For me this is only the tip of the iceberg in what will eventually be a melting flood of science demonstrating that the key role to our survival as a species is to work with the natural world, rather than oppose it. This means that the notion that we are somehow separate or different from the environment will be seen for the elaborate charade that it is. Suddenly everything that we understand to be fundamentally at odds with a truly sustainable path to co-existence with all the world’s species will be overturned. With innumerably more bacterial cells in and on our bodies than human cells, with more viral DNA particles in our genome than what we might call our “own”, science shows us, as the Buddha stated, that we have no independent existence – we are all one. The time of the Great Enlightenment is upon us.

But am I too optismistic? What is the real intent and impact behind this kind of science? Will we gain an enlightened resolve for our collective future, or will it spawn yet another generation of probiotic supplements and products, all packaged in PET containers and decorated with synthetic dyes that litter our oceans, blacken our air and pollute our lands? Is this kind of market-orientated approach to address what is really an issue of ecological sustanibility within the gut, itself sustainable?

Even now many of you, no doubt, take probiotic supplements, or eat probiotic supplemented food such as the many dairy-based products that populate the dairy containers in your local supermarket (none of which btw contains a single unprocessed ingredient, e.g. modified milk ingredients, modified starch, sugar etc). Few consumers realize that commerical-source probiotics are vastly different from real probiotic foods, the former are grown on a mass industrial scale on substrates such as thallous acetate-tetrazolium glucose agar, then extracted and/or freeze-dried, bound with pharmaceutical excipients, and then microencapsulated, enteric coated and pH buffered all to meet market demand. Companies loudly proclaim the benefits of their products, emphasizing the advantages of their unique strains and delivery systems, and largely fueled by the merry-go-round of their own hype, the probiotic industry is projected to become worth $1.7 billion by 2013. The actual evidence for the efficacy of these products however, is often lacking. Although some products will guarantee a certain number of organisms per dose, most often this number undergoes rapid decline as soon as it leaves the manufacturing facility. Private in-house research I’ve seen suggests that these products may contains as little as 10% of the organisms stated on the label by the time it hits the shelves, let alone once you get it home and in the fridge.

Clearly I am not down on probiotic foods, even if I am skeptical of commercial products. In particular, I am intrigued as a clinician with an idea I will call “medicinal permaculture”, which like this practice of farming, refers to a kind of medicine that works with the body, with the environment, to restore and maintain good health. The health of the digestive tract has long been considered to be a vital component of general health in every system of traditional medicine, and much of this is a reflection of a healthy gut ecology. In Ayurveda, many of the foods that are used to restore GI health, whether in diarrhea or constipation, are naturally rich in probiotics. Khadi is an example of an Indian dish made from real buttermilk, churned from real soured cream, mixed with stir-fried herbs such as Hing and curry leaf that is an excellent restorative for the GI tract. Another example is kanji, or fermented boiled rice. In my practice I frequently recommend naturally fermented foods, such as homemade sauerkraut and pickles; for many people that have chronic GI disorders, I see an almost immediate improvement in their symptoms, all for pennies a day.

So the next time you see the research hailing the latest benefits of probiotics, rather than pause at the supplement counter trying to figure out which products to take, pluck out a homemade pickle and remember that doing your body good can be as simple as walking hand in hand with the wild bacteria.

The problem I have with the whole raising money this time of year is that many of the products actually have carcinogenic ingredients or are known to contribute to cancer.  This is referred to as #pinkwashing

Many of the breast cancer support lipsticks, nail polishes and creams contain parabens, synthetic perfumes and musks.  These synthetic chemical ingredients are not items that women need in their bodies, least of all women with breast cancer.

It seems quite hypercritical to have a support breast cancer product with toxins in?  Wouldn’t you agree?  I can’t help but wonder how much of the cost of your lipstick actually gets to support really finding a cure?

Three things you can do today:

• Get some sleep; sleep in a darkened bedroom without a TV, cell phone or wifi.  If your curtains do not block out the light, then get a black out curtain and use cardboard- our favourite.  A darkened room will ensure that you get really good, high quality sleep.  Sleep is vital for a healthy immune system and relaxation, both of which are vital to keep healthy.
• Avoid toxins in your home; many cleaning products contain toxic ingredients which you breathe in and perhaps get on your skin, when cleaning.  Opt for safe eco-friendly cleaners.
• Be aware of how many soy products you consume, and ask yourself if this is serving you well?

Dr. Daphne Miller examines the link between traditional foods and disease protection in her book, The Jungle Effect. Miller presents the findings of Irish surgeon Dr. Denis Burkitt, stationed for a decade at a hospital in rural Uganda in the late 40’s (4). Burkitt noticed that he rarely treated a patient for bowel disease, as was so common in the West. After seeing Africans fall ill upon adoption of processed foods, it seemed obvious that the protection lay not in the genes, but in traditional African bounty.

Miller groups colon-friendly African foods into The Five F’s, they are as follows:

Fibre:

Traditional African communities consumed high-fibre whole starches, such as sorghum, millet, teff, corn, plantain, and brown rice. Miller proposes that insoluble fibre from grains acts like a scouring pad thoroughly cleansing intestines. She also suggests eating fibre containing foods such as beans, avocado, greens, okra, sweet potato and peanuts.

Fermented foods:

Miller found that traditionally prepared items such as cultured sour milk, pickled foods, fermented corn, manioc and millet, even home brewed beer, are rich sources of probiotics lending to good digestion.

Foraged foods:

Africans utilize a variety of high nutrient foraged foods, such as wild greens and bitter leaf. The B vitamin folate in these foods is said to block reproduction within cancer cells.

Select fats:

Africans often eat high levels of omega-3 fats from fish, wild game, greens, nuts and seeds. Miller also discovered that antioxidant rich peanut and palm fruit oils are used sparingly. Traditional cooking methods rarely call for deep frying – being costly, wasteful, and nutritionally damaging.

Less flesh:

Miller noticed that animal products were rare among locals. When meat was eaten, it was whatever wild game happened to be caught in the bush: porcupine, boar, antelope, boa constrictor, bush monkey, etc. Chicken, goat, and fish were also traditionally eaten. These meats are usually enjoyed in moderation, often as a flavouring agent in vegetable-grain stew. Miller equates less flesh consumption with less cancer – though she says it may be the processing and preparation that damages health rather than quantity. Preserved products like hot dogs and cold cuts often contain unhealthy chemicals. While high temperature barbecuing and grilling produce cancer causing compounds in meat.

Despite these observations, Miller also makes note of a study done surrounding South African fisherman. These men had exceptionally low rates of colon cancer, yet lead seemingly unhealthy lifestyles: they smoked, ate salty foods, and consumed very little fibre. However, they did eat large quantities of fish. Researchers agreed, the concentration of omega-3 fat from the fish offered strong protection from colon cancer and other diseases.

Though Miller offers great insight into traditional African living, hers is just one story of many in Africa. Throughout history, various primitive groups have thrived across the continent. Living in different African locales, meant that tribes didn’t always have access to the same foods.

In 1935, an Ontario born Canadian dentist, Weston A. Price, journeyed to Africa to survey nutrition. He was interested in analyzing dietary habits of traditional Africans compared to those who had been modernized. He studied 30 tribes throughout eastern and central Africa. Price saw that natives eating traditional natural foods had beautifully formed dental arches, with straight teeth and very little decay. At least 6 of the tribes had not a single cavity. One doctor in a Kenyan hospital assured Price that he had not witnessed one case of appendicitis, gall bladder trouble, cystitis or duodenal ulcer in primitive peoples (5 p.130). Where members of the tribes had adopted European foods (white flour, sugar, jams, etc.) tooth decay and other modern degenerative processes developed; malaria, dysentery, and tick-borne diseases. Drastic changes were noticed within families where parents had begun working in cities after having had their first child. The first born, having come to term by parents eating traditional foods, had superior dental formation, as well as overall strength and facial proportion. The second born children, having been exposed to processed foods in utero, had smaller dental arches with severe crowding. Many second children were shorter and weaker. It seemed that the protection came via diet, not genetics. (Maybe if we cut out white flour and sugar, we’d save ourselves thousands in orthodontics!)

Price discovered immense variation in diet across tribes. Of those with the best oral health, foods consumed were often of animal origin: milk, blood, meat, and fish, much of it raw. Liver and other organs were especially important. There were varying levels of fruits and vegetables included. Some tribes also ate cereals and sweet potatoes with little to no sign of cavities. The tallest groups – with women averaging 6 feet, men 7 feet – consumed the most animal products (5 p.135). Other foods eaten among tribes included bananas, beans, millet, and corn (just as Miller had discovered). Though there was variation in physical form and strength, overall Price admired the superb physiques and wisdom of primitive Africans.

Of importance here, I think, is that the tribes consuming high quantities of meat and dairy, still maintained good health, perhaps even more so than others. From Prices findings, it seems that quality not quantity may be the true issue. The animal source foods African tribes consume would surely be free roaming, happy animals, living in their natural environment. The fat in these free range, grass fed animals, is higher in beneficial omega-3 essential fat (6 p 50). High quality animal products are also a source of fat soluble vitamins and minerals (5). In 2007, The American Society for Nutrition published a paper examining colon cancer, noting that both African Americans and Caucasian Americans consumed more meat than Africans, and that African Americans consumed more red meat out of all groups (1). It seems reasonable to jump to the juicy conclusion that meat causes cancer, especially red meat. Maybe it does…it probably has, but these studies seem to ignore food quality. The average American colon cancer sufferer is likely not serving up a fresh caught wild animal for dinner. Probably then, that animal is not laden with nutritious cancer-fighting omega-3 fat. I also recently noticed that in the much lauded The China Study, where the author correlates animal protein with disease, there is no mention of quality (7). The nutrients in a factory farmed egg, fully loaded with hormones, pesticides and devoid of omega-3, is a completely different food from a consciously farmed free range egg. Additionally, raw grass-fed dairy is light-years healthier than pasteurized grain-fed dairy. In order to classify all animal protein as a damaging food source, perhaps we need to fully examine the effects of different types of animal protein (including cooking styles). We could be defaming a very important part of the human diet.

Many North Americans may not feel they have ready access to the beautiful traditional foods of African tribe’s people. Nevertheless, going by the above advice, it would be in our best interest to make natural food a priority. Perhaps we can start with sweet potatoes! I’ll take that Rx any day. Thank-you Africa.

Here is a tasty recipe for Sweet Potato Polenta Pie that includes many of the foods mentioned in this article. Enjoy!

References:

1. The Journal of Nutrition. Why Do African Americans Get More Colon Cancer than Native Americans. The American Society for Nutrition: January 2007

2. Centers for Disease Control and Protection. Colorectal Cancer Incidence Rates.

3. Myers, Donna, African Americans and Colon Cancer, 2008

4. Miller, Daphne. The Jungle Effect. Harper Collins, New York: 2008

5. Price, Weston A. Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. Price-Pottenger Nutrition Foundation: 1939

6. Schmid, Ronald. Traditional Foods are your Best Medicine. Ocean View Publications: 1987

7. Campbell, Colin T. The China Study. Benbella Books: 2006

A study published in Cancer Research 59:4870-4875 (1999), noted a four-fold increase risk in the development of breast cancer in individuals who had specific genetic aberrations. These are known as genotype polymorphisms which, when present in the liver, may significantly impact how hormones such as estrogens are metabolized and detoxified. Specifically, the authors, C.S Huang et al., implicated genotypes for the enzymes COMT, CYP1A1 and CYP17 which, when damaged, increased the production of catechol estrogens, known to cause tissue damage and increased the risk of breast cancer development. The risk was also higher for women who had prolonged exposure to estrogens.

As such, women who have a higher pool of circulating estrogens from external sources such as xenoestrogens, contraceptive pills and HRT, as well as internal sources such as higher body mass index (BMI) or higher fat mass to fat-free mass ratios may be at higher risk for breast cancer development. Of note, a higher fat mass contributes to higher conversion of androgens to estrogens via the aromatase enzyme.

Genetic tests are available to evaluate the presence and quality of genotypes in women, and therefore, assess one’s risk for cancer development; of course, this information is evaluated with an appreciation for the global assessment of one’s dietary habits, lifestyle and environmental toxin exposure.

Please contact your healthcare professional for more information about testing options, treatment options for hormonal imbalances, or to evaluate for your degree of risk.

Recently, I had one of my patients disclose that their sister had been diagnosed with breast cancer, and their aunt also had breast cancer. Further, this patient wanted to know if there is anything she could do to prevent her risk of developing cancer? 

A family history of breast cancer is considered a risk factor, however, there are many issues to address, both environmental and genetic. Scientists used to only be concerned with identifying specific cancer genes but recent research into the effects of nutrition and environmental pollutants on genes have evolved into the idea of “epigenetics” and “nutritional hormesis”. A great review on the latter by Hayes has recently been published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2007) 61, 147-159.

Xenohormesis is derived from the root word “xeno” (foreign) and “hormesis” (relating to control). Essentially, xenohormesis pertains to how certain types of food and substances within them (both natural and synthetic) or environmental pollutants, can have positive or negative influences on virtually every cell, tissue and organ in the body.

These substances may alter cellular function due to the it’s presence in our food supply, water and even the air we breathe. The foods we eat can translate messages into our cells through enzymes or proteins called kinases which through their activation or inhibition, may alter the genetic expression of a cell and change its function in response to the original message. Ultimately, epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation, and their effects in gene activation and inactivation, are increasingly understood to be essential in the expression of our genes (or phenotype).

For example, in the realm of cancer, researchers at UCLA found that diindolymethane (DIM), a compound resulting from digestion of cruciferous vegetables (eg. broccoli and brussel sprouts), and genistein, an isoflavone in soy, reduce the production of two proteins needed for breast and ovarian cancer to spread.

Ongoing research into phytochemicals within foods (eg. turmeric as anti-inflammatory and promoting liver detoxification) serves only to support what natural healthcare practitioners have known for centuries in that disease processes often begin by the alteration of the matrix within which our genes are exposed to, leading to the age old idea that “you are what you eat”.

Cancer prevention is a complex issue with many complex issues to consider; as such, consult with your healthcare provider to ensure that your healthcare goals are addressed or contact a Naturopath for further information. http://www.doctorschoicenutrition.ca

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