Help Inhibit the Epstein-Barr Virus with Vitamin K

Epstein-Barr is an extremely common human virus. Epstein-Barr virus, often called EBV, is associated with diseases such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Multiple Sclerosis. According to Science Daily, EBV also is associated with "many human cancers such as Burkitt's lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, AIDS-related lymphomas, post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease, cancers of the nose and throat, and stomach cancer." Researchers at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans found that a single Epstein-Barr protein switched on the virus's cancer-causing gene. They further found that Vitamin K inactivates that protein, thus stopping the cancer process. Might vitamin K do more to counter the effects of Epstein-Barr virus infection?

Epstein-Barr is a Herpes Virus

The Epstein-Barr virus is a member of the herpes virus family. The Centers for Disease Control states that, in the United States, "as many as 95% of adults between 35 and 40 years of age have been infected." While initial infection often causes few or mild symptoms, or, in adolescence, mononucleosis, the CDC notes that Epstein-Barr "establishes a lifelong dormant infection in some cells of the body's immune system."

Nevertheless, EBV infection can continue to affect a person's health. After decades of looking for a viral or bacterial trigger for Multiple Sclerosis, for example, scientists at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston found that Epstein-Barr infection is highly linked with the development of MS in genetically susceptible individuals.

Epstein-Barr, Cancer and Autoimmune Diseases

The LSU study focused on Epstein-Barr's role in certain cancers. Cancer occurs when tumor cells grow indiscriminately. Vitamin K, in vitro, inactivated the EBV gene that causes tumor cells to proliferate. This stopped the cancer from growing. That's a dramatic result---but does it mean anything to the millions of EBV-infected people who do not have cancer?

Yes. Here's why:

Conceptually, it's highly doubtful that cancer is a completely "stand-alone" phenomenon in the body. That is, it seems very unlikely that the Epstein-Barr virus is sitting there having zero impact on the body until one day, acting in a way it's never acted before, it switches on its cancer machine. Rather, scientists know EBV can have a variety of health impacts over time, some of which are noticed intermittently, or are very subtle or chronic.

In fact, besides cancer, most of the diseases closely associated with Epstein-Barr infection are autoimmune in nature. No one knows yet what causes a person's body to "attack" its own tissues. But again, it's well-known that EBV can cause tumor cell proliferation such that a person is said to "have cancer." If the body were to have an ongoing immune reaction to that proliferation process well before the person reached the threshold for "having cancer," the person's health problem might instead be called an autoimmune disease.

How EBV-associated disease is manifested, as researchers in the MS study found, depends on the person's genetic susceptibilities. Perhaps the same main event ---cell proliferation ---develops into (or is finally recognized as) cancer in one person, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis or some other disease in another. Indeed, scientists continue to find a strong "link between inflammation and tumor progression."

Since increasing dietary intake of natural vitamin K is easy for most people, the possibility that vitamin K blunts not just cancer, but a range of bad effects caused by Epstein-Barr infection may be well worth pursuing. And, regardless, including vitamin-K rich foods is sure to make any diet extra-healthful.

Increasing Vitamin K intake naturally

The Linus Pauling Institute, at Oregon State University, states that although "vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, the body stores very little of it, and its stores are rapidly depleted without regular dietary intake." Fortunately, there are several easy and delicious food sources of vitamin K. Vitamin K-rich foods include olive oil, broccoli, tomatoes, spinach and other leafy green vegetables, such as leaf lettuce --- what a list already, just add fettuccini and some aged Romano! Mayonnaise also delivers on vitamin K --- for an extra (and extra delicious) boost, try mayonnaise made with olive oil. (Product Review: Kraft Mayonnaise with Olive Oil.)

Help inhibit the Epstein-Barr virus with vitamin K

It's great news that scientists have discovered that vitamin K can inactivate the Epstein-Barr virus's cancer-causing gene. Vitamin K from food is easy and often delicious to obtain. For those suffering a range of bad effects from Epstein-Barr infection, naturally increasing one's vitamin K intake may be well worth a try.

More B.A. Rogers: Rheumatoid Arthritis and Fatigue, Exhaustion, Listlessness: It Actually is in Your Head.

Sources:

"Single Gene Found To Control Growth Of Some Cancers," Science Daily.

"Epstein-Barr Virus and Infectious Mononucleosis," Centers for Disease Control.

Charlene Laino, "Epstein-Barr Virus Linked to MS," WebMD.

"Anti-inflammatory Drugs May Defeat Treatment-resistant Type of Cancer," Science Daily.

Jane Higdon, Ph.D., et al., "Micronutrients; Vitamin K," Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University.