Interesting article

[Guest guest]

Very interesting article on insulin, Vit. C, sugar and cancer.

ASCORBIC ACID COMPETES WITH SUGAR IN THE

IMMUNE SYSTEM

 

 

By Dr. Howenstine, MD.

December 25, 2006

NewsWithViews.com

Nearly

every animal converts sugar into ascorbic acid (Vitamin C). Human

beings, primates and guinea pigs are the only organisms unable to do

this. The enzyme L-gulonolactone oxidase that accomplishes this

chemical reaction does not work in these beings. This forces these

beings to obtain ascorbic acid from food or supplements. Research

studies suggest that humans would produce about 2 to 4 grams of Vitamin

C daily under normal conditions and about 15 grams daily[1] when under stress.

Insulin

moves both glucose and ascorbic acid into cells including phagocytic

immune cells. The phagocytic cells like leukocytes attack and remove

microbes, tumor cells and debris from the blood. The level of ascorbic

acid in leukocytes may be 80 times greater than that found in plasma.

Glucose and ascorbic acid are constantly competing for insulin

transport so diets high in sugar and carbohydrates will decrease the

amount of ascorbic acid that enters cells and thus create undesirable

effects on the immune response.

There

is another form of competition between glucose and ascorbic acid.

Ascorbic acid stimulates the hexose monophosphate (HMP) shunt and

glucose inhibits it. The HMP is a series of chemical reactions that

reduces niacin coenzyme NADP to NADPH. Phagocytes need NADPH to

create superoxide and other reactive oxygen species that are used to

destroy pathogens. In addition to creating NADPH ascorbic acid has

the ability to deactivate excess quantities of NADPH and oxidative

substances that could harm normal tissues.

The

hexose monophosphate shunt also produces 5 carbon sugars (ribose and

deoxyribose). These 5 carbon sugars are needed to make DNA and RNA.

When the immune system faces microbial invasion it immediately signals

for production of new immune cells that need these genetic materials

DNA and RNA. If the body has too much glucose and too little ascorbic

acid there will be a lack of genetic material and inadequate DNA

and RNA for creation of needed new leukocytes. Clearly high sugar

intake will reduce the potential health benefits of this pathway.

The

failure to evaluate glucose intake may afford a good explanation for

failure of some earlier research studies about ascorbic acid to show

beneficial effects. Persons taking Vitamin C with sugary fruit drinks

and pastries will fail to show any benefit from Vitamin C therapy.

The

addictive property of sugar makes it routine for food manufacturers to

place sugar in nearly all packaged and processed foods. Sugar intake in

U.S. citizens has gone from a few pounds a year in 1800 to about 155

pounds per person currently. The excess intake of

sugar plays a major role in the current diabetic epidemic, obesity,

arteriosclerosis and rising cancer incidence.

A

Swedish urologist, Dr. Jan Hammarsten, is an expert in the relationship

between insulin and prostate cancer.[2] He relates that there

is no evidence that insulin causes prostate cancer. What insulin does

do is act as a stimulus for prostate and probably other cancers to grow

and become more aggressive. Between the years 1995 and 2003 Dr.

Hammarston’s group studied 320 patients with biopsy proven prostate

cancer. They also used ultrasound to measure the size of the prostate

gland. They

did blood tests for all the components of metabolic syndrome (insulin,

cholesterol, triglycerides and uric acid).

Excess

insulin caused the cancers to grow more rapidly. The men who died had a

faster rate of growth of prostate tissue and also had more aggressive

scores on the cancer biopsy samples. Elevated fasting blood insulin

levels were associated with the lethal cases of prostate cancer. The

higher the insulin levels the greater the likelihood of death. The

insulin values were more accurate than microscopic grading of stage of

the tumor or PSA values in identifying persons at risk of rapid fatal

cancer courses. This suggests that revising diets in cancer patients

toward low insulin stimulating foods may be as worthwhile as what

therapeutic agents are being administered.

Excessive

sugar intake is now regarded as the number one risk factor for females[3] and the number two risk

factor for males in the causation of heart attacks. Obviously public

health efforts to decrease arteriosclerotic heart disease should focus

on this problem. However, the truth about sugar could hurt food

conglomerate profits so it is not discussed. Pyridoxine B6 100 mg daily

significantly decreases the incidence of heart attacks probably by the

mechanism of it’s infection[4] fighting capability. Decrease in gingivitis

and bacterial infection in artery walls can curb the incidence of

arteriosclerosis.

There

is evidence that the Vitamin Pyridoxin B6 appears to block the adverse

effects of excessive intake of glucose in patients with

arteriosclerosis as use of this vitamin decreased death from heart

attacks in population[5] studies involving

women.

Supplemental

Vitamin B6 also increases the possibility of avoiding cancer.[6] Therefore all

persons may benefit from taking 100 mg of B6 Pyridoxine daily.

What

happens to patients who lower their insulin values? Dr. Dean Ornish

uses a plant based diet. The cancer markers for the men on this diet

decreased[7] over a one year

followup whereas the control patients on a standard diet saw their

tumor markers get worse. This suggests that individuals on a low fat

low carbohydrate diet will do well in avoiding and defeating cancer by

keeping their insulin values low. This diet is exactly the same as the

diet used in the initial stage of therapy for Type 2 diabetes.[8]

Dr.

Rowen advises getting an 8 hour fasting insulin test annually

which is a good idea because it identifies persons at risk of becoming

diabetics when elevated values are discovered. This test may be even

more important for patients with malignancies because elevated insulin

results select out the cancer patients at risk of early death because

of rapid uncontrolled spread of cancer. Persons with or concerned about

cancer will probably fare better if they go on a low fat, low

carbohydrate diet. The fasting insulin value needs to be below 5 mU/L.[9] The nearer this value

is to zero the better. On a vegetarian low fat low carbohydrate diet

Dr. Rowen has been able to reduce his fasting insulin blood level to

zero. Decreasing fat intake in the diet permits smaller quantities

of insulin to control blood sugar values than when fat intake is

uncontrolled. When there is no carbohydrate excess in the diet and

the carbohydrates being eaten are low glycemic (do not cause prompt

large increases in insulin output) the pancreas produces less or no

insulin. High glycemic carbohydrates include potatoes, corn, rice,

bananas and pasta.

To

the best of my knowledge no other cancers have yet been studied to see

if this relationship between high carbohydrate diet with corresponding

high insulin levels causes increasing cancer deaths holds up for other

cancers as well. My guess is this is likely to turn out to be just as

dangerous for these cancers as it is for prostate cancer.

The

fasting insulin blood test is probably the most important blood test

that is rarely utilized by U.S. health care providers. Insist on

obtaining this test at least once a year. Early discovery of high

insulin values enables the pre Type 2 diabetic to institute restriction

of sugar and fat which will reverse the impending diabetic state in 90

% of persons. This will permit these individuals to avoid the ravages

of long term hyperinsulinemia (premature aging and death).

Footnotes:

1, Ottoboni F.

Ottoboni A. Ascorbic acid and the immune system. The Journal of

Orthomolecular Medicine 2005;20(3):179-183

2,

Hyperinsulinemia: a prospective Risk Factor for Lethal Clinical

Prostate Cancer Eur J. Cancer, 2005 Dec; 41(18):2887-95 EPub

2005,October 20.44412 (5/2006);

3, Grant WB

Reassessing the role of sugar in the etiology of heart disease. J

Orthomolecular Med 1998;13(2): 95-104

4, LS et al

Vitamin B6 and immune competence Nutrition Reviews 1993;51, 8:217-25

5, Rimm EB et al

Folate and vitamin B6 from diet and supplements in relation to the risk

of coronary heart disease among women Journal American Medical Assoc

1998; 279:5:359-364

6, Maksymowych AB

et all Efficacy of Pyridoxal treatment in controlling the growth of

melanomas in cell cultures and an animal pilot study. Anticancer

Research 1993; 13: 1925-1938

7, Ornish, Dean

et al J. Urol.. 2005; 174(3) 1065-9

8, Howenstine,

A. A Physicians Guide To Natural Health Products That Work 2002

pg. 100-04 Penhurst Books Miami, Fl.

9, Rowen, M.D. Second Opinion Vol XVI No. 11

November pg 1-3.

© 2006 Dr. Howenstine - All

Rights Reserved