyCancer cell growth halted with common cold drug
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"Feed a cold, starve a fever," so the saying goes. The results of a new study, however, suggest that "treat a cold, starve cancer cells" might be a more appropriate motto.
Researchers found that a medication used to ease symptoms of the common cold — called N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) — could also help to prevent the growth of cancer cells by depriving them of proteins that are important for their survival.
Study co-author Prof. Federica Sotgia, of the School of Environment and Life Sciences at the University of Salford in the United Kingdom, and colleagues recently reported their findings in the journal Seminars in Oncology.
Cancer remains one of the biggest health challenges of our time. In the United States, more than 1.6 million new cancer cases were diagnosed last year.
In terms of cancer treatment, we have come a long way over recent years. This is reflected in death rates from the disease, which fell by 13 percent between 2004 and 2013.
Still, cancer continues to the take the lives of more than half a million people in the U.S. every year, highlighting the need for new, more effective therapies.
Prof. Sotgia and colleagues hope that their new research will bring us closer to such treatments, after discovering how NAC could help to halt the spread of cancer cells.
NAC, oxidative stress, and cancer cells
NAC — sometimes referred to as acetylcysteine — is an over-the-counter medication and dietary supplement commonly used to help alleviate some cold and flu symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing, and thick mucus.
The medication also has antioxidantproperties. This means that it has the ability to reduce cell damage caused by oxidative stress, which is an imbalance between potentially harmful reactive oxygen species and levels of detoxifying molecules.
Prof. Sotgia and team note that previous research has identified high levels of oxidative stress in the stromal cells of tumors, particularly breast cancer tumors. Stromal cells are cells that comprise connective tissue.
The researchers explain that when the stromal cells of tumors are exposed to oxidative stress, they release lactate and other "nutrients" that the cancer cells need to thrive.
With this in mind, the team hypothesized that the antioxidant properties of NAC might help to "starve" cancer cells of these nutrients.
'Encouraging results'
To test their theory, the researchers conducted a trial on 12 women who had recently received a diagnosis of stage 0 or stage 1 breast cancer, and who were awaiting surgery for the disease.
For 3 weeks between their breast cancer diagnosis and surgery, each woman received NAC. The medication was administered intravenously at a dose of 150 milligrams per kilogram once weekly. On days when the subjects did not receive NAC intravenously, they received a twice-daily oral dose of 600 milligrams.
Biopsies of each woman's breast cancer tumor were taken both prior to and during surgery, and the researchers analyzed them for levels of three biomarkers of cancer aggressiveness: MCT4, CAV1, and Ki67.
The study revealed that levels of Ki67 in the tumors had reduced by 25 percent, while levels of MCT4 were reduced by a whopping 80 percent.
These findings indicate that treatment with NAC could be an inexpensive, non-toxic way to stop cancer cell growth and division.
"High levels of stromal MCT4 are extremely worrying," notes study co-author Prof. Michael Lisanti, also of the School of Environment and Life Sciences at the University of Salford, "as they are linked to aggressive cancer behavior and poor overall survival, so this is very encouraging result."
"Our idea was to repurpose an inexpensive FDA-approved drug, to examine if its antioxidant properties could target the feeding behavior of cancer cells. To be able to inhibit MCT4 protein expression, in a non-toxic way, is huge step forward."
Prof. Michael Lisanti
Written by: Honor Whiteman
Healthline Media UK Ltd, Brighton,0 -
Nomadd-- thanks for sharing this article regarding NAC. I do not take it, but I think it is in my arsenal of supplements. I used to supplement a ton, and post BC been trying to focus more on high nutrient food intake with minimal supplementation....but I keep a list of all options to consider adding back in. Has anyone discussed NAC or MSM with a naturopath or holistic oncologist?
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Regarding supplements,
My daily intake will be after radiation (starting in December):
D3,
NAC,
Baby aspirin,
Milk thistle,
2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
1 teaspoon amla powder (gooseberry)
1/2 cup tofu, hemp, soy milk, ...
1 teaspoon macha powder, lots of green tea.
I am still so new to this, meeting with my medical oncologist for the first time next Friday. I will ask her to refer me to an integrative oncologist as well to discuss nutrition specifically. Above is all based on my readings on research so far.
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Nomaddd - I love your positive attitude throughout all of this! Stay strong and soldier on! We can do it. I feel like we are doing all the right things - if the medical treatment reduces our risk of recurrence by a certain amount, the added nutrition should reduce it even further and we will beat this thing!
MamaFelice - I’m similar to you that I’m trying to do this more with nutrition and less with supplements. I just don’t want pill after pill after pill - I plan to take vitamins and supplement by eating right. But we will see how it goes.
Nomaddd - I also heard about amla and matcha green tea, I’m going to try and add those in smoothies and green tea instead of pills. A few resources I’m finding helpful along the way are ChrisBeatsCancer.com (yes he talks about supplements!) and foodforbreastcancer.com which covers the foods that’s are good and bad for bc with all the medical studies behind them
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This forum in BCO has some great research articles. I have been reading from there a lot.
Clinical Trials, Research News, Podcasts, Study Results
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My regular physician is an integrative health practitioner and she just started me on NAC
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Thanks MDRR. How many pills are you taking? 600 mg or twice that?
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Hi Nomaddd, That list looks good that you wrote above. I have read that Soy Products is great for breast cancer prevention, but once you have it, and especially is it is estrogen sensitive, soy products should be avoided because they stimulate estrogen production. Maybe check that out.
ER+/PR+, HER2- certainly seems to be the most common combination here. If I see something that is working for someone, I like to see the details of their diagnosis. Thanks, everyone, for all the sharing! I will now have to google NAC (acetylcysteine) and see what that is about.
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My MO said to avoid supplements that detoxify/ cleanse the liver to quickly while on Tamoxifen. Said specifically to avoid Milk Thistle. May interfere with Tamoxifen metabolism.
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What amazes me is that most Drs. will tell you not to take most herbal supplements. They can not be on both sides of the fence at the same time, so they have to go with what they have been trained in, which is Chemical Therapy, when it comes to dealing with disease. They can't tell you what they know nothing about, nor should they. When the above mentioned MO said to "avoid supplements that detoxify/cleanse the liver too quickly while on Tamoxifen", it becomes confusing because what is considered "too quickly"? What supplements is he referring to besides Milk Thistle? Does he tell you how to detoxify your liver slowly? Does he know how to detoxify your liver? Most likely not or he would have elaborated, I would think. Milk Thistle is great for detoxing your liver but there are other ways too, and when you have a healthy, detoxified liver, it is capable of properly cleansing your blood and balancing your hormones better, among a magnitude of other things. Studies have shown that Tamoxifen increases Estrogen and Progesterone initially and then reduces it in the long term. If the liver is being detoxified before and at the same time as taking Tamoxifen, then at least it would be properly screening out excessive Estrogen and Progesterone while the levels are especially high. This particular forum is about complimenting the "Standard Medical Treatment" and treating the person as a whole. There was a time, not that long ago, that Drs. were telling patients to stop taking all antioxidants if they were going through Chemo. Now they are finding that patients get through their treatments with less side effects when eating/drinking foods high in antioxidants and their outcomes are better. I think that a lot of people are in this forum because they are wanting to do what their Drs. are telling them, but they still want to use their common sense as well. I just want to strongly encourage everyone to have confidence in what they are deciding to do in addition to the standard medical treatment that they have decided to go with. Of course it is important to be able to back up the complimentary and holistic medicine/treatments you decide to assist you through your breast cancer battle, but the biggest reason to be able to back it up is so that you have the confidence to carry it forward despite the lack of support you may get from Drs., family, and friends. You will know what is right for you. We are no less strong than we were before our diagnosis and when this is all said and done, we will be stronger that we have ever been!!
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Regarding soy, I keep posting this but it keeps coming up. CMAJ 2017
http://www.cmaj.ca/content/cmaj/189/7/E268.full.pd..."Soy consumption is not harmful."
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I hear you LORI. These are tough waters to navigate. None of us want our cancer to reoccur, and we are all willing to do what we can to help make that happen....and yes, it is frustrating when our doctors base everything on the next medical study and statistics rather than each of us as individuals. Because my BC was caused by rads I had received over 25 years ago for Hodgkin's Lymphoma, I heard about and began investigating proton radiation therapy because it was a healthier option for a re-radiated patient. When I brought it up to my MO and RO as to why neither had mentioned this better form of treatment option, they both said that there was no machine in our area or state, so isn't an option for most people.... but it was for ME! Don't I have the right to choose to go to another state to receive a better form treatment?
Anyway, I digress 🙃.... point is, they didn't lie to me, they just provided what they thought I needed to know.... what most patients would be willing to do for radiation. Well, I'm not like most patients, and neither are those of us on this board when it comes to our choices with diet and lifestyle while living after or with cancer. So we constantly need to be asking our doctors "why"? And what can I do, or who can I speak with to learn best what can I do to help myself.
So when it comes to detoxing the liver, I have milk thistle in my arsenal of supplements, and I rarely take one these days. I very rarely imbibe, but if I do have a glass of wine, I often take one that evening, or drink milk thistle tea. Instead, I grow and eat broccoli sprouts daily to help with the methylation of extra estrogen, and though I eat mainly a pescatarian diet, I eat a couple bites of pate I make from beef liver (from local grass fed cows) every other week (I ate it more frequently during active treatments) which helps detoxify the liver and gives your blood a boost. But, this is what I do. My doc did say to eat more broccoli, but I took it a step further with sprouts. Are any of you growing them too? So easy, and kind of fun! Happy Healthy Holiday to everyone! 😃
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I guess we all have to make decisions based on the information we have and on the guidance of the Drs we entrust with our health. Hoping that more information becomes available especially on complimentary medicine. I really appreciate the sharing.
MamaFelice, I've been buying sprouts but I'm keen to grow my own, looks so easy on the videos.
Take care all.
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MamaFelice - I do 💚 Broccoli left, water cress right
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JaBoo- those sprouts look delicious! Do they have to be grown inside? My kitty cat will eat any living plant in the house. I love him, but he is a rascal.
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Exerciseguru, I'm new to this thread but wanted to say I've been following a McDougall-style diet for over 7 years. I hoped it would make me disease-proof, but as it turns out, I had tumors growing for some years before I was diagnosed. My only cavil with McDougall is that he advises against routine mammograms, a grave piece of wrong advice that I followed for several years. Even so, I am doing pretty well approaching a year since my diagnosis. The only thing I've added is kale smoothies (when I remember to make them).
That said, I love the low-fat, plant-based way of life so much (no meat, dairy or added fat/oils). I think it has helped me tolerate treatment and keep my weight and health stable. I have mastered many great recipes and use my Instant Pot daily (I actually have two).
Ladies who are interested in getting an Instant Pot, there are always great Black Friday specials on them -- I saw one at Target, and Amazon always has a good deal.
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GoKale, they certainly have to be grown inside where I live... first snow came yesterday 🙂
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Miranda:
Hello and welcome. I wanted to tell you how very sorry I am for you to be here. It must have been quite discouraging to experience BC diagnosis after working so hard to embrace a healthy eating program. I like McDougal in general but, I take exception to his stance on mammograms and cancer. I am alive today because I went to my first screening mammogram at 42. I am the exact situation that a screening mammogram saved my life as the BC was in both breasts and just taking off.
I also take exception to those in and out of the medical or alternative/cooperative community who choose to blame the patient for getting cancer(or any disease). It is not only unhelpful but unsupported by science. It fails to take into account genetic,environmental, or emotional/stressful factors that in many cases can trigger or exasterbate disease.
I have a dear friend who's died of cancer who embraced a mostly vegan very healthy whole foods lifestyle. She had an organic garden and her parents raised her animal free for life. She was raised near traditional farming practices (overhead pesticide spraying) and found out at diagnosis she was also BRCA positive. I discount that this did not strongly factor into her Cancer diagnosis regardless of diet and personal experience. In nature cancer happens. Even in zoo animals who are fed a very good quality diet cancer exists.
On the other side of the fence, I strongly believe that this American animal based diet is making so many sick and diseased. In societies that live longest free from the majority of western disease, their diet closely mirros that of my friend. They eat 95 percent vegan with lots of whole foods and a very small amount of fish or meat for flavoring. McDougal has been a voice for health for over thirty years and I respect him. He advocates a very doable program with great health benefits. I tend to eat more nuts and avocados than he advocates. I also give my kids bread and tortillas etc.
I hope it is helping me to prevent a reoccurrance. I know eating this way is improving my health. After 8 weeks my liver markers (elevated from tamox and femara) returned to normal and my cholesterol ( 280 again raised from treatment) has already dropped 50 points. Also the leafy greens really help with hormones,mood and depression. I went off effexor and I feel so much more positive. This was an unexpected result that I am deeply grateful for.
I have blood work coming up in January and hope my c reactive protein is down along with my fasting glucose. I also hope my cholesterol will drop further.
I also am.losing around 1/4 to 1lb a week. It's slow but consistant. McDougal is right on with that part. I hope to continue losing.
Also The best part : I don't count calories or measure intake just eat good whole foods and moderate the nuts and oils. If I eat too many almonds my weight loss stalls but I don't gain back. Embaracing this lifestyle has renewed my health confidence in living and helped me to be optimistic about my health.
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I agree with you on all points, exerciseguru. I can see a much more direct connection with diet and other illnesses, such as heart disease, but cancer seems to have a much more complex and poorly understood etiology. I and both of my sisters all had BC (one died of it), but I tested negative for BRCA and the other genetic test. I still believe, as you do, that we can cut the risk of recurrence with the healthiest possible diet and lots of exercise.
The "no mammograms" advice is disturbing, as is the tendency among some McDougall followers to mistrust and malign conventional cancer treatments. I personally believe that cancer requires the "big guns," but that complementary therapies and lifestyle changes add benefits. Right now, I'm in better shape than I was before my diagnosis, though watchful about side effects of letrozole.
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Jaboo your sprouts are gorg! I love how you grow them in little trays— are they simply clay pot bases? How did you learn your method, and can you please share where you purchase your watercress seeds from? I would love to grow some— I imagine there are a little spicy!
GoKale— not sure if you saw my photo, but I ha e been growing my sprouts in a jar— which acts as a nice little greenhouse in my cold winter home. This would be a good method for you to try since your cat surely cannot screw the lid off a jar— ha ha!
I’ve been enjoying a fresh mini sprout side salad with my soup daily— yum
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mamaFelice, yes, they taste delicious and I am now eating these mini-greens every single day. I thought of this method here on this thread - have a look at page 23, there are many great tips and links from ExerciseGuru, she was most helpfull. I then made these trays and am using them since. On page 24 of this thread you can find more pictures of my DIY trays. I made the sets myself for about 1€ each 🙂 I order the seeds online in my country, the link would not help you, since I am in the EU. You certainly find somewhere to buy them.
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Thank you Jaboo! I will look for a source to order them stateside. Looking forward to changing up my sprout routine! 😃
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Nomadd, I cook almost exclusively with olive oil, but that is mainly because I live in Greece. As far as I now though, it is a healthy oil. I agree with you that some fat is necessary.
I do not use powders and the like. For vitamin C, I squeeze fresh lemon on a lot of my food (fish, salads, steamed veggies etc.). I would be dubious about the health claims of these powders.
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Nomadd--I never heard of NAC. Sounds interesting. Is it sold in the US? Is it part of a cold medicine or packaged separately? THank you.
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it is sold on amazon as a supplement. I now use it everyday
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Thank you! I'm going to check it out.
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See the link above regarding the anti-cancer benefit of Walnut consumption. Sounds like good news to me!
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There is an interesting 7-episode online docuseries going on this week about non-traditional cancer therapies being used in Asian countries (including diet & life style treatments, etc). Below is the link to sign in/sign up (free). Yesterday's video (90 min) is live until 9 PM tonight, which is when episode 2 starts (and is available for the next 24 hrs). If one misses an episode, there is usually a weekend at the end, which allows you to catch what you missed. Of course they want you to buy the series but you can watch it for free this week and during the catch-up weekend. I hope the link works.
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GoKale I read that research too. I love walnuts but two ounces is very filling. I find it hard to eat that much. Also 370 calories. That's a big snack!
Perhaps use them in a in a main dish? Or I wonder if a smaller amount would be effective.
Kayak2, thanks for the link. I will watch this.
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thanks Kayak
I am trying to subscribe to watch the episodes each day but it just keeps taking me to episode one. didn't find a place to sign up for the daily stream.
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