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Letter from Dr. Janson
What is the Truth about
Vitamin C?
Herbal Quality
More Support for Prostate Cancer
In the Health News
Recipe of the Month: Vegetarian
Bean Paté
Dear Friends,
I see a persistent pattern of negative reports
about dietary supplements in the media, usually
based on incomplete or defective studies, or
reports that are irrelevant to the way supplements
are used and the mechanisms by which they have
their effects. The recent study on vitamin C
perhaps causing DNA abnormalities is another
example. Every media report I have seen suggested
that vitamin C is a “two-edged sword” when it
comes to health.
While vitamin C is an antioxidant, in certain
conditions (when it is oxidized) it can become
an oxidant. This was shown in an in vitro (test
tube) study that was heavily reported in the
media. Sensational headlines read: “Vitamin
C Can Damage DNA,” “Lab Study Finds Vitamin
C Dangers,” and “Vitamin C Found to Promote
Cancer-Causing Agents.” Such reports might make
you think twice about taking vitamin C. Don’t!
Concluding from this study that vitamin
C is dangerous is unwarranted. In almost every
clinical study (real people, real conditions,
as opposed to test tubes), higher vitamin C
intake is associated with better health and
lower mortality from all causes. Specific benefits
of vitamin C, from food and supplements, range
from protection from cataracts and macular degeneration,
reduction of arterial disease, whether in the
legs, the heart, or the brain, less inflammation,
and decreased angina (heart pain due to arterial
constriction), to a decreased risk of gastric
(and other) cancer.
In addition, a study in volunteers showed that
vitamin C could protect the stomach lining from
the damaging effects of aspirin. Typically,
aspirin and the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs can cause stomach ulcers and bleeding,
and these are among leading serious side effects
of such drugs, causing many deaths per year.
Researchers gave almost 1000 mg daily of vitamin
C, and found that the erosions they could see
with a gastroscope were markedly decreased,
suggesting that the side effect is due to free-radical
damage, and that vitamin C is therapeutic. Other
studies have shown that vitamin C (and vitamin
E) supplements are protective against brain
degeneration. It preserves cognitive function
in those subjects without dementia, and reduces
vascular dementia by 88 percent. The longer
the men used the supplements, the greater the
effect, so don’t wait for conservative scientists
and the media to give you “permission”to supplement.
Even in other in vitro studies, vitamin C shows
real benefits. For example, vitamin C and B12
can decrease cancer cell growth in tissue culture.
High levels of vitamin C alone or with other
antioxidants are toxic to cancer cells, and
it protects heart muscle cells against oxidation.
Do not make health decisions on sensational
media reports that belittle the benefits of
dietary supplements.
Studies abound on the benefits of a high
intake of vitamin C, whether from fruits and
vegetables or from supplements. Researchers
in California studied 994 women, of whom 277
took regular vitamin supplements including vitamin
C ranging from 100 to 5000 mg daily. The average
intake among these women was 745 mg.
In this study the average duration of taking
vitamin C was over 12 years, and over 85 percent
of the women took the vitamin C for at least
three years. What they found was better bone
density with higher vitamin C intake.
The women taking vitamin C with estrogen had
even better bone density, and those taking additional
calcium had an even better result. In fact,
they found a three percent higher bone density
when vitamin C was considered independently
of the other variables.
Vitamin C is known to be necessary for collagen
formation, and collagen is the connective tissue
at the foundation of bone formation. It also
appears to stimulate bone forming cells called
osteoblasts.
In supplementing for bone preservation and
increasing bone density, I recommend other supplements
in addition to vitamin C and calcium. Ipriflavone,
an isoflavone similar to those found in soybeans,
helps to build bone density, and natural progesterone
helps even more than estrogen.
Other minerals that play a role in bone formation
include magnesium, manganese, and boron, so
I usually recommend a multiple vitamin-mineral
complex with good amounts of each of these.
Another study showed that higher vitamin
C intake could reduce gall bladder disease by
35 to 40 percent. Vitamin C affects bile acid
production, which may be its mechanism of reducing
gall bladder symptoms and stones.
In addition to vitamin C, a low-fat, mostly
vegetarian diet can also help, as can adding
supplements of the amino acid taurine. I often
recommend adding 1000 mg of taurine twice a
day.
Higher vitamin C levels are also associated
with lower blood lead levels. Recent information
shows that lead, even in low levels, is not
safe, especially for children. Maintaining high
levels of vitamin C is important for detoxification
among its many other benefits. Other nutrition
that helps to lower lead levels comes from a
high fiber diet, and dietary and supplemental
sources of zinc, vitamin D, and calcium. A high
tofu intake lowers lead levels, possibly because
it is rich in calcium.
High vitamin C is also associated with better
lipid profiles. It increases the level of the
good HDL-cholesterol, while lowering the total.
In reviews such as these, the blood levels are
composed of vitamin C from food and supplements.
Because so many Americans take supplements of
vitamin C, it has to be presumed that the higher
blood levels are to some extent related to those
supplements.
The fact is, so much research suggests the value
of keeping your vitamin C level high, that it
is irresponsible for news media and scientists
to caution against supplements based on flawed
studies. These warnings will lead to poorer
nutritional status and increases in serious
diseases.
The quality of herbal products available from
different sources can vary quite a bit. Researchers
took 25 different ginseng products from health
food stores, and analyzed them for active compounds.
(It is only recently that western medicine accepted
that herbs even contain active components.)
In some brands, the known active principles
were quite different from what was listed on
the label, and ranged in these tests from 15
to 200-fold (more than minor natural variation).
Of course, the marker compounds that they studied
may not be the only active substances in the
herbs, but it does suggest that you have to
be careful to buy products from a reliable source.
The compounds analyzed were ginsenosides and
eleutherosides, thought to be responsible for
the ginseng activity of Panax (American and
Asian) species and Eleutherococcus (Siberian
species).
None of the products were adulterated, so they
were safe, but some contained more than the
label claim and some less (whether it was significantly
less is not clear). My recommendation is to
always buy standardized herbs when they are
available, whether it is for ginseng or other
products. Many standardized herbs are now being
sold. They have all of the components of regular
herbs, plus known levels of active compounds.
Ginseng is known as an “adaptogen,” able to
help cope with physical and emotional stress.
They all appear to help the adrenal glands.
Siberian ginseng helps stamina and immune function,
while American is more relaxing and sedative.
The Asian ginseng (also called Korean) helps
energy and has a mild stimulant effect.
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At least one of the components of tofu
is valuable in slowing the growth of prostate
cancer. A team of researchers in California
tested genistein in mice with prostate cancer
and found that it slowed the growth of the tumors.
They also tested it in tissue cultures and found
that it inhibited the growth of tumor cells.
Genistein is an isoflavone with antioxidant
properties and phytoestrogen activity to help
reduce the risk of breast and other cancers,
control menopausal symptoms, and protect against
osteoporosis. Tofu also decreases the risk of
lung cancer.
Adding a variety of soy foods to your diet
will contribute isoflavones (which can also
be taken as supplements). Tofu can be cut into
chunks and added to stir-fried vegetables, or
crumbled to use instead of cheese in lasagna
with whole wheat pasta . I also like a marinated
baked tofu such as Tofu-Lin, by SoyBoy, which
I dice in salads, or slice for a sandwich with
lettuce and tomato.
Tempeh is an Indonesian soyfood, made from
whole soybeans. It is cultured with a mold much
the way cheese is made, and it has a distinctive
taste. It can be sautéed or marinated, and many
ready-made patties are available grilled with
lemon-pepper or barbecue flavors to be used
in sandwiches as a veggie-burger.
I make a dessert with equal amounts of frozen
bananas and “silken” tofu in a food processor,
adding a little vanilla and maple syrup or honey,
and garnished with crushed almonds. You can
use soymilk in cereals–just be careful to choose
the ones with the least sugar such as the plain
varieties in the “milk-carton” shaped containers.
It is interesting that when the author of the
study on prostate cancer presented his findings,
he was quoted as saying, “it might be used in
an adjuvant fashion to make radiation therapy
more effective and ultimately as a chemopreventive
agent. But that is a long way off.”
Well, I have news for him–it is already being
used as part of effective alternative treatments,
combined with saw palmetto and other herbs and
supplements.
The effects of genistein are enhanced
by an extract of shiitake, a mushroom long used
for its health benefits. A derivative of shiitake,
beta-1,3 glucan or “lentinan,” is an immune
enhancing substance that can support the treatment
of immune deficiency and cancer. Beta-1,3 glucan
prolongs the life of cancer patients. One report
showed that patients with advanced, metastatic
prostate cancer given lentinan in addition to
their other therapy had a 35 to 50 percent improvement
in longevity compared to the control group.
The five year survival was 43 versus 29 percent.
•In The Lancet, a British medical publication,
the Editor accused the FDA of having too close
ties with the drug industry, and not doing an
adequate job of regulating drugs. He said “This
story reveals... the extent to which the FDA,
its Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
(CDER) in particular, has become the servant
of industry.” The editorial related to approval
of Lotronex, a drug for irritable bowel syndrome,
that caused some deaths from ischemic colitis.
Irritable bowel syndrome may be debilitating
in some cases, but it is not fatal. The FDA
scientists who had expressed concerns about
safety were ignored. Other natural treatments
are often effective, using dietary change, L-glutamine
supplements, and essential fatty acids, along
with acidophilus and other intestinal support.
Horton R, Lotronex and FDA, Lancet 2001 May
19;357(9268); 1544.
•A group of researchers has “discovered”
that if you eat like early man–the diet from
evolutionary times–you can reduce your risk
of disease. Jenkins DJ, et al., Effect of a
very-high-fiber vegetable, fruit, and nut diet
on serum lipids and colonic function. Metabolism
2001 Apr;50(4):494-503.
The diet they studied was very high in fruits,
vegetables, and nuts, as well as fiber. In fact,
it had about four times as much fiber as even
the current USDA recommended increase. The diet
also had no meat, cheese, or butter. This diet
lowered cholesterol within one week, and the
LDL cholesterol went down by 33 percent. The
researchers said that gathering greens and fruits
played a much larger role than hunting small
animals, and this diet reduces the risk of heart
disease and colon cancer. These benefits were
far greater than from the Heart Association
diet and even better than the Mediterranean
diet.
This is a quick snack (once it is cooked) that
I make as a spread for whole grain bread or
chips. Sauté some minced onions, garlic, mushrooms,
carrots, parsley, and herbs, especially thyme,
basil, cumin, fresh coriander, soy sauce, and
pepper, until well done. Add some toasted whole
grain bread crumbs (about equal to half the
onions), and put the mixture in a food processor
with an equal amount of cooked navy beans. When
the mix is a smooth, pasty texture, turn it
into a baking loaf dish coated with a thin layer
of olive oil. Bake it at 400 degrees covered
with foil for 20 minutes, and then uncover and
bake until the top is brown, about another 10
to 20 minutes and let it cool. I freeze the
extra and take it with me on trips or for quick
lunches with some lettuce and tomato or a salad. |
