Inflammation -The Key to Cancer Cell Overgrowth

There are many different opinions on what causes cancer to grow and spread, but the one that is not talked about very often is inflammation. How can inflammation cause the growth of cancer? To answer that, we must first understand what inflammation is and how it works.

Normally, inflammation will occur when there is an injury or because the body is being attacked by germs. Wounds heal by way of inflammation when white blood cells mobilize, stimulate new cell growth and cause new blood vessels to development. This is a process called angiogenesis. It is by these processes that also enable cancer cells to grow as well.

The signs of inflammation are heat, redness, swelling, and pain in or outside of the body. It is the body's way of getting the nourishment it needs to the wound or injury to begin the healing process and to stimulate more immune responsive blood cells and antibodies to attack invaders. Some cancer doctors refer to cancer as "the wound that never heals."

Interestingly, cancer cells require the same processes for growth as does the immune system to heal the body by inflammation. When inflammation does it's job the wound heals or the invaders die and the body goes back into a state of good health. But when inflammation continues and wounds do not heal or germs continue to proliferate, many problems can occur, one of which is cancer cell overgrowth.

Although many things can stimulate cancer angiogenesis, the most significant thing is the consumption of omega-6 fats. The omega-6 fats powerfully stimulate angiogenesis, thereby greatly increasing the likelihood of cancer cells spreading throughout the body. Omega-6 fats are unsaturated fats. The most common places you will find unhealthy Omega-6 fats is in soybean, sunflower, corn, and safflower oils. The average diet of most Americans is loaded with Omega-6 fats in the form of fast foods, fried foods, and highly processed foods. Combine those highly processed foods with processed sugar, which is another source of angiogenesis and you have a double whammy working against you.

MSG (Monosodium Glutamate ) and other glutamate additives are also known to trigger inflammation throughout the body. Glutamate additives are commonly used in processed foods, which are also usually very high in Omega-6 fats. Nearly all processed foods have several forms of glutamate additives added in high concentrations. Why? Because it makes foods taste so tasty and it serves as a preservative as well. When injected into the cancerous tumors of mice, glutamates have been shown to increase the size of the tumors. The enzyme ornithine decarboxylase which is a by product of glutamates is also related to cancer growth. It increases in activity more than 100 times in cancerous tumors. Because MSG dramatically increases the action of this enzyme it will therefore play a role in cancer growth.

Why is no one is telling cancer patients that these additives enhance the growth of tumors and even stimulate metastasis? (I personally know one oncologist who is not telling them this because they recently told my nephew with non-hodgkins lymphoma that he could "eat whatever he wanted") It's a sad, but true fact that many doctors simply do not have the time or energy to research, know and understand the devastating effects of the Standard American Diet, especially when it comes to cancer.

Inflammation also greatly increases the activity of an enzyme called tyrosine kinase. Cancer cells use tyrosine kinase for reproductive purposes. Reducing inflammation reduces tyrosine kinase activity and thus reduces the spread of cancer.

The good news is that there are many foods, nutrients, natural supplements, vitamins, and some minerals that actually help with inflammation and suppress these cancer-fueling substances. These are great cancer combaters:

• Resveratrol

• Quercetin

• Curcumin

• Ellagic acid (found most in raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, walnuts, pecans, and pomegranates)

• Hesperidin (found in citris fruits)

• Magnesium

• Selenium

• Vitamins C and E

• Grape seed extract

• Boswellia (an all natural anti-inflammatory)

• Aged garlic extract

• White tea extract

• Vitamin D-3

Vegetables also contain high concentrations of cancer-inhibiting flavonoids, minerals, and vitamins as well. Some of the most potent anticancer vegetables include:

• Broccoli

• Brussels Sprouts

• Cauliflower

• Celery

• Dark Leafy Greems (mustard, collard, and turnip)

• Garlic

By eating 8 to 10 servings of nutrient-dense vegetables everyday, your chances are very good in fighting cancer cell overgrowth.

According to Dr. Russell Blaylock, MD "Nutrients inhibit cancer development and the growth and spread of existing cancers by:

• Improving cell communication

• Turning off cancer genes

• Slowing cell division

• Inducing apoptosis (selective suicide of cancer cells)

• Inhibiting cancer-dependent enzymes

• Inhibiting inflammation

• Providing the body with antioxidants

• Inhibiting tumor invasion

• Inhibiting angiogenesis

• Promoting anti-hormone effects (hormone sensitive cancers)

• Binding iron

• Improving detoxification"

Clearly, the answer to combating cancers, even advanced cancers or preventing cancer all together is to reduce inflammation in the body. This can easily be done through diet and supplementation. Taking supplements that have proven anti inflammatory benefits and by changing one's diet from the typical American diet high in omega-6 fats, glutamates, and processed sugars, to a diet high in nutritious vegetables, select fruits, purified water, and meats high in protein, like chicken and turkey can very well be the key to preventing and curing many cancers.

Sources: The Blaylock Wellness Report - October 2009
http://www.biooncology.com/bioonc/research/angiogenesis/index.
http://www.suite101.com/blog/daisyelaine/boswellia_reduces_inflammation