Cancer cells need a good supply of energy to grow, divide, and spread.
But where do they get all that energy? And how can we stop them from getting it?
Instead of stopping them, the majority of us commit treason against our health by aiding and abetting cancer. While we’re at it, we also subject our children and grandchildren to a similar fate.
Let’s stop doing that. Read on to take your first life-altering step today…
In April 2018, Medical News Today reported that cancer cells survive and thrive by drawing energy from your cells and tissues, exploiting your circulatory system networks, and foiling your immune system.1
In other words, they need an intelligent plan to sustain growth and become integrated into the body.
If they have the ability to implement such a plan, it’s in your best interest to understand what their plan is and then outsmart them.
Stripping cancer cells of their preferred growth method
A few researchers are finally focused on something besides just attacking cancer cells. They’re studying the systems that aid cancer proliferation.
Looking into this, they’ve added something new to previous evidence that obesity is a big risk factor for cancer.
A patient’s weight can indicate how aggressive their cancer is likely to be. And it also makes cancer harder to diagnose in ways hardly anyone considers.
Layers of fat make it harder to detect tumors by feel. Also, many obese people need special accommodations, like larger exam tables and imaging machines. So they may avoid screening or shun it because it costs too much.
Overall, obese populations appear to get screened less than thinner people.
Mechanism by which fat leads to cancer
Scientists aren’t sure precisely how obesity and cancer are linked. They’re trying to unravel the signaling pathways that control communication between tumors and fat cells.
They believe that fat cells provide energy cancer needs to survive and grow. Without that, cancer cells shrivel up and die.
Long-time readers of this newsletter know that cancer cells take up massive amounts of glucose (blood sugar) from the blood, much more than healthy cells. Taking it one step further, sugar may also drive fat creation… then fat drives cancer proliferation.
The April study focuses on a fat cell protein called p62 and its complex cancer signaling.
Still, this p62 problem is rare. It’s not the smoking gun telling us why obesity is linked to cancer. So what is? It’s complicated, but we know for one thing that obesity increases inflammation, and inflammation is a huge factor in cancer.
Health erodes with every increase in BMI
Obesity rates are rising worldwide, baffling researchers. Risk factors are complex. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Multiple factors can play off each other, too. Obesity is more complex than just eating more calories than you burn. That’s why it’s so frustrating.
Still, for the sake of your independence, your health, and your children’s future, it’s important to get a handle on it and not just resign yourself to the extra pounds.
What weight is normal versus overweight or obese? Here are some guidelines.
Your body mass index (BMI), a percentage measurement of your body fat, is a good screening tool to assess your risk of all chronic diseases, not just cancer.
Obesity erodes your health across the board – leading to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, asthma, high cholesterol, osteoarthritis, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, acid reflux, and more.
For adults, a BMI of 20 to 24.9 is ideal… over 25 is overweight… over 30 is obese… and over 40 is morbidly obese.
A waist measurement of greater than 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women also predisposes you to disease.
Are genes much of a factor in obesity? People like to invoke genes as the reason for a whole range of health problems, and that includes being overweight. Let’s take a look at the facts. . .
Can you blame your weight on your parents? Maybe, but…
Studies show that a bent towards obesity actually is genetic. Genes affect where and how you store extra flab. But it’s more than just genes behind today’s obesity crisis. After all, parents pass on behaviors, not just genes.
Even if we stick strictly to genetics, it’s not just one gene causing trouble. Many genes carry small risks that contribute to weight. Together they add up – especially if lifestyle factors fail to compensate.
Your weight also directly influences your children’s health -- especially for large babies born to obese mothers. The offspring develop longer bones and larger heads in the womb, visible on ultrasound as early as 21 weeks into pregnancy.
This in utero environment causes permanent changes to the child’s genetic code and can show up as impaired insulin sensitivity and other health problems throughout the child’s life. We now know that genes aren’t your fate, because lifestyle factors -- and simply stuff in our environment like chemical pollution -- can turn genes off and on, in a process called gene expression or epigenetics.
Fathers also transfer genetics, predisposing their children to lifelong obesity struggles.
More sources of unwanted pounds
As I said, a lot of factors enter into weight gain. Metabolic and hormone signaling vary among people.
Medications can trigger weight gain, notably corticosteroids, antidepressants, and anti-seizure meds.
Food additives and zero-calorie sweeteners are linked to weight gain.
So is the bad habit of depriving yourself of the seven to eight hours of sleep you need every night.
Of course, you know a sedentary lifestyle adds more pounds. And it can turn into a downward spiral if your joints cry out in pain as you make them carry more pounds every year, causing you to move around even less.
Thankfully, there are ways to start losing weight today, reduce pain and inflammation, and deprive cancer cells of some of their energy. . .
Which of these weight loss tips have you overlooked?
No one asked you what genes you wanted. But you do have choices about how they’re expressed.
Tip #1: Define your big “why” in life.
What’s your reason for living? If it’s too small, you’ll give up when the going gets tough. When I don’t feel like exercising, I remind myself of all the things I want to do before I’m six feet under. It’s a long list. And it won’t happen if I don’t stay in shape. I also remind myself of how terrible I feel when I’m sick (and I was sick for many decades before I fixed my bad habits. I don’t want to go there again.)
Tip #2: All calories are not equal.
Some calories are a recipe for disaster. Corn syrup (which is also likely to be genetically modified) bypasses your normal digestive system and goes straight to your waistline. Even zero-calorie drinks trick your body and pack on the pounds.
If you drink soda, you’re sabotaging your health one gulp at a time, whether it’s a sugar or diet drink. Get soda out of your life.
Tip #3: Never drink your calories.
Piggybacking on #2, don’t drink your calories. Even “healthy” fruit juices are loaded to the gills with sugar and lack the whole food fiber that aids weight loss.
Ditch apple, orange, and other “healthy” juices, eat the whole fruit instead. Avoid beer, wine, and liquor.
Tip #4: Try a 30-day diet of nothing but organic meats, eggs, and vegetables.
Experts say it takes 21 days to develop a new habit. Carbohydrates add little nutrition and stick to your waistline like glue, so avoid them for a month to reset your taste buds. You might never go back. While whole organic fruit is healthy in moderation, avoid it for this 30-day period to wean yourself off sweetness.
Become a label reader. Many “healthy” foods like yogurt are loaded with sugars. Choose plain Greek yogurt and add a few berries.
Tip #5: Find a fun way to get moving.
It may not feel fun the first day, especially if your joints hurt.
Start slow, but start! Take a short walk, make it a little longer each week. Rejoice over small gains in movement and small losses of weight. Keep the faith… it’ll pay off. You didn’t gain it in one day.
If your metabolism runs at a snail’s pace, do a five or ten-minute walk (the brisker the better) early in the morning to jump-start your day’s calorie burn.
If you feel hungry, drink water and go for a ten-minute walk. At a minimum it postpones snacking.
Find a sport or activity you enjoy. It makes it so much easier to exercise.
While health advisors tends to focus on aerobic exercise, don’t overlook strength training. It’s a proven insulin regulator, which aids weight loss.
Tip #6: Enlist the help of insulin-regulating nutrients.
Insulin resistance is akin to weight loss resistance. If insulin is out of control your weight will be, too.
Switch to whole unpackaged foods, and add these nutrients to reset your blood sugar so you can finally shed pounds. . .
Probiotics.Overweight people tend to have different gut bacteria than normal weight people. Probiotics help obese women achieve sustainable weight loss… especially Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LPR). Take probiotics that contain at least 50 billion units from at least ten different strains of bacteria.
Olive leaf extract.This substance offers great health benefits. Helps regulate blood glucose levels. Signals your body to burn flab, not store it.
Vitamin D.Regulates fat metabolism. Get a few minutes of sun each day (but not enough to burn) and take a supplement in winter.
Berberine.Studies show it outperforms Metformin, a common prescription drug for blood sugar control. Berberine impacts a number of hormone pathways, targets insulin resistance, boosts metabolism, triggers flab breakdown, and more.
In one study of 116 diabetic patients 1 gram of berberine per day lowered fasting blood sugar by 20 percent… and also lowered hemoglobin A1C by 12 percent.2
This herbal supplement works especially well when you combine it with lifestyle modifications such as reduced sugar intake and exercise.
If your fasting blood glucose is above 90, or if you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes or fatty liver disease, berberine might help. According to some sources, you may need up to 2,000 mg per day (split doses) for at least three months to drive weight loss and stabilize insulin resistance. That’s a big dose.
I haven’t tried berberine myself, but I would advise starting with small doses and working up gradually. And it’s always better to select your supplements with a natural doctor’s help. If you’re going to take supplements to reduce blood sugar, you need to monitor it – especially if you ALREADY take blood sugar medications.
Berberine seems to be well tolerated, but stop taking it for a while if you suffer from loose stools, cramping, bloating, or stool changes.
Since insulin resistance drives weight gain and many diseases (including cancer), anything that helps regulate blood sugar has life-changing potential.
Best regards,
Lee Euler,
Publisher
