Integrative Health, Anti-Aging, Functional Medicine, Weight Loss, Integrative Cancer Therapies related topics, questions, products such as hormones and appetite suppressants including Phentermine, Bontril, Tenuate and Didrex and hCG. The opinions posted here are those of the posters and of DrWLC staff and may not be FDA approved. – Richard Cheng, M.D., Ph.D.
Over 4,000 hospitalized patients and 89 healthcare staff used hydrogen peroxide on a daily basis during the peak season of Covid-19 season (Apr. 2021 – Dec. 2021). None of the 4,000+ patients got Covid-19. None of the 89 staff got Covid-19, except one who discontinued the use of hydrogen peroxide! Drs. Amoah and Ayettey reported.
Expert Panel Discussion: Hydrogen peroxide in the prevention of Covid-19, with a Q&A session.
Date and time: 11 am June 9th EST
Zoom: Meeting ID: 849 9827 7125; Passcode: 328134
You and your guests are welcome to participate and interact with the experts with your questions.
Experts:
Dr. Albert Amoah, Emeritus Professor and former dean, University of Ghana Medical School. Author of the HP clinical report (1).
Dr. Seth Ayettey, Professor and former dean, University of Ghana Medical School. Author of the HP clinical report (1).
Dr. Thomas Levy, Board Certified Cardiologist and author of HP book (2).
Host of the Expert Panel Discussion:
Dr. Richard Cheng, Board Certified anti-aging physician.
Many safe, effective and inexpensive antiviral agents have been ignored for one reason or another. Hydrogen peroxide (HP) is one of them. Knowing the availability of these agents and their practical utility may protect us from the current and future unknown viral infections.
Drs. Amoah, Ayettey and their team recently reported that “daily and regular hydrogen peroxide use protects HCW (healthcare workers) from COVID-19 and curtails nosocomial spread of SARS-CoV-2” (1).
Dr. Levy published his book on hydrogen peroxide for viral infections, Rapid Virus Recovery, in 2021, with over 600 citations, which reviewed and analyzed for us the safety, effectiveness, biological mechanisms and the potential practical uses of hydrogen peroxide (2).
About the Experts:
Dr. Albert G.B. Amoah is an Emeritus Professor of Medicine and Therapeutics and a Consultant Physician at the University of Ghana. He holds the MB.ChB degree from University of Ghana and PhD degree from the University of Surrey, UK. Among his distinguished achievements is the setting up of a National Diabetes Management and Research Center, a centre of excellence for multi-disciplinary diabetes care, training and research in Ghana. He has a membership of the Royal College of Physicians (UK) and fellowships of the West Africa College of Physicians, the Ghana College of Physicians and the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Dr. Seth Ayettey graduated MB; ChB from the University of Ghana Medical School in 1974 and PhD from Cambridge University in 1978. He served as Chair of the Department of Anatomy at the University of Ghana Medical School from 1981 to 1997, Dean of that school from 1998 till 2000, and first Provost of the College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana from 2000 to 2004. He taught Anatomy for 37 years, retiring 2015. Four years of his teaching and research life were spent at the Tulane University Medical Center as a Visiting Professor. Dr. Ayettey has contributed a great deal to knowledge of the structural basis for the excitation-contraction coupling in the specialized and the general myocardium of the mammalian heart. His recent effort, together with his team in Ghana, has been in researching hydrogen peroxide protection against COVID-19. Dr. Ayettey is also a pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana. Three of his children are in medical science – Hannah, a senior specialist in oncology; Mary, a senior specialist in periodontology; and Ruth, a specialist in OBGYN: They are part of the hydrogen peroxide research team.
Thomas E. Levy, M.D., J.D. is a board certified American cardiologist and internist and is a prolific author. Among his many books is Rapid Virus Recovery, a book on hydrogen peroxide with over 600 scientific citations (2, 3). He is also an inductee of the Orthomolecular Medicine Hall of Fame (4).
Richard Z. Cheng, M.D., Ph.D. is an NIH-trained and board certified American anti-aging physician. Dr. Cheng is also an inductee of the Orthomolecular Medicine Hall of Fame (5).
A brief history of Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is a well-known antiseptic, used extensively to disinfect surfaces and instruments. But not many people realize that hydrogen peroxide is a molecule that exists everywhere in our body with very important biological functions. Hydrogen peroxide was discovered over 200 years ago in 1818. In 1856, hydrogen peroxide was discovered to be present in human body. In 1888, hydrogen peroxide was for the first time reported to be efficacious in treating numerous diseases, including scarlet fever, diphtheria, nasal catarrh, acute coryza, whooping cough, asthma hay fever and tonsillitis. Intravenous hydrogen peroxide was first reported in 1920 during WWI/Spanish flu for influenza pneumonia. Medical interest on hydrogen peroxide began to slow down in the 1940, when attention shifted to the development of new prescription drugs. In 1960s, hydrogen peroxide was found to have a protective effect on myocardial ischemia. Intravenous infusion of hydrogen peroxide has been studied and promoted for the treatment of various diseases including cancer, skin diseases, polio and bacteria-related mental illness, even in pain relief (5).
Covid-19 Pandemic swept through and turned the entire world upside down with a virus that’s previously unknown to the mankind (at least most of us). Without specific drugs and vaccines for this new virus (SARS-Cov-2), the world panicked and millions of lives and billions upon billions dollar lost as a result.
We share this world with many microorganisms including bacteria and viruses, some of these may cause human diseases. Despite the human stockpile of antibiotics for bacterial infections, there are very few antiviral drugs. There is no drug that is effective against all viral infections. Antiviral drugs and vaccines specific to a new virus take a long time to develop. As we have witnessed first hand that Covid-19 vaccines took a year to roll out, which set a world record.
Covid-19 is not over yet, Monkey pox is lurking around the corner. Epidemics/Pandemics are on the rise (6).
Here are few questions that all of us should think about:
What have we learned from the global management of Covid-19 pandemic?
Are you prepared for the next epidemic/pandemic?
When the next epidemic/pandemic hits, what are you going to do?
What about other known viral infections, such as common cold and viral pneumonia? Don’t we have other safe and more effective remedies?
References:
Amoah AGB, Sagoe KW, Quakyi IA, Ayettey-Anie HNG, Ayettey-Adamafio MNB, Ayettey Brew RNA, Newman-Nartey M, Nartey NO, Brightson KTC, Kessie G, Ayettey AS, Konotey-Ahulu FID. Further observations on hydrogen peroxide antisepsis and COVID-19 cases among healthcare workers and inpatients. J Hosp Infect. 2022 May 17:S0195-6701(22)00149-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jhin.2022.05.007. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35594985; PMCID: PMC9113766.
Mr. YYJ, a 50 year old man with a history of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and renal cell carcinoma (Stage I) came to our service in late 2021.
The hallmark of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is the elevation of auto-antibodies.
On 6/4/2021, his anti-thyroid microsomal antibody (TPO) was elevated at >1300 U/ml; his anti-thyroid globulin antibody (TgAb) was elevated at 297.8 U/ml (top figure below).
We recommended our Integrative Orthomolecular Medicine Protocol for Autoimmune Diseases which included carnivore diet (ketogenic diet + restriction of plant based foods that are high in plant toxins such as lectins), Vit C (10,000 mg/day), Vit D3 (10,000 IU/day), TotoCell Nutrition and Niacin (2,000 mg/day).
A repeat test 8 months later, on 2/12/2022, shows:
TPO went down from >1300 to 721.6 and his TgAb went down from 297.8 to 197.4（bottom figure below).
This is a significant improvement. I advised him to further increase Vit D3 levels under my supervision and repeat these tests in 3 – 6 months. (Note: Use these high dose supplements only under a qualitied healthcare provider.)
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Restricted Ketogenic Diet (R-KD) is an important part of our integrative cancer management protocol. The following is the general principles which should be modified upon each individual cancer patient.
Total calories, 600-1200 calories/day.
~80% of the total calories from fat (we recommend animal fats, avoid seed oils rich in Omega-6 PUFA fats)
~10-12% of the total calories from proteins,
~8% – 10% of the total calories from carbs. Simply put, avoid all starchy foods such as wheat and rice, potatoes, corns which are high in carbs. Avoid foods and drinks with added glucose or high fructose corn syrup.
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The following research summarizes decades of clinical studies on niacin and its impact on blood sugar and cardiovascular disease risks. Niacin lowers blood lipids and reduces cardiovascular disease risks, although it also appears to slightly increase fasting blood sugar levels. We can reduce the effect of niacin on glucose by following a low-carb diet. I also need to point out that elevated blood sugar is only a marker, what really matters is the beneficial effect of niacin on cardiovascular health. The fact that niacin reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease risks is what really ultimately matters.
Niacin is a precursor to NAD+, a molecule that is essential in over 50% of our biochemical reactions. NAD+ decline is observed in aging and many chronic diseases. I personally take large dose niacin daily.
In this clinical study of more than 500 human subjects, published in Diabetes Care in 2018, the authors concluded that niacin (NA), but not niacinamide, significantly increased Bacteroides abundance in humans. In the absence of systemic side effects, these favorable microbiome changes induced by microencapsulated sustained-release NA were associated with improvements in systemic insulin sensitivity and biomarkers of metabolic inflammation. [1]
In this 2016 paper published in the journal Heart, the authors concluded: In a meta-analysis of 11 trials of 26 340 nondiabetic participants between 1975 and 2014, regardless of background statin or combined laropiprant therapy , niacin treatment was associated with a moderately increased risk of diabetes. [2]
In this 2013 paper in the American Journal of Cardiology, the authors analyzed a total of 407 subjects with established vascular disease but not diagnosed with DM who participated in the FATS, HATS, AFREGS and CPC clinical studies. Authors’ conclusions: 3-year niacin use in subjects with normoglycemia at baseline was associated with increased blood glucose levels and the risk of developing impaired fasting glucose, but not diabetes, and was associated with a significantly lower incidence of coronary artery disease Associated stenosis progression and major cardiovascular events. [3]
The 18 years (1990-2007) of niacin clinical studies in the literature were summarized in a 2008 analysis of “consensus guidelines” published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Authors’ main conclusions: Niacin is the most effective drug for raising HDL-C, while also lowering triglycerides and LDL-cholesterol; high-dose niacin significantly reduces cardiovascular events and atherosclerosis progression. [4]
Fangmann D, Theismann EM, Türk K, Schulte DM, Relling I, Hartmann K, Keppler JK, Knipp JR, Rehman A, Heinsen FA, Franke A, Lenk L, Freitag-Wolf S, Appel E, Gorb S, Brenner C, Seegert D, Waetzig GH, Rosenstiel P, Schreiber S, Schwarz K, Laudes M. Targeted Microbiome Intervention by Microencapsulated Delayed-Release Niacin Beneficially Affects Insulin Sensitivity in Humans. Diabetes Care. 2018 Mar;41(3):398-405. doi: 10.2337/dc17-1967. Epub 2017 Dec 6. PMID: 29212824.
Goldie C, Taylor AJ, Nguyen P, McCoy C, Zhao XQ, Preiss D. Niacin therapy and the risk of new-onset diabetes: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Heart. 2016 Feb;102(3):198-203. doi: 10.1136/heartjnl-2015-308055. Epub 2015 Sep 14. PMID: 26370223.
Phan BA, Muñoz L, Shadzi P, Isquith D, Triller M, Brown BG, Zhao XQ. Effects of niacin on glucose levels, coronary stenosis progression, and clinical events in subjects with normal baseline glucose levels (<100 mg/dl): a combined analysis of the Familial Atherosclerosis Treatment Study (FATS), HDL-Atherosclerosis Treatment Study (HATS), Armed Forces Regression Study (AFREGS), and Carotid Plaque Composition by MRI during lipid-lowering (CPC) study. Am J Cardiol. 2013 Feb 1;111(3):352-5. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2012.09.034. Epub 2012 Nov 17. PMID: 23168285
Goldberg RB, Jacobson TA. Effects of niacin on glucose control in patients with dyslipidemia. Mayo Clin Proc. 2008 Apr;83(4):470-8. doi: 10.4065/83.4.470. PMID: 18380993.
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Someone asked me today about the relationship between Vit C intake and exercise, citing the results of a small (2008) study showing that oral vitamin C inhibits oxidative stress and may lead to reduced mitochondrial regeneration [1] . This isn’t the first time I’ve been asked about the use of antioxidants in cancer and exercise. A recent study (2017) found that oral vitamin C did suppress exercise-induced oxidative stress, but had no negative effect on mitochondrial biogenesis [2]. It is not uncommon to see such conflicting results in science.
Oxidative stress is a double-edged sword. Oxidative stress has a critical regulatory role in our physiology. But increased oxidative stress is a KEY pathology in most, if not all, chronic and acute diseases. Hence, the balance of oxidative stress is the KEY, as illustrated below:
I have been promoting exercise as part of the healthy lifestyle. Free radicals are generated and oxidative stress is increased during exercise. The elevated oxidative stress needs to be quenched promptly. If not, long time sustained oxidative stress may result in physical injuries and illnesses. Hence, I recommend intermittent exercise and take plenty of rest in between. Take badminton for example. I love badminton games. I play for 2 hours each time and 3-4 times a week. In between 2 games, I rest enough so that I don’t feel tired. If you don’t feel restful enough and still feel tired from the previous episode of exercise. Over-exercise may do you more harm than good!
I don’t see enough evidence to support Vit C negative impact on exercise as of now. But if you are really concerned, then don’t take oral Vit C 3-4 hours before exercise. Take Vit C a couple of hours after exercise to reduce the exercise induced oxidative stress.
More about oxidative stress:
Let me point out some simple facts about oxidative stress.
Most, if not all, chronic diseases exhibit elevated oxidative stress, including but not limited to metabolic diseases (obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hyperuricemia/gout), cardiovascular disease, autoimmune diseases, psychiatric and emotional disorders, and cancer, among others.
A growing body of evidence begins to emerge that shows the clinical effectiveness of antioxidants. In our own practice, the systematic use of antioxidants (which we call whole-cell nutrition) is part of our standard regimen. We are already seeing improvements or reversals in chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease, autoimmune disease (including those with skin rash such as psoriasis, eczema, and vitiligo) and even cancer.
Reversing CVDs with Orthomolecular Medicine
Gomez-Cabrera MC, Domenech E, Romagnoli M, Arduini A, Borras C, Pallardo FV, Sastre J, Viña J. Oral administration of vitamin C decreases muscle mitochondrial biogenesis and hampers training-induced adaptations in endurance performance. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Jan;87(1):142-9. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/87.1.142. PMID: 18175748.
Kim JC, Park GD, Kim SH. Inhibition of Oxidative Stress by Antioxidant Supplementation Does Not Limit Muscle Mitochondrial Biogenesis or Endurance Capacity in Rats. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2017;63(5):277-283. doi: 10.3177/jnsv.63.277. PMID: 29225311.
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All information we provide online or on social media is for education and information exchange only and should not used as medical advise. You should consult your physician for medical care.
Due to high volume of questions that we receive, we apologize that we may not be able to answer all of them.
We take an integrative/holistic view of health and disease management. To provide responsible medical advises, we need detailed medical history including lab reports and an interview (in office or online) in a consultation format. Should you need a consultation, please feel free to call (803)233-3420 or email: info@drwlc.com. Thank you.
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Low carbohydrate diet and ketogenic diet are rapidly becoming the “new” most recommended diets for diabetes, weight loss and metabolic syndrome patients. These diets work very well for most people and lower their blood sugar levels, and body weight. In fact, I recommend low carb/ketogenic diet (with varying degree of strictness for different diseases. For patients with diabetes, cancer and autoimmune diseases, I usually recommend more strict ketogenic diet along with limits on foods with high plant toxins such as lectins, phytoalexins and oxalates etc.
However a small percentage of people may see a rise in their fasting blood sugar after a prolonged period of very low carb or ketogenic diet. Why is this and is this something to be concerned of?
There are several possible reasons why your fasting glucose may rise even if you are on a low carb or ketogenic diet.
Dawn Phenomenon. This refers to the rise of glucose in early mornings due to diurnal changes of our hormones, esp. cortisol. Normally cortisol levels rise in the morning, preparing us for a day’s work ahead. Cortisol increases our alertness, mobilizes energy for our body’s use by raising blood sugar levels. This is normal and happens to everyone. People who are on low carb or ketogenic diet, tend to have more marked Dawn Phenomenon. Usually there is no need for concern of dawn phenomenon. However, we do need to be aware of overreacting adrenal glands which may secret higher than normal amounts of cortisol when under high stressed (early phase of adrenal fatigue or adrenal insufficiency). When this happens, you need to seek out a trained doctor (usually a functional medicine doctor) for help.
Adaptive Glucose Sparing, this is also called physiological insulin resistance. This may happen to those who have been on very low carb or ketogenic diet for quite a while and their body is used to burning fat as fuel (so called keto adapted or fat adapted), with much reduced need for glucose. Under these circumstances, glucose is reserved for tissues that need glucose for energy mostly or even absolutely. Fats can only be metabolized as fuel through a biochemical process called TCA cycle in the mitochondria the little powerhouse in our cells. But a few types of cells don’t have mitochondria such as red blood cells and the cells in some part of our eyes. Some of our immune cells also adapted to use mostly glucose as fuel in a process called aerobic glycolysis (in layman’s term: fermentation without oxygen, since these cells are charged with a duty to enter infected sites where oxygen is scarce). Most other types of cells including our brain cells can burn fat as fuel. After being on low carb/ketogenic diet for a prolonged period, our body has adapted to burning fat as fuel and reserving glucose for those cell types that require glucose for energy. So most of our body cells (especially our muscles) learned to “reject” glucose as fuel, sparing glucose for those tissues that have a higher need for glucose. This is called physiological insulin resistance, different from pathological insulin resistance. This is also part of the reason why fasting glucose may rise for those who have been on prolonged low carb/ketogenic diet. No need to worry.
Measurements of our glucose metabolism: Fasting Blood Glucose, HbA1c, HOMA-IR. Fasting blood glucose in only one measurement at a particular time. HbA1c measures the average glucose level over the past 3 months or so, hence, it’s a better measurement of your recent past glucose levels. But fasting glucose and HbA1c only tells part of the story. A better assessment is to take into account both blood glucose and insulin levels. HOMA-IR stands for homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance.
HOMA-IR = (Blood glucose (mMol/L) * Insulin) / 22.5 or
HOMA-IR = (Blood glucose (mg/dL) * Insulin) / 405
HOMA-IR results:
Excellent Insulin Sensitivity: < 1
Early Insulin Sensitivity: > 1.9
Severe Insulin Resistant: > 2.9
Take 2 different scenarios:
Patient A, fasting glucose of 96, fasting insulin 4 uIU/mL, HOMA-IR: (96 x 4) / 405 = 0.94
Patient A’s fasting glucose is higher than Patient B’s. However, when both fasting glucose and insulin are counted, Patient B is at greater risk for diabetes and metabolic complications in the future.
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Vegetable oils and seed oils like soy, canola, sunflower, grapeseed, corn, safflower, peanut and rice bran oil are loaded with omega-6 linoleic acid (LA), which acts as a metabolic poison when consumed in excess. Anything over 10 grams a day will cause problems in the long run
Seed oils are incredibly proinflammatory and drive oxidation in your body. This oxidation, in turn, triggers mitochondrial dysfunction that then drives the disease process
Soybean oil has been shown to cause irreversible genetic changes in the brains of mice. This was true both for unmodified soybean oil and soybean oil modified to be low in LA. Both produced pronounced effects on the hypothalamus, which regulates metabolism and stress responses
A number of genes in the mice that were fed soybean oil were not functioning correctly, including a gene that produces oxytocin, the “love hormone.” About 100 other genes also affected. These changes could have ramifications for energy metabolism, proper brain function and diseases such as autism and Parkinson’s disease
Olive oil and avocado oil are commonly adulterated with cheaper seed oils, and even pure olive oil is loaded with LA. If you’re in the habit of eating olive oil, you may want to limit your intake to 1 tablespoon per day or less
Your choice of cooking oil can make a profound difference in your health. I’ve often warned against the use of soybean oil. Not only is partially hydrogenated soybean oil loaded with trans fat, which has been linked to heart disease,1 it’s also a source of an omega-6 fat called linoleic acid (LA), which is highly susceptible to oxidation and is typically from GMO seeds.
The problem results once you start to digest this fat, as you break it down into harmful sub-components called advanced lipid oxidation end products (ALEs) and oxidized LA metabolites (OXLAMs) that can cause significant damage at the cellular level. For example, an ALE called 4HNE is a mutagen known to cause DNA damage. Studies have shown there’s a definite correlation between elevated levels of 4HNE and heart failure.
Additionally, LA breaks down into 4HNE faster when the oil it is contained in is heated.2 This is largely why cardiologists recommend avoiding fried foods. ALEs and OXLAMs also play a very significant role in cancer and heart disease.
LA-Rich Soybean Oil Linked to Obesity and Diabetes
In 2015, a UC Riverside research team found soybean oil induced obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes and fatty liver in mice.3 Two years later, they confirmed this by showing soybean oil modified to be low in LA caused less obesity and insulin resistance than the unmodified soybean oil.4
Then, in 2020, that same team published research5,6 showing soybean oil, both the modified and unmodified versions, actually produced genetic changes in the brains of mice, and they were not for the better. However, this time LA was not the primary culprit.
Soybean Oil Linked to Genetic Changes in the Brain
In this surprising study,7 the researchers compared diets high in three different types of fat.
Soybean oil, which has a high LA content
Soybean oil modified to be low in LA
Coconut oil
It is surprising, because I would have thought that the LA produced the damaging effects, but LA was ruled out. So, they have identified yet another reason to avoid consuming soy products. As reported by the UC Riverside, the researchers:8
“… did not find any difference between the modified and unmodified soybean oil’s effects on the brain. Specifically, the scientists found pronounced effects of the oil on the hypothalamus, where a number of critical processes take place.
‘The hypothalamus regulates body weight via your metabolism, maintains body temperature, is critical for reproduction and physical growth as well as your response to stress,’ said Margarita Curras-Collazo, a UC Riverside associate professor of neuroscience and lead author on the study.
The team determined a number of genes in mice fed soybean oil were not functioning correctly. One such gene produces the ‘love’ hormone, oxytocin. In soybean oil-fed mice, levels of oxytocin in the hypothalamus went down.
The research team discovered roughly 100 other genes also affected by the soybean oil diet. They believe this discovery could have ramifications not just for energy metabolism, but also for proper brain function and diseases such as autism or Parkinson’s disease …
[T]he research team has not yet isolated which chemicals in the oil are responsible for the changes they found in the hypothalamus. But they have ruled out two candidates.
It is not linoleic acid, since the modified oil also produced genetic disruptions; nor is it stigmasterol, a cholesterol-like chemical found naturally in soybean oil. Identifying the compounds responsible for the negative effects is an important area for the team’s future research …
‘The dogma is that saturated fat is bad and unsaturated fat is good. Soybean oil is a polyunsaturated fat, but the idea that it’s good for you is just not proven,’ [UC Riverside toxicologist Frances] Sladek said.
Indeed, coconut oil, which contains saturated fats, produced very few changes in the hypothalamic genes. ‘If there’s one message I want people to take away, it’s this: reduce consumption of soybean oil,’ [assistant project scientist Poonamjot] Deol said …”
Seed Oils — A Most Harmful Ingredient in the Modern Diet
While that UC Riverside study claimed the genetic changes in the brain applied only to soybean oil and no other vegetable oils, there are loads of other research showing vegetable oils, also known as seed oils, are some of the most harmful foods you could eat.
In the video above,9 Dr. Chris Knobbe, an ophthalmologist and founder and president of the Cure AMD Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to the prevention of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), gives an excellent synopsis of why seed oils are the unifying mechanism behind westernized chronic diseases like heart disease, obesity, cancer and diabetes. Some of the points he makes are:
Heart disease, now the leading cause of death in the U.S.,10 was virtually unknown in the 19th century. The same goes for cancer, which caused 0.5% of deaths in 1811 and 5.8% of deaths in 1900 — spiking to more than 31% of deaths in 2010.11
A similar pattern emerged for diabetes, which was rare in the 19th century and had a prevalence of 0.37% in 1935. By 2020, there was a 28-fold increase in 85 years, to a prevalence of 10.5%.
Obesity? Same story. With a prevalence of just 1.2% in the 19th century, obesity increased 33-fold in 115 years, to a prevalence of 39.8% in 2015.12 By 1990, meanwhile, 24% of U.S. adults were diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, which is a combination of high blood pressure, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia and visceral obesity.
By 2015, 88% of U.S. adults failed to meet five criteria for metabolic health, measured by blood glucose, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, blood pressure and waist circumference.13
Macular degeneration and osteoarthritis followed similar striking increases, causing Knobbe to ask, “What was so ubiquitous during this time that could have prompted these changes?” Dietary history provides the answer, with the introduction of four primary processed foods — sugar, industrially processed seed oils, refined flour and trans fats — acting as the culprits.
Seed Oils Are Incredibly Proinflammatory
Download Interview TranscriptThe problem with seed oils is that they’re incredibly proinflammatory14 and they increase excessive oxidative damage in your body. This oxidative stress, in turn, triggers mitochondrial damage and dysfunction that then drives the disease process. Several studies15,16,17,18,19,20,21 have demonstrated the truth of this.
The OXLAMs (LA metabolites) are also cytotoxic, genotoxic, mutagenic, carcinogenic, thrombogenic, atherogenic and obesogenic.22 Then, there’s the issue of direct toxicity from pesticides and herbicides.
Most of the vegetable oils produced today — especially canola, corn and soy — are made from genetically engineered crops and are therefore a significant source of toxic glyphosate exposure. According to Knobbe, the reason these oils have been able to remain in the food supply, despite their high toxicity, is because they’re not acute biological poisons, but chronic ones.23
Seed oils were introduced into the U.S. diet in 1866. By 2010, they made up 32% of Americans’ diet, which amounts to 80 grams per person per day.24 In contrast, in 1865, most people would have only about 2% to 3% of their caloric intake from omega-6 LA from butter, lard and beef tallow.
Ancestrally raised animals had very low omega-6, but this changed significantly once animals started being raised in concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs). CAFO pork, for example, can contain up to 20% omega-6 fats, thanks to them being fed a diet high in omega-6 grains.25 The results of this dietary change have been significant.
Today, omega-6 fats make up anywhere from 20% to 30% of the average person’s daily calories, with 80% of it being LA. Instead of 80 grams per day, your goal is to get it under 7 grams per day. That would but you into the healthy percentage range of LA that our ancestors from a mere 150 years ago consumed.
According to a report by Jeff Nobbs,26 6 in 10 Americans have a chronic disease, and heart disease, asthma, cancer and diabetes have increased 700% since 1935. During this time, Americans have been smoking and drinking less, exercising more and eating “healthier” according to conventional guidelines to lower saturated fat and sodium. Nobbs, too, believes seed oil is the missing link that explains why Americans keep getting sicker.
Processed Seed Oils Harm Your Health in Many Ways
Aside from oxidation, inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction, processed seed oils and vegetable oils like soybean oil also harm your health in other ways. For example, they’ve been found to:27
Damage the endothelium (the cells lining your blood vessels) and cause an increase in penetration of LDL and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) particles into the subendothelium.28
In other words, these oils get integrated in your cell and mitochondrial membranes, and once these membranes are damaged, it sets the stage for all sorts of health problems. With a half-life of 600 to 680 days,29 it can take years to clear them out of your body. They also get incorporated into tissues such as your heart and brain. One result of this could be memory impairment and increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Canola oil, in particular, has been linked to Alzheimer’s.30
Make your cell membranes more permeable, allowing things to enter that shouldn’t.
Make your cell membranes less fluid, which impacts hormone transporters in the cell membrane and slows your metabolic rate.
Inhibit cardiolipin,31 an important fat in the inner membrane of your mitochondria that needs to have non-damaged fat to perform optimally and facilitate optimal function of the electron transport chain and production of ATP.
Cardiolipin also works like a cellular alarm system that triggers apoptosis (cell death) by signaling caspase-3 when something goes wrong with the cell. If the cardiolipin is not saturated with DHA, it cannot signal caspase-3, and hence apoptosis does not occur. As a result, dysfunctional cells are allowed to continue to grow, which can turn into a cancerous cell.
Inhibit the removal of senescent cells, i.e., aged, damaged or crippled cells that have lost the ability to reproduce and produce inflammatory cytokines that rapidly accelerate disease and aging.
Strip your liver of glutathione (which produces antioxidant enzymes), thereby lowering your antioxidant defenses.32
Inhibit delta-6 desaturase (delta-6), an enzyme involved in the conversion of short-chained omega-3s to longer chained omega-3s in your liver.33
Impair your immune function and increase mortality from COVID-19. Saturated fat, on the other hand, may lower your risk of death.34 The authors of that study noted that unsaturated fats “cause injury [and] organ failure resembling COVID-19.”
More specifically, unsaturated fats are known to trigger lipotoxic acute pancreatitis, and the sepsis and multisystem organ failure seen in severe cases of COVID-19 greatly resembles this condition. In short, linoleic acid contributes to the inflammatory domino effect that eventually kills some people with COVID-19.
Make your fat cells more insulin sensitive, thereby causing insulin resistance.35
How to Avoid These Dangerous Fats
Considering the profoundly serious damage they cause, eliminating seed and vegetable oils from your diet can go a long way toward improving your health. This includes soy, canola, sunflower, grapeseed, corn, safflower, peanut and rice bran oil.
Also, be mindful of olive oil and avocado oil, as both are commonly adulterated with cheaper seed oils. That said, even pure olive and avocado oil are loaded with LA. If, like me, you’re in the habit of eating olive oil, I would strongly encourage you to limit your intake to 1 tablespoon per day or less. In my view, olive oil is not a magic bullet and if you are already consuming 80 grams of LA per day, it will only worsen, not help, your health.
To avoid these oils, don’t cook with them, of course, but also avoid processed foods, condiments, fast foods and restaurant foods. If you eat out, you’re undoubtedly eating unhealthy amounts of seed oils, as most restaurant foods are loaded with it.
Fried foods, dressing and sauces tend to be key culprits. Your best bet is to prepare most of your food at home, so you know what you are eating and, in the case of seed oils, what you’re not.
Conventionally raised chicken and pork are also very high in LA, and therefore best avoided. As mentioned earlier, CAFO animals are routinely fed grains such as corn, and as a result, their meat becomes high in LA, as the corn is loaded with it. You can learn more about this in Joe Rogan’s interview with Dr. Paul Saladino, author of “The Carnivore Code.”
How Much Linoleic Acid Is Too Much?
Many now understand that your omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is very important, and should be about 1-to-1 or possibly up to 4-to-1, but simply increasing your omega-3 intake won’t counteract the damage done by excessive LA. You really need to minimize the omega-6 to prevent damage from taking place.
Ideally, consider cutting LA down to below 7 grams per day, which is close to what our ancestors used to get before all of these chronic health conditions, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer, became widespread. If olive oil puts you over the limit, consider cooking with tallow or lard instead.
If you’re not sure how much you’re eating, enter your food intake into Cronometer — a free online nutrition tracker — and it will provide you with your total LA intake. The key to accurate entry is to carefully weigh your food with a digital kitchen scale so you can enter the weight of your food to the nearest gram.
Cronometer will tell you how much omega-6 you’re getting from your food down to the 10th of a gram, and you can assume 90% of that is LA. Anything over 10 grams is likely to cause problems.
Number of cancer chemotherapy drugs are ever increasing!
Cancer treatment costs are ever increasing！
But are cancer patients, families and the society as a whole really benefiting from the ever increasing cancer care costs?
The following data will show that the cancer patients, families and the society do not receive significant benefits. Then,
Who are really benefiting from these ever increasing cancer care costs?
Cancer is a top chronic disease, with 1.9 million new cancer diagnoses and killing more than 600,000 Americans in 2021 (1). Globally, there were 23.6 million new cancer cases and 10 million cancer deaths in 2019, “global burden of cancer is substantial and growing” (2).
Chemotherapy has been the standard treatment for cancer over the past decades. The chemo drug market is $USD 141 billion in 2021 and is expected to double in the next few years to reach ~$USD 290 billion in 2028 (3).
With that much money spent on chemo drugs, are these chemo drugs helping cancer patients? Let’s look at some large scale epidemiology studies.
Nearly 20 years ago, a group of Australian scholars studied the impact of cytotoxic chemo drugs on cancer patients 5-year survival rate, a standard measure of chemo drugs in the USA and Australia. They concluded disappointingly in their paper (4):
“As the 5-year relative survival rate for cancer in Australia is now over 60%, it is clear that cytotoxic chemotherapy only makes a minor contribution to cancer survival. “
Another group of scientists studied the impact of chemo drugs on cancer patients in the United Kingdom (5).
“The NHS Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) was established in 2010 to reduce delays and improve access to cancer drugs, including those that had been previously appraised but not approved by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence). After 1.3 billion GBP expenditure, a UK parliamentary review in 2016 rationalized the CDF back into NICE.”
The authors concluded: We conclude the CDF has not delivered meaningful value to patients or society.
A 2017 study published on Nature looked at the global impact of chemo drugs worldwide. They concluded (6):
Of the 277 cancer chemo drugs in clinical trials from 2011 to 2015, 85% had no clinical effect;
The more expensive the cancer chemo drug, the less the clinical effect;
In the low- and middle-income countries, high-tech cancer treatments do more harm than good to patients.
A 2020 JAMA paper studied the 90 FDA approved new cancer drugs between 2000 and 2016. They authors concluded (7):
“In this study, data available at the time of FDA drug approval indicated that novel cancer therapies were associated with substantial tumor responses but with prolonging median overall survival by only 2.40 months. Approval data from 17 years of clinical trials suggested that patients and clinicians typically had limited information available regarding the benefits of novel cancer treatments at market entry.”
The above large scale data from the USA, The United Kingdom, Australia and the whole world spanning the past ~20 years, clearly show lack of evidence of beneficial impact of these very toxic cancer drugs to cancer patients, their families and the society as a whole.
How did they ever become the standard cancer therapy?
Don’t these substantial data indicate the significant flaws in the oncology industry from drug approval process, marketing and all the way down to individual cancer patient management?
Global Burden of Disease 2019 Cancer Collaboration, Kocarnik et al. Cancer Incidence, Mortality, Years of Life Lost, Years Lived With Disability, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years for 29 Cancer Groups From 2010 to 2019: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. JAMA Oncol. 2021 Dec 30. PMID: 34967848.
Morgan G, Ward R, Barton M. The contribution of cytotoxic chemotherapy to 5-year survival in adult malignancies. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol). 2004 Dec;16(8). PMID: 15630849.
Aggarwal et al. Do patient access schemes for high-cost cancer drugs deliver value to society?-lessons from the NHS Cancer Drugs Fund. Ann Oncol. 2017 Aug 1. PMID: 28453615;
Sullivan R, Pramesh CS, Booth CM. Cancer patients need better care, not just more technology. Nature. 2017 Sep 19. PMID: 28933447.
Ladanie et al. Clinical Trial Evidence Supporting US Food and Drug Administration Approval of Novel Cancer Therapies Between 2000 and 2016. JAMA 2020 Nov 2. PMID: 33170262;
Posted inIntegrative Cancer Therapy|Comments Off on Studies of the Past ~20 Years Show: Cancer Chemo Drugs Do Not Offer Significant Benefits
Dr. Andrew Saul, editor-in-chief, Orthomolecular Medicine News Service (orthomolecular.org) today shared with us of his the Epoch Times interview sometime ago, on Vit C and Covid-19.
During the interview, Dr. Saul discussed the abundant research and clinical data of VC’s (indisputable, my word) anti-viral effects, VC on Covid-19 and the censorship on VC. He also discussed my involvement of VC on Covid-19. We were the first to report using VC for Covd-19 and also promoting VC for Covid-19 worldwide.
“Not only did they do a good interview; they also released part 2 a week later. Very unlike most newspapers, they did not edit out comments I made: practically everything I said was in the published articles.” Said Dr. Saul.
The Epoch Times, a NYC based newspaper with 1.5 million readership, interview can be found at:
