There are several big issues in CRC, which you need to understand and incorporate into your plan from the moment you are diagnosed, all come from research.
* Common sugar (glucose; high fructose corn syrup, even lactose) and poor sugar control are linked to CRC and lowered survival. Meta-analyses and large cohort studies indicate that metformin use is associated with a 30–44% reduction in all-cause mortality and improved overall survival in diabetic CRC patients. Metformin lowers blood sugar and insulin..Fasting inhibits colorectal cancer development through multiple mechanisms, including modulating gut microbiota, suppressing aerobic glycolysis, and inducing autophagy.
Johns Hopkins Medicine conducted research into the sugar issue over 8 years and in 2009 produced a study showing that CRC may yield to sugar starvation. Poor sugar control definitely doesn’t help and experts at Johns Hopkins note that high sugar intake raises blood glucose, which triggers higher insulin and growth factor production. These hormones can signal cancer cells to grow faster, also linking high sugar diets indirectly to CRC progression.
Sugar may feed other causes of the cancer such as yeasts and pathogens.
Metformin does accelerate growth in BRAF-driven melanoma and some CRC is BRAF (more is KRAS). It might be safer to use 3 x 500 mg Berberine, especially as Metformin also increases Homocysteine levels, while Berberine lowers them.
* A damaged microbiome always lies behind CRC -The Human Microbiome project was clear, ‘Your gut gets ill first then you get ill; and you cannot get better ntill your gut gets better’. This should not be called your microbiome - it is your Health Control Centre.
And it’s gone seriously wrong inCRC - this could be from drugs, antibiotics, poor diet, food poisoning, stress, alcohol, smoking and more. Researchers from the major SYNCAN study on CRC stated that most CRC patients have lost good bacterial strains like a Clostridium strain that metabolises excess sugar in the gut for you, and almost always the 60-90 bacteria that make the protective 'supermolecule' Butyrate.
For the record, butyrate is a Short Chain Fatty Acid (SCFA) made by a group of good bacteria in a healthy gut. It is anti-inflammatory, heals the gut wall, helps form colonies of good bacteria including those in the gut lining, and kills developing CRC cells in the gut wall. It also activates your vitamin D and crosses into the bloodstream and the Blood Brain Barrier calming astrocytes. Sodium butyrate (NaB) selectively kills colorectal cancer (CRC) cells by inducing apoptosis, inhibiting proliferation, and promoting ferroptosis,
The researchers also talked of people with CRC gaining yeasts, possibly a parasite, but definitely pathogens like Fusobacterium from the mouth and probably E coli. This finding was backed up by ‘Microbiome Otago’ who confirmed that usually Fusbacterium was the lead pathogen, and in two thirds of cases, E coli was its first lieutenant. It is now generally acknowledged that Fusobacterium nucleatum, Escherichia coli, and Bacteroides fragilis promote tumor growth through the metabolites of their genes, chronic inflammation, and immune system evasion in the gut. Easy to kill off - we use Oregano oil and Artemisinin.
Viruses like HPV or Herpes can be active in colorectal cancer too. We have an article on reducing HPV naturally.
The fact is that you must kill the 'bad' as they are making mRNA and toxic, inflammatory metabolites day in, day out which can continue to drive cancer. And we also need to replenish lost commensal 'good' bacteria and with them, their helpful messages and chemicals.
Fix your microbiome as soon as conventional therapy finishes.
Diet is crucial in CRC - the SYNCAN study was all about Diet and CRC. It’s simple. A poor diet promotes gut bacteria that increase inflammation and produce dangerous metabolites. A healthy Rainbow diet promotes friendly bacteria that lower inflammation and produce helpful metabolites like butyrate. It’s not rocket science. Some seven top Hospital in the USA now use the Rainbow Diet.
* You will have had chronic inflammation in the gut. We said a poor diet encourages pathogens and they cause inflammation. Environmental toxins can cause inflammation. Homocysteine can cause inflammation. But there’s also an enzyme called Cox-2 in every cells of your gut and tCox-2 can be a major factor in CRC. Foods such as red meat, salami, bacon, hams, chicken fat can heighten the production of secondary bile acids which turn on Cox-2 causing inflammation. Other factors that turn on Cox-2 are Stress, Insulin and Steroids. This might be enhanced by hereditary factors; For example, an active Cox-2 can cause polyps to form and grow. A lot of this work was done by John Vane who in 1982 won a Nobel Prize and gained a Knighthood. The other experts are UCLA who have a stress management centre specialising in cancer.
* Mismatch genes, polyps and immunotherapy. Mismatch genes are rare (about 3% of cases) but if you have them, PD-1 immunotherapy drugs such as Pembrolizumab are very effective. The genes are associated with higher levels of polyps. See, 'How CRC polyps turn cancerous' - https://www.canceractive.com/article/how-colorectal%20polyps%20turn%20cancerous
* Sunshine (vitamin D), fish oils and B vitamins, and even a little dairy help reduce gut inflammation.
Vitamin D is crucial. It’s a hormone not a vitamin. There are receptors for vitamin D on your Lymphocytes (your White immune attack cells). ‘Hormone’ D activates them. There are receptors on your cancer cells and at good levels research shows it can correct them. But crucially there are vitamin D receptors on your gut wall and inside your microbiome. Vitamin D also has a synergistic effect with Butyrate. In the UK research shows 79% of CRC patients are deficient below 80 nmol/l on diagnosis. A healthy level according to several research studies is 100-170 nmol/l. I suggest you target 125 nmol/l, which on the US system is 50 ng/ml.
* You must restrict Homocysteine. Homocysteine builds up before all chronic illnesses - Cancer, heart disease, dementia, diabetes, osteoporosis, MS etc. It can build up because of a poor diet, stress, smoking, alcohol, environmental toxins, poor thyroid function, and a poor microbiome. In some cases, the patient has inherited the MTHFR gene. You can check. In all cases, this amino acid can be lowered by taking turmeric, or berberine, or fish oils + B-6, B-9 (folate). and/or B-12. The bacteria that make your B vitamins are fragile. Chemo will finish them off.
Homocysteine blocks the transcription of DNA resulting in imperfect messages (proteins, enzymes). It causes inflammation in the body through several mechanisms, can damage blood vessels and produce an increased CRP score.
Doctors allow you to have levels of 15 μmol/L, although the maximum should be 12 μmol/L. Most of my patients are around 9-10 μmol/L/
* Magnesium - Magnesium is essential for strong bones, teeth, a healthy liver, a healthy immune system and more. It is involved in approximately 800 pathways and 300 crucial enzymatic reactions in your body. Low magnesium can drive and worsen cancer, especially colorectal cancer.
ALL drugs (chemo, statins, antibiotics, PPIs, blood thinners, bisphosphonates, ADT's, pain killers etc.etc.) lower your magnesium levels!!! As do stress, alcohol, a poor diet and dairy. Magnesium is essential to good health.
Women should take 350 mg a day, men 450 mg. Always with a meal. The Rainbow Diet will give you foods rich in magnesium. However high dairy diets will block absorption. You should take magnesium glycinate with lunch, or magnesium threonate after dinner. They are well absorbed and the latter can help you sleep.
* Low Iodine is a promoter of cancer. It is linked to low oxygen, poor cellular metabolism and lethargy, weight gain, fatigue, depression, anaemia and more. Iodine also kills cancer cells, cancer stem cells and surrounding pathogens, especially viruses. Recent research shows that 80% of people with cancer are deficient on diagnosis, especially those who are land-locked and eat little from the sea..
Iodine aids the immune system, is crucial to thyroid function and has been shown to improve survival in a number of cancers - https://www.canceractive.com/article/iodine-and-cancer.
We suggest you consume sea fish or sea kelp or take 3 drops of liquid iodine 4 times per week and take 200 mcg of selenium twice a week.
* Low CoQ10 is a promoter of cancer. CoQ10 is essential if you want healthy mitochondria and to avoid metabolic dysfunction. Your mitochondria keep your body running properly in terms of energy production and metabolism.
According to the National Cancer Institute, people with low CoQ10 levels have more cancer risk and, if they have cancer already, research shows lowered CoQ10 causes more cancer development and metastases. CoQ10 is also important for heart health and brain health. Low CoQ10 is linked to diabetes and dementia.
You have the most CoQ10 in your muscles, brain and organs such as your heart. You make it, but you can obtain some from foods, notably offal, fatty fish and nuts.
Drugs and particularly statins lower CoQ10 levels. Although the Mayo Clinic recommends taking 200 mg a day as a supplement to correct for myopathy when taking statins, just 30-50 mg will return your mitochondria to those of a 28 year old according to research. CoQ10 takes 90 days to show effects in the body.
* Stress is a major contributor to colorectal cancer. It increases blood sugar, damages the microbiome and is linked to greater inflammation and metastases in the body through Cox-2. For example - https://www.canceractive.com/article/stress-receptor-spreads-breast-cancer.
After 20 years of research, UCLA recommend exercise, yoga, Tai Chi, mindfulness, meditation and prayer to reduce stress.
* Histamines - cancer cells suck in histamines. They make cancer cells more swollen, ‘sticky’ and aggressive. Cancer cells can even produce histamines to reduce the immune attack on them. People who co-incidentally took the antihistamine Cimetidine were shown in research to survive CRC longer especially if they took it starting after surgery.
* People with CRC survive longer if they
-
Rebuild and replenish their microbiome as soon as possible after conventional treatment.
-
Rebuild their lymphocytes after conventional treatment.
-
Have good levels of vitamin D3, above 125nmol/l
-
Eat a healthy diet
-
Focus on reducing inflammation
-
And getting the basics right - magnesium, CoQ10, iodine etc.
This quick summary gives you a start and tells you what is important in CRC. I hope it helps!