Nutritional Cancer Research Seminar

Sandra Goodman PhD – Sept 2009

Cancer Nutrition Research Highly Controversial

• Surge in biomedical research studies: 17 million abstracts, 600,000 added each year
  
• Clinical Research – Epidemiology, Randomized Controlled Trials, Case Control Trials, Animal and Cellular research
  
• Deeply divided professional pronouncements upon nutritional research evidence for prevention and treatment: disputes about the right kind of evidence
  
• Media Reporting of Trials such Vegetarians versus Meat Eaters
  
• Quality of and Type of Nutritional Research Required
  
• Nutritional Treatment Regimes of People with Cancer
  
• Professional and Legal Issues for Practitioners using Nutrition in Cancer Treatment

Research with Individual Nutrients and Dietary Supplements

• Antioxidants – Vitamins C, E, Beta-Carotene, Selenium
  
• Trace Minerals – Selenium, Iron, Copper
  
• Polysaccharides – Chinese Herbal Medicines (Mushrooms, Ginseng, Astragalus, Ganoderma)
  
• Lipids – Saturated and Omega-6 and Omega-3 Fatty Acids
  
• Amino Acids, Garlic, Bromelain
  
• Flavonoids – Isoflavones, Flavones, Flavonols, Flavanols, Anthocyanidins and Proanthocyanidins
  
• Phenolic Compounds – Propolis, Curcumin, Lignans, Stilbenes - Resveratrol, Quinones
  
• Terpenes – Monoterpenes, Triterpenoids, Saponins, Sesquiterpenes
  
• Lipid-Soluble Vitamins – Vitamins A, D3, E, Melatonin
  
• Interaction of Natural Compounds with Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy

Divided Opinions: Nutritional Research Evidence

• Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trials (RCTs) vs Case Studies, Retrospective Cohort Trials, Evidence from Molecular, Cellular and Animal Studies
  
• Inconclusive Evidence for Most Nutritional Elements
  
• Political, Financial Agendas
  
• Flawed Research leads to Misguided Medical Paradigms

Problems with Past and Present Cancer Clinical Research

• Problems with Accuracy of Food Questionnaires
  
• How to protect against ‘contaminants’ of food people eat – i.e. hydrogenated oils, antibiotics, growth hormones, preservatives, etc.
  
• Impossibility of rigidly controlling the diet and environments of people, as opposed to animals or cells

Desired Nutritional Research

• Cancer Patients having no chemotherapy or radiotherapy
  
• People with Cancer eating organic food:
  
• fruits and vegetables
  
• eggs
  
• dairy products
  
• meat, fish
  
• grains
  

Nutritional Treatment Regimes of People with Cancer

• Gerson
  
• Macrobiotics
  
• Dries
  
• Budwig Flax Oil
  
• Essiac
  
• Living Foods
  
• Dr Hulda Clarke

Professional / Legal Issues for Practitioners using Nutrition in Cancer Treatment

• Legality of ‘prescribing’ nutritional regimens for medical doctors
  
• Draconian cancer laws prohibiting claims that any nutritional or herbal substance can cure cancer, even if valid research evidence exists
  
• Difficulties for patients in the face of numerous claims of miraculous cures

Internet Cancer Information Sites

References