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Prevention Protocols
Saturating the Bladder
The most frequently voiced criticism about supplemental vitamin intake is that it produces "expensive urine," because water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C and the B vitamins, are rapidly excreted into the bladder within hours of ingestion. For years, the Life Extension Foundation has contended that these vitamins are beneficial in spite of their rapid excretion and that, moreover, it is desirable to have a bladder full of vitamins because certain vitamins inhibit chemicals that cause bladder cancer. In the September 1996 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, a study on the risk of bladder cancer in vitamin takers showed the following (Bruemmer et al. 1996):
- High intake of vitamin A and beta-carotene was associated with a 48% reduction in bladder cancer incidence compared to the lowest levels of vitamin A and beta-carotene intake.
- People taking higher amounts of vitamin C had a 50% reduced rate of bladder cancer. Those who took 502 mg or more of vitamin C a day had a 60% reduction in bladder cancer compared to those who took no vitamin C.
- For those who took multivitamin supplements for at least 10 years, the reduction in bladder cancer was 61% compared to people who took no vitamin supplements.
- High intake of fried foods was associated with double the risk of bladder cancer.
It appears from this study that even low-potency "one-a-day" supplements (which do not protect against other types of cancer) can at least protect against bladder cancer.
Protecting Vision
Studies show that antioxidant supplements reduce the risk of cataracts. One study in the American Journal of Epidemiology (Rouhiainen et al. 1996) evaluated 410 men for 3 years to ascertain the association between serum vitamin E and the development of cortical lens opacities (cataracts). The men with the lowest level of serum vitamin E had a 3.7 times greater risk of this form of cataract compared to men with the highest serum level of vitamin E (Rouhiainen et al. 1996).
Although cataracts are usually treatable, a disease called wet macular degeneration is not. Those who eat spinach and collard greens have low rates of macular degeneration, and extracts from these vegetables thought to protect against this blinding disease are now available in dietary supplements that contain lutein and zeaxanthin.
Keeping Arteries Clean
In a study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Bonithon-Kopp et al. 1997), antioxidant status was assessed and carotid artery occlusion was measured in 1187 men and women 59-71 years of age without any history of coronary artery disease or stroke. The results showed that the higher the level of vitamin E in red blood cells, the lower the risk of carotid atherosclerosis. In men with the highest levels of carotid atherosclerotic plaques, the lowest levels of vitamin E, selenium, and carotenoids were found. The scientists concluded by stating: "Our findings give some epidemiological support to the hypothesis that lipid peroxidation and low antioxidant status are involved in the early stages of atherosclerosis" (Bonithon-Kopp et al. 1997).
A study in the journal Atherosclerosis (Koscielny et al. 1999) showed that people who took a 900-mg of garlic supplement every day for 4 years had 5-18% less plaque buildup in their carotid arteries compared to the placebo group. The women in the study group actually showed a 4.6% decrease in carotid plaque volume over a 4-year period, whereas the placebo group showed a 5.3% increase in artery-clogging plaque.
There are more studies showing that atherosclerosis can be prevented than for any other degenerative disease. Because more people die or become disabled from vascular diseases than from any other cause, it would appear prudent to follow a program that would reduce one's risk of suffering a vascular-related heart attack or stroke.
Are You Concerned about Cancer?
A well-justified fear of cancer is a major reason why people take dietary supplements. As has already been shown, there is a compelling body of evidence that cancer risk can be reduced by taking the proper supplements over an extended period of time.
An article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) by Clark et al. (1996) showed that 200 mcg of supplemental selenium a day reduced overall cancer mortality by 50% in humans compared to a placebo group not receiving supplemental selenium. This 9-year study demonstrated that a low-cost mineral supplement could cut the risk of dying from cancer in half in certain individuals.
In the March 17, 1999, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (Zhang et al. 1999), associations between intakes of specific nutrients and subsequent breast cancer risk were investigated in 83,234 women who were participating in the Harvard Nurses' Health Study. Breast cancer risks were significantly lower in women who consumed alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein/zeaxanthin, and vitamins A and C. Among premenopausal women who consumed moderate amounts of alcohol (a known risk factor in breast cancer), beta-carotene lowered risk. Premenopausal women who consumed 5 or more servings a day of fruits and vegetables had modestly lower risk of breast cancer than those who had less than 2 servings a day.
A study in the March 15, 1999, issue of Cancer Research (Gann et al. 1999) showed that the tomato extract lycopene was the most effective nutrient shown to protect against the development of prostate cancer. This study, started in 1982, followed 578 men for 13 years. Lycopene strongly reduced prostate cancer risk and more importantly, lowered the risk for aggressive cancer. This study confirmed many previous studies showing that lycopene can help prevent pancreatic, prostate, and a host of other cancers. A surprising finding revealed at the April 12, 1999, meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research showed that 30 mg of lycopene supplements a day slowed the growth of existing prostate cancer and lowered serum PSA readings by 20%!
Men with high intake of vitamin E were 35% as likely to develop colorectal adenomas as men with low vitamin E intake (Tseng et al. 1996). (Adenomas are neoplastic lesions that are considered precursors to colon cancer.) In a related study in the February 1999 issue of Diseases of the Colon and Rectum (Whelan et al. 1999), the use of multivitamins, vitamin E, and calcium supplements was found to be associated with a lower incidence of recurrent adenomas in 448 patients with previous neoplasia who underwent follow-up colonoscopy. This study found a protective effect against the recurrence of precancerous adenomas when any vitamin supplement was used. On this same subject, a report in the American Journal of Epidemiology (Tseng et al. 1996) showed that women with high folate intake were 40% less likely to develop adenomas of the colon than women with low folate intake.
But what if you already have cancer? Again, the research shows a prolongation of lifespan with proper supplementation.
In a study in Cancer Letters (Evangelou et al. 1997), animals with malignant tumors given high doses of vitamins C and E and selenium manifested a significant prolongation of the mean survival time. Complete remission of tumors developed in 16.8% of the animals. Low-dose administration of these vitamins failed to exert any beneficial effect on mean survival time of the animals. Results indicated that high doses (mega doses) of vitamins C and E in combination with other carefully selected antioxidants are probably needed in order to achieve sufficient prevention and treatment of malignant diseases. This study indicated that low-potency supplements are of little value.
Vitamin E succinate was shown to inhibit growth and induced apoptotic cell death of estrogen receptor-negative human breast cancer cells in a study in Cancer Research (Turley et al. 1997). These findings suggest that vitamin E succinate may be of clinical use in the treatment and possible prevention of human breast cancers.
The research clearly shows the risk of contracting cancer is reduced in those who supplement with adequate amounts of nutrients, such as selenium, folate, carotenoids, vitamins, and other plant extracts.
Reducing Mortality
One of the most compelling reports that high-potency supplements extend lifespan in humans was by Losonczy et al. in the August 1996 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. This study involved 11,178 elderly people, who participated in a trial to establish the effects of vitamin supplements on mortality. The study showed that the use of vitamin E reduced the risk of death from all causes by 34%. Effects were strongest for coronary artery disease, where vitamin E resulted in a 63% reduction in death from heart attack. In addition, the use of vitamin E resulted in a 59% reduction in cancer mortality. When the effects of vitamins C and E were combined, overall mortality was reduced by 42% (compared to 34% for vitamin E alone) (Losonczy et al. 1996). These results provided significant evidence about the value of vitamin supplementation, yet the media failed to report on it. What made this study so credible was that:
- It compared people who took low-potency "one-a-day" multiple vitamins to those who took higher-potency vitamins C and E supplements. Previous studies measuring the life expectancy of the "one-a-day" crowd did not show significant benefits, thereby causing most doctors to conclude there is no value in vitamin supplementation. In this new report, those taking "one-a-day" multivitamins did not do any better than people taking nothing at all, which supports the Life Extension Foundation's position that higher doses of antioxidants are required to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer than those found in conventional supplements.
- It lasted 9 years! Most studies that attempt to evaluate the benefits of vitamin supplementation are for shorter time periods. It should be noted, however, that the famous Harvard Nurses' Health Study found that vitamin E reduced coronary artery disease mortality by more than 40% after only 2 years!
- It included 11,178 people, a larger group than most previous studies.
Controlling Aging
The National Academy of Sciences published three reports showing that the effects of aging may be partially reversible with a combination of acetyl-L-carnitine and lipoic acid (Hagen et al. 2002). One of these studies showed that supplementation with these two nutrients resulted in a partial reversal of the decline of mitochondrial membrane function while consumption of oxygen significantly increased. This study demonstrated that the combination of acetyl-L-carnitine and lipoic acid improved ambulatory activity, with a significantly greater degree of improvement in the old rats compared to the young ones. Human aging is characterized by lethargy, infirmity, and weakness. There is now evidence that supplementation with two over-the-counter supplements can produce a measurable antiaging effect.
The second study published by the National Academy of Sciences showed that supplementation with acetyl-L-carnitine and lipoic acid resulted in improved memory in old rats. Electron microscopic studies in the hippocampus region of the brain showed that acetyl-L-carnitine and lipoic acid reversed age-associated mitochondrial structural decay. In the third National Academy of Sciences study, scientists tested acetyl-L-carnitine and lipoic acid to see if an enzyme used by the mitochondria as biologic fuel could be restored in old rats. After 7 weeks of supplementation with acetyl-L-carnitine and lipoic acid, levels of this enzyme (carnitine acetyl-transferase) were significantly restored in the aged rats. Supplementation also inhibited free radical-induced lipid peroxidation, which enhanced the activity of the energy-producing enzyme in the mitochondria. The scientists concluded that feeding old rats acetyl-L-carnitine and lipoic acid can ameliorate oxidative damage, along with mitochondrial dysfunction.
Hormone Replacement
Proper hormone replacement can produce an immediate improvement in the quality of life and also prevent many diseases. DHEA is one of several important hormones whose production in the body diminishes rapidly as people age past year 35. There now exists a wide body of evidence that supplementation with DHEA can prevent many degenerative diseases, while improving feelings of well-being and alleviating depression.
In the October 1996 issue of the journal Drugs and Aging, an overview of published studies by Watson et al. (1996) on DHEA revealed the following:
- In both humans and animals, the decline of DHEA production with aging is associated with immune depression, increased mortality, increased risk of several different cancers, loss of sleep, and decreased feelings of well-being.
- DHEA replacement in aged mice significantly normalized immune function to youthful levels.
- DHEA replacement has shown a favorable effect on osteoclasts and lymphoid cells, an effect that may delay osteoporosis.
- Low levels of DHEA inhibit energy metabolism, thus increasing the risk of heart disease and diabetes mellitus.
- Studies conducted on humans show essentially no toxicity at doses that restore DHEA to youthful levels.
- DHEA deficiency may expedite the development of some diseases that are common in the elderly.
Since this overview was published in 1996, hundreds of additional studies have substantiated DHEA's role as an antiaging hormone-replacement supplement. In a study published in Biological Psychiatry (Wolkowitz et al. 1997), DHEA was tested on middle-aged and elderly patients with major depression. DHEA was administered for 4 weeks in doses ranging from 30-90 mg a day. This level of dosing elevated DHEA serum levels to those observed in younger people. Depression ratings, as well as aspects of memory performance, significantly improved. This data suggested that DHEA may have antidepressant and promemory effects and corresponded with previous human studies in which DHEA supplementation (50 mg a day) significantly elevated mood in elderly people.
For specific information on antiaging hormone replacement, refer to the Male Hormone Modulation Therapy, Female Hormone Replacement Therapy, and DHEA Replacement Therapy protocols. |