HOORAY FOR THE WARMING, VIBRANT SUN! WHAT IS THE BEST TIME TO GET THE SUN?
"The only reason to worry about inadequate sun exposure is vitamin D deficiency. WRONG!!" Stephanie Seneff, PHD, 2012.
WHAT IS THE BEST TIME TO GET THE SUN?
How the sun's UVB rays (ultraviolet B rays) make vitamin D:
"The beneficial radiation is the ultraviolet B, and you can get the highest portion of UVB at noontime." CIE (International Commission on Illumination) recommendation: "20 minutes naked at noon time gives you the highest benefit and lowest risk." Alexander Wunsch, MD, 2016.
SUN EXPOSURE TIPS
Tips from Dr. Mercola: "The first few days, you should limit your exposure to the sun to allow your body's melanocyte cells to rev up the ability to produce protective pigmentation that not only gives you a tan, but also serves to help protect you against overexposure to the sun. If you are a fairly light skinned individual that tends to burn, you will want to limit your initial exposure to a few minutes, especially if it is in the middle of summer. The more tanned your skin will get, and/or the more tanned you want to become, the longer you can stay in the sun. If it is early or late in the season and/or you are a dark skinned individual, you could likely safely have 30 minutes on your initial exposure. If you are deeply pigmented and your immediate ancestors are from Africa, India or the Middle East, it is possible you may not even have to worry about the timing of your exposure. Always err on the side of caution however, and let it be your primary goal to never get sun burned. You can use a moisturizing, safe, NON-SPF cream to moisturize your skin, or use something as simple as organic coconut oil to moisturize your skin as this will also benefit you metabolically. Remember if the moisturizer you use has an SPF value, it will block UVB rays and will not allow your body to produce any vitamin D. The rest of the day, you can spend in the shade, wear clothes, and, if you still want to be in the open sun, use a non-toxic lotion with SPF15 for uncovered skin. Just be sure to be on the safe side of burning." (See Dr. Mercola, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/03/26/maximizing-vitamin-d-exposure.aspx.)
SOME WAYS THE SUN IS HELPFUL VITAMIN D, CHOLESTEROL SULFATE, PINEAL GLAND AND MELATONIN, ACTIVATES CHLOROPHYLL METABOLITE, AND ACTIVATES EZ WATER IN YOUR BODY!
SUN AND VITAMIN D: "Humans make 90 percent of our vitamin D naturally from sunlight exposure to our skin – specifically, from ultraviolet B exposure to the skin, which naturally initiates the conversion of cholesterol in the skin to vitamin D3." (http://www.sunshinevitamin.org/. ... Also, see the vitamin D research and opinions in the HERBS AND SUPPLEMENTS' section.)
SUN AND CHOLESTEROL SULFATE: "The skin is a solar-powered battery. .... Cells in the skin produce vitamin D3 sulfate upon exposure to the sun. .... Cholesterol sulfate provides cholesterol and sulfate to all tissues in the body. ... Sunlight promotes sulfate synthesis in the skin, fixating oxygen in the sulfate molecules inside the caveolae, a protected environment." Here is just one way that cholesterol sulfate is helpful: "Cholesterol sulfate catalyzes synthesis of proflaggin, one of two key proteins forming the cross-linked mesh that protects from bacterial invasion and prevents water loss." Conclusion: "I propose a radical new theory that the skin can capture both sulfur and oxygen from the air in the form of a sulfate molecule, but it depends upon sun exposure to work." (See Stephanie Seneff, PHD, Let The Sun Shine In!, 2012, Cholesterol Sulfate, 20http://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/WAPF_Slides_2013/2_cholesterol_sulfate.pdf, For website, http://people.csail.mit.edu/seneff/.)
SUN, PINEAL GLAND, AND MELATONIN: "The hormone, melatonin, is most known for its role in helping you sleep, but research indicates it also helps protect your brain health and fights against cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, heart disease, and more. .... Make sure you get BRIGHT sun exposure regularly. Your pineal gland produces melatonin roughly in approximation to the contrast of bright sun exposure in the day and complete darkness at night. If you are in darkness all day long, it can't appreciate the difference and will not optimize your melatonin production." (Dr. Joseph Mercola, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/10/10/melatonin.aspx.)
SUN ACTIVATES CHLOROPHYLL METABOLITE: Sayer Ji, from Green Med Info, posed the question: "What if conventional wisdom regarding our most fundamental energy requirements has been wrong all along and we can directly harness the energy of the sun when we consume 'plant blood'? ....The researchers, working out of Columbia University Medical Center, conducted a number of experiments in order to ascertain whether animals as well as plants can use light-absorbing chlorophyll molecules to capture light energy for ATP synthesis." And, here, from the study, .."Sunlight is the most abundant energy source on this planet. However, the ability to convert sunlight into biological energy in the form of ATP is thought to be limited to chlorophyll-containing chloroplasts in photosynthetic organisms. Here we show that mammalian mitochondria can also capture light and synthesize ATP when mixed with a light-capturing metabolite of chlorophyll." Editors' Note: Eat your veggies and get some sun! Read more about this in the FOODS' section. (See the Sayer Ji article, http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/chlorophyll-enables-your-cells-captureuse-sunlight-energy-copernican-revolution. ... For the study, see Xu C et al., Light-Harvesting Chlorophyll Pigments Enable Mammalian Mitochondria To Produce Photonic Energy and to Produce ATP, J Cell Sci, 2013.)
SUN ACTIVATES EXCLUSIONARY ZONE WATER: From Dr. Mercola: "There is a fourth phase of water, not H2O but H3O2, and can be called living water. It's more viscous, dense, and alkaline than regular water, has a negative charge, and can hold energy, much like a battery, and deliver energy, too. ... The key ingredient to create this highly structured water is light; i.e., electrogmagnetic energy, whether in the form of visibile light,or infrared wavelengths, which we're surrounded by all the time." Editors' Note: A simple way to get this light is to be in the sun! (See Dr.Joseph Mercola, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/08/18/exclusion-zone-water.aspx, and read more in the WATER section.)
EXERCISE!
October 2022
A Mini Review - Physical activity prevents tumor metastasis through modulation of immune function
" EXCERPT: " ....It remains poorly understood how physical activity prevents metastasis by modulating tumor behavior. The immune system is involved in each step of tumor metastasis. From invasion to colonization, immune cells interact with tumor cells to secret cytokines and proteases to remodel the tumor microenvironment. Substantial studies demonstrated the ability of physical activity to induce antitumor effects of immune cells. This provides the possibility that physical activity can modulate immune cells behavior to attenuate tumor metastasis. The purpose of this review is to discuss and summarize the critical link between immune function and exercise in metastasis prevention.}
ABSTRACT: Existing preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated that physical activity (PA), particularly regular moderate exercise, plays a beneficial role in tumor metastasis. The immune system is highly responsive to exercise, which may lead to beneficial effects on tumor metastasis. During exercise, a large number of cytotoxic immune cells with antitumor functions are mobilized into circulation to kill CTCs. To be sure, the mechanisms of exercise modulating immune cells are extensive and diverse. However, the exploration of the potential mechanisms underlying the beneficial effect of exercise on immune cells is still in its early stages. The review analyzed that PA can control metastasis by regulating immune function. As the understanding of the mechanisms by which PA effects tumor metastasis continues to improve, new therapeutic strategies will be identified and validated, potentially contributing to improve survival in cancer patients. (See Zheng A et al., Physical Activity Prevents Tumor Metastasis Through Modulation of the Immune System, Frontiers in Pharmacology, October 2022)
December 2020
EXERCISE FOR HYPOXIA (LOW OXYGEN) TO MODULATE TUMOR MILIEU
"The inadequate delivery of oxygen and clearance of by-products of metabolism promote the development of intratumoral hypoxia and acidification, hampering the action of immune cells and resulting in more aggressive tumors. .... Physical exercise emerged as a potential favorable modulator of tumor vasculature, improving intratumoral vascularization and perfusion. ... Indeed, it seems that regular exercise practice is associated with lasting tumor vascular maturity, reduced vascular resistance, and increased vascular conductance. Higher vascular conductance reduces intratumoral hypoxia and increases the accessibility of circulating immune cells to the tumor milieu, inhibiting tumor development and improving cancer treatment."(Role of Regular Physical Exercise in Tumor Vasculature: Favorable Modulator of Tumor Milieu, Esteves M et al, Int J Sport Med, 2020)
AUGUST 2018 STUDY
Can moderate long-term exercise (35 weeks) modulate the breast cancer tumor microenvironment in rats?
YES!
Fifty rats were broken up into 4 groups: Two groups (exercised and sedentary), and two groups with chemically-induced (MNU) breast cancer (exercised and sedentary).
In the MNU breast cancer groups, the median number of infiltrative lesions was lower in the exercised group.
The microenvironment in these infiltrative tumors favored increased cell death.
The benefits of long-term exercise included a diminished "prevalence of malignancy".
"Within infiltrative lesions, moderate exercise improves the balance between cell -proliferation and cell-death with decreased connective tissue that suggests lower tumor aggressiveness."
(See Figueira ACC et al., Exercise Training-Induced Modulation of Microenvironment in Rat Mammary Neoplasms, Intl J Sports Med, 2018.)
CAN EXERCISE HELP PREVENT BREAST CANCER?
EXERCISE AFFECTS BIOMARKERS FOR RISK OF BREAST CANCER EXAMPLE: EXERCISE LOWERS ESTROGEN BY APPROXIMATELY 5-10% EXERCISE REDUCES BREAST CANCER RISK BY 10-25%
"Strong and consistent evidence exists that physical activity reduces breast cancer risk by 10-25 %, and several proposed biologic mechanisms have now been investigated in randomized, controlled, exercise intervention trials.." Neilson, H et al., 2014.
In the Neilson H et al. 2014 study, the researchers sought to relate how exercise has an impact on biomarkers for postmenopausal breast cancer.
Factors for breast cancer? Some convincing biomarkers for the risk of breast cancer are "adiposity and endogenous sex hormones". Hypotheses include, "insulin resistance and chronic low-grade inflammation. In addition, other pathways are emerging as potentially important, including those involving oxidative stress and telomere length, global DNA hypomethylation, immune function, and vitamin D exposure."
Since there is "strong and consistent research" that exercise can reduce breast cancer risk by 10 to 25%, how does exercise relate to these biomarkers for breast cancer? As far as weight control is concerned, "Every 5 kg/m increase in body mass index has been shown to increase postmenopausal breast cancer risk by 12 % on average. After being diagnosed with breast cancer, "...Survival rates are decreased with higher body mass index by as much as 30 %." But weight loss differently affects the biomarkers. " Evidence from different trials in healthy postmenopausal women implies that "moderate-vigorous aerobic exercise prescriptions of 150–225 minutes per week over 12 months can lower estradiol levels by approximately 5-10 % on average, primarily through total body weight loss. Yet, there is biologic plausibility that some exercise-induced biomarker changes do not require loss of body fat, whereas others depend on abdominal fat loss. The preventive effect of exercise is probably the culmination of numerous interrelated biomarker changes that, when combined, act additively or synergistically to impede carcinogenesis in the breast." (See Neilson H et al., The Influence of Energetic Factors on Biomarkers of Postmenopausal Breast Cancer Risk, Curr Nutr Rep, 2014.)
CAN EXERCISE HELP PREVENT BREAST CANCER? OLD MICE RUNNING LONGER DISTANCES BEFORE BREAST CANCER HAVE SMALLER TUMORS! NO DIFFERENCE IN TUMOR GROWTH IN EITHER RUNNERS OR NON-RUNNERS ONE WEEK OR TWO WEEKS AFTER THE TUMORS!
"....A correlation between daily distance run, prior to tumor cell injection (in old mice), and absolute tumor mass that was measured 30 days after the tumor cell injection.." "The observations from this study indicate that running longer distances is associated with decreased breast tumor burden in old mice, suggesting that physiological factors generated by exercising before tumor onsent are protective against tumor progression." Goh J et al., 2014.
Many older women, not yet diagnosed, are at risk for breast cancer. How can exercise affect this risk of breast cancer in older women?
The Goh J et al. 2014 study investigated whether exercise would have an effect on the development of breast cancer in old mice.
In their experiment, older 18 month old mice exercised with a running wheel for sixty days with a daily average of 4.89+-1.73 km prior to being injected with breast cancer tumor cells.
Results? This wheel running attenuated the tumor growth in the old mice. There was a "correlation between daily distance run, prior to tumor cell injection, and absolute tumor mass that was measured 30 days after the tumor cell injection." What was also observed that there was a correlation between the distance that the mice ran and the mitotic index for proliferation, "suggesting that pre-tumor running may release factors that prevent tumor cell multiplication."
Fascinatingly," Runners and non-runners showed no differences in tumor growth either one week or two weeks after tumor cell injection." So the running is a pre-tumor effect!
And this could be a factor in the lack of post-tumor running effect: The old mice"reduced their running distance after cancer onset ( to 2.38 ± 1.51 km over 30 days after tumor cell injection), suggesting that they are sensitive to the debilitating effects of invasive tumor growth. The decrease in physical activity closely mimics the debilitating effects of invasive cancer in older women."
And, "Runners showed an increased respiratory exchange ratio during the light cycle. suggesting that voluntary running shifted resting substrate metabolism toward glucose oxidation, relative to lipid oxidation. The shift in substrate metabolism was significantly different from baseline for both groups of animals, indicating that the tumor burden might have been responsible."
Conclusion: " ...Running longer distances is associated with decreased tumor burden in 18 month old mice injected with mouse breast cancer cells, suggesting that physiological factors generated by exercising before tumor onset are protective against tumor progression. The mechanisms for this protective effect are not known but the data support further studies on the ability of exercise training to protect older women at risk for breast cancer." Thus, old mice running longer distances before breast cancer tumors have smaller tumors! (See Goh J et al., Pre-Tumor Exercise Decreases Breast Cancer in Old Mice in a Distance-Dependent Manner, Am J Cancer Res.
EXERCISE AFTER IMPLANTATION OF BREAST TUMORS IN MICE
A. Tumor growth significantly slowed in mice that exercised.
B. Density of apoptotic cells is higher in exercise group versus the sedentary group C. Expression of apoptosis-related proteins, FAS and Caspase B, increased in mice that exercised.
AEROBIC EXERCISE IMPROVES HYPOXIA (LOW OXYGEN) IN MOUSE BREAST TUMORS EXERCISE IMPROVES CHEMO RESULTS EXERCISE ALONE HAS SAME EFFECT AS CHEMO DRUG ON TUMOR GROWTH RATE IN MICE!
As a tumor grows, there is chaotic blood vessel growth that leads to low oxygen - hypoxia - which makes the tumor harder to treat.. How to overcome hypoxia? Increase blood flow to the tumor? There is a need to find some way to introduce oxygen on an ongoing basis.
What about aerobic exercise??
In the Dewhirst M et al. 2015 study, the researchers stated, "Emerging data indicate that both acute and chronic (repeated) aerobic exercise stimulates favorable improvements in intratumoral perfusion/vascularization and hypoxia in orthotopic models of human breast cancer and murine prostate cancer."
For their early experiments, human breast cancer cells were implanted orthotopically into mice that either exercised by running on an exercise wheel or were sedentary.
Results? "Exercise statistically, significantly reduced tumor growth and was associated with a 1.4-fold increase in apoptosis, increased microvessel density, vessel maturity, and reduced intratumoral hypoxia, compared with sedentary controls."
On to testing aerobic exercise and chemo to see if exercising will improve chemo's efficacy....
In their exercise and chemo experiments, mice were implanted this time with mouse breast cancer cells and were slotted into four groups: Sedentary, exercise alone, cyclophosphamide (a chemo drug) alone, or exercise and cyclophosphamide.
Results: It is amazing to think that normalizing the vessels and improving the oxygen levels can make the tumor more susceptible to chemo, but this is precisely what happened - at least, in this mouse model.
* There were larger, more hypoxic tumors in the sedentary mice.
* The exercise and chemo group did the best.
Specifically, "The rate of tumor growth was statistically significantly lower in the exercise + cyclophosphamide group compared with all other groups. ... Tumor growth delay was also statistically significantly increased in the exercise alone and cyclophosphamide alone groups, compared with control. Intriguingly, there was no difference in tumor growth rate between cyclophosphamide alone and exercise alone."
It was the aerobic exercise that was able to modulate three factors in hypoxia: "Tumor cell mass, apoptosis and vessel density. These findings may provide initial mechanistic insights into observational data showing a strong inverse relationship between self-reported exercise and cancer specific outcomes in women with early breast cancer."
Conclusion: "Our findings show that exercise, via its potent normalizing properties, may be an effective adjunct strategy that adds to the antitumor efficacy." EDITORS' NOTE: Wow! In this study, there was no difference between exercising and the chemo drug in the tumor growth rate! Cool study! (See Dewhirst M et al., Modulation of Murine Breast Tumor Vascularity, Hypoxia, and Chemotherapeutic Response by Exercise, Journal of National Cancer Institute, 2015.)
ABOUT TO HAVE BREAST CANCER SURGERY? EXERCISE!!
"More active participants {in a prospective study) .... had an 85% increased chance of feeling physically recovered at 3 weeks after the operation." Nilsson H et al., 2015.
In the Nilsson H et al. 2016 study, the researchers sought "to assess the association between preoperative level of activity and recovery after breast cancer surgery, measured as hospital stay, length of sick leave, and self-assessed physical and mental recovery".
To this end, patients filled out questionnaires in this prospective study before, as well as at 3 and 6 weeks after the surgery.
Findings: "... A higher preoperative level of physical activity is associated with a faster physical recovery as reported by the patients 3 weeks post breast cancer surgery. After 6 weeks, most patients felt physically recovered, diminishing the association above."
Conclusion: "This study adds to the evidence in favor of physical activity in patients undergoing treatment for breast cancer, showing an enhanced recovery in patients who preoperatively were more active. This is in line with earlier studies where increased physical activity in women treated for breast cancer is associated with an increase in quality-of-life, with long-term effect, decreased fatigue, and reduced breast cancer mortality, as well as overall mortality. .. This study indicates that preoperative physical acticity may also be of importance for recuperating from surgery, and hence for the patient to be able to initiate physical activity earlier." (See Nilsson H et al., Is Preoperative Physical Activity Related to Post-Surgery Recovery? A Cohort Study of Patients With Breast Cancer, BMJ, 2016.)
EXERCISE AND TELOMERES LONGER TELOMERES IN EARLY STAGE BREAST CANCER PATIENTS WHO EXERCISE! MORE SEDENTARY BREAST CANCER PATIENTS MAY BE CLOSE TO NINE YEARS BIOLOGICALLY OLDER ON A CELLULAR LEVELTHAN WOMEN WHO EXERCISE
" ...Independent of age, more sedentary women may be close to nine years biologically older than women who are more physically active on a cellular level." "In summary, we found that telomere (maintain genomic strength) length was shorter in women with breast cancer who reported a sedentary lifestyle compared to those women who engaged in regular moderate to vigorous exercise, an effect that could not be explained by age." Garland SN et al., 2014.
"Telomeres are repetitive nucleoprotein structures on the end of chromosomes with the main purposes of maintaining genomic stability and protecting against unbridled cellular diversity. As the cell divides with time the telomere length progressively shorts until critically short telomeres eventually lead to cell death or senescence." The Garland SN et al. 2014 study's hypothesis was that, "The examination of telomere length holds promise for identifying behavioral and environmental factors that can promote health and recovery in the context of cancer."
Thus, the researchers chose to study exercise and telomeres.
What is the "relationship between self-reported physical activity and telomere length (terminal restriction fragment length analysis of genomic DNA isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells) in early stage breast cancer survivors?"
Results: "In our study, we found an association between lack of physical activity and shorter telomere length in a large cross-sectional sample of breast cancer survivors. Adjusting for the impact of age, women reporting no physical activity had significantly shorter telomere length than women who reported engaging in moderate to vigorous activity. The mean difference between women who were and were not physically active was 270 bp (base pairs). .... This suggests that independent of age, more sedentary women may be close to nine years biologically older than women who are more physically active on a cellular level."
Why is exercise helpful with telomere length?
"Although the precise mechanisms are still unknown, physical activity is likely to influence telomere dynamics via the cumulative reduction in oxidative stress, DNA damage, and inflammation."
Conclusion: "To our knowledge, this is the first study to quantify the relationship between physical activity and telomere length in breast cancer survivors.... In summary, we found that telomere length was shorter in women with breast cancer who reported a sedentary lifestyle compared to those women who engaged in regular moderate to vigorous exercise, an effect that could not be explained by age." (See Garland SN et al., Physical Activity and Telomere Length in Early Stage Breast Cancer Survivors, Breast Cancer Res, 2014.)
2016 META-ANALYSIS (EXAMINATION OF EXERCISE STUDIES) ON EXERCISE AND CHRONIC LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION IN BC PATIENTS
"Exercise training positively modulates chronic low-grade inflammation in women with breast cancer, which may impact upon carcinogenic mechanisms and the tumor microenvironment. These findings align with the other positive effects of exercise for breast cancer survivors, reinforcing the appropriateness of exercise prescription in this population."
The Effect of Exercise Training on Mediators of Inflammation in Breast Cancer Survivors: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis, AACR Journal, 2016.
MICROBIOTA DIVERSITY AND EXERCISE
EDITORS' THOUGHTS: MICROBIOTA DIVERSITY IS A NEW BIOMARKER FOR HEALTH! A 2015 STUDY SHOWS ALTERED MICROBIOTA IN BREAST CANCER PATIENTS. A 2014 STUDY SHOWS RUGBY ATHLETES ALTERED THEIR MICROBIOTA WITH EXTREME EXERCISE AND EXTREME DIETS (LOTS OF PROTEIN).
OKAY! OKAY! Breast cancer patients are NOT rugby players. But..... Could breast cancer patients with a moderate exercise regime be able to change their microbiota? The EDITORS hope for studies with moderate exercise in the future that could possibly show that moderate exercise can alter the microbiota to help breast cancer patients. Bring on the moderate exercise studies!
Can exercise promote diversity of the microbiota in breast cancer patients? The 2015 study cited just below found that postmenopausal breast cancer patients have lower gut microbiota diversity.
In the Goedert JJ et al. 2015 study, the researchers "investigated whether the gut microbiota differed in 48 postmenopausal women pretreatment versus 48 control patients." Results? "Compared with control patients, case patients had statistically significantly altered microbiota composition and lower α-diversity." Thus, "This pilot study shows that postmenopausal women with breast cancer have altered composition and estrogen-independent low diversity of their gut microbiota. Whether these affect breast cancer risk and prognosis is unknown." (Goedert JJ et al., Investigation of the Association Between the Fecal Microbiota and Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women: A Population-Based Case-Control Pilot Study, J Natl Cancer Inst, 2015.)
EDITORS' NOTE: A 2014 study cited just below found that athletes through extremes in exercise and extremes in diet (lots of protein) altered their miicrobiota in a salutary fashion.
In the Clarke SF et al. study, the researchers commented, "Although the relationship between diet, the gut microbiota, host immunity and host metabolism is becoming more evident, the relationship between the microbiota and exercise has not been fully explored. Our findings show that a combination of exercise and diet impacts on gut microbial diversity. In particular, the enhanced diversity of the microbiota correlates with exercise and dietary protein consumption in the athlete group." In their study, professional rugby "athletes and controls differed significantly with respect to plasma creatine kinase (a marker of extreme exercise), and inflammatory and metabolic markers. More importantly, athletes had a higher diversity of gut micro-organisms, representing 22 distinct phyla, which in turn positively correlated with protein consumption and creatine kinase." While the athletes had 22 phyla, 68 families, and 113 genes in fecal samples, the two control groups had just "just 11 phyla, 33 families and 65 genera were detected in low body mass index samples and 9 phyla, 33 families and 61 genera in high body mass index samples."
In addition, "The proportions of several gut microbial taxa were also altered in athletes relative to controls. ...Of note, the athletes and low body mass index group had significantly higher proportions of the genus Akkermansia levels than the high body mass index group. Akkermansia muciniphilla has been identified as a mucin-degrading bacteria that resides in the mucus layer and its abundance has been shown to inversely correlate with obesity and associated metabolic disorders in mice and humans." ..."Interestingly, the athletes had lower inflammatory and improved metabolic markers relative to controls, and in particular the high body mass index controls, demonstrating the enhanced health profile of this group."
Why is diversity in the microbiome important? "Diversity is important in all ecosystems to promote stability and performance. Microbiota diversity may become a new biomarker or indicator of health. Loss of biodiversity within the gut has been linked to an increasing number of conditions such as autism, GI diseases including IBD or recurrent Clostridium difficile- associated diarrhea and obesity-associated inflammatory characteristics, while increased diversity has been associated with increased health in the elderly."
Conclusion: " The results provide evidence for a beneficial impact of exercise on gut microbiota diversity but also indicate that the relationship is complex and is related to accompanying dietary extremes." (See Clarke SF et al., Exercise and Associated Dietary Extremes Impact on Gut Microbial Diversity, Gut, 2014.)
SWEAT!
"Do not suppress sweating. Do not reabsorb your sweat. Change clothing every day to avoid reabsorbing sweat and its polonium lanthanides." Hulda Clark, PHD, Ten Commandments of Health, New Concepts.
"Biomonitoring for toxic elements through blood and/or urine testing may underestimate the total body burden of such toxicants. Sweat analysis should be considered as an additional method for monitoring bioaccumulation of toxic elements in humans." Genuis SJ et al., 2011.)
EDITORS' CAUTIONARY NOTE:
SWEATING involves exercising and/or using some kind of sauna. *If a breast cancer patient has had any lymph nodes taken or, indeed, has lymphedema, then caution must be observed when considering a sauna, due to the stress that the heat may play on the lymph system. From the University of Florida: "Increased temperature: Hot tubs, saunas, and sunburns cause blood vessels to dilate and more fluid flows into the heated tissues that must be removed by the lymph system." (See Monroe MC et al., Living Without Lymph Nodes, University of Florida IFAS Extension, https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy901.}
SWEATING TIPS
Want to optimize sweating? "Homeostasis of the most common metals (sodium, potassium, and to a lesser extent, magnesium, calcium and zinc) and conditioning or adaptation to regular sweating by athletes has not been matched with studies of excretion of trace elements. ...Conditioning may not restrict excretion of nonessential elements. Combination therapies, such as administration of n--acetyl cysteine, vitamin C, a chelating agent, or low doses of ethanol (for mercury), to name a few possibilities, along with sauna and/or exercise therapy to induce sweating, may be fruitful avenues of investigation." (See Sears ME et al., 2012.) Problems with sweating? Due to toxins, the ability to sweat may be affected. What to do? Along with diet and supplements, other things to do include skin brushing, niacin to promote vasodilation, and exercise prior to a sauna. "Clinical experience is that with persistence and simple hydration, patients do eventually start to sweat." (See Sears ME et al., 2012.)
SWEATING OUT TOXINS VIA BLOOD, URINE, AND SWEAT MANY TOXINS ARE PREFERENTIALLY EXCRETED THROUGH SWEAT LOOKING FOR TOXINS IN JUST BLOOD AND URINE MAY "UNDERESTIMATE" THE TOTAL BODY BURDEN OF TOXINS - NEED SWEAT ANALYSIS, TOO!!
"Many toxic elements appeared to be preferentially excreted through sweat."
Plus, this novel finding: "Presumably stored in tissues, some toxic elements readily identified in the perspiration of some participants were not found in their serum." Genuis SJ et al., 2011.
In the Genuis SJ et al. 2011 study, the researchers were intrigued. Toxins bioaccumulate in the body. How are the toxins excreted? Via the blood? Urine? Sweat?
In their study, twenty people were tested. Ten were healthy and the other ten people had health problems. Testing revealed that toxins were found in "differing degrees" in the blood, urine, and sweat
And here is the interesting part. "Many toxic elements appeared to be preferentially excreted through sweat."
Plus, this novel finding: "Presumably stored in tissues, some toxic elements readily identified in the perspiration of some participants were not found in their serum."
Conclusion: "Biomonitoring for toxic elements through blood and/or urine testing may underestimate the total body burden of such toxicants. Sweat analysis should be considered as an additional method for monitoring bioaccumulation of toxic elements in humans." (See Genuis SJ et al., Blood, Urine, and Sweat (BUS): Monitoring and Elimination of Bioaccumulated Toxic Elements, Arch Environ Contam Toxicol, 2011.)
SWEATING OUT ARSENIC, CADMIUM, LEAD, AND MERCURY METALS (CADMIUM, LEAD, AND MERCURY) FOUND IN CANCEROUS BREAST TISSUE "WITH HIGHER EXPOSURE OR BODY BURDEN (OF ARSENIC, CADMIUM, LEAD, AND MERCURY), SWEAT EXCEEDS PLASMA OR URINE CONCENTRATIONS, AND DERMAL COULD MATCH OR SURPASS URINARY DAILY EXCRETION."
In the Mohammadi M et al. study, the researchers investigated the concentrations of cadmium, lead, mercury, and selenium in breast cancer tissue. What was discovered was that selenium, which has an anti-cancer effect, was in the highest concentration, while mercury was the lowest. "Statistical analysis reveals no significant differences between metal accumulations in different parts of cancer tissues. and this observation might be due to the close relation of separated parts of fatty breast organ. Thus, we could conclude that a high level of these heavy metals is accumulated in Iranian cancerous breasts and their presence can be one of the reasons for cancer appearance. (Mohammadi M et al., Concentration of cd, pb, hg, and se in different parts of human breast cancer tissues, J Toxicol, 2014.)
EDITORS' NOTE: We just learned above that cadmium, lead, and mercury accumulate in cancerous breasts, and that "their presence can be one of the reasons for cancer appearance". This conclusion makes the Sears ME et al. 2011 study of sweating relative to arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury even more compelling for breast cancer patients.
In this review, here is what these researchers found: "In individuals with higher exposure or body burden (to arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury), sweat generally exceeded plasma or urine concentrations, and dermal could match or surpass urinary daily excretion. Arsenic dermal excretion was several fold higher in arsenic-exposed individuals than in unexposed controls. Cadmium was more concentrated in sweat than in blood plasma. Sweat lead was associated with high-molecular-weight molecules, and in an interventional study, levels were higher with endurance compared with intensive exercise. Mercury levels normalized with repeated saunas in a case report."
(See Sears ME et al., Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, and Mercury in Sweat: A Systemic Review, J Environ Public Health, 2012.)
SWEATING AND PHTHALATES (PLASTICIZERS) THAT DISRUPT HORMONES SWEATING "COMPARATIVELY WELL" RIDS TOXIC PHTHALATE METABOLITE. INDUCE PERSPIRATION TO GET RID OF TOXIC PHTHALATES GO SWEAT!
In the 2010 Genuis SJ et al. study, the researchers evaluated the elimination of phthalates in blood, urine,and sweat.
Phthalates, known as "plasticizers", are hormone disrupters that can cause a myriad of problems, including throwing the hormones out of balance.
Phthalates are used in a variety of plastic products that are "soft and malleable". Since they have been found to "maintain color and scent", they are used in such things as "fragrances, paints, and nail polish". Also, phthalates are used in "intravenous tubing and blood collection bags. Moreover, they are extensively used in plastic wrapping for food and beverage packaging, and are a ubiquitous component of soft plastic toys as well as various other products including vinyl floor tiles, shower curtains, synthetic leather, cosmetics, shopping bags, and pharmaceuticals.
For their study, "Blood, urine, and sweat were collected from 20 individuals (10 healthy participants and 10 participants with assorted health problems) and analyzed for parent phthalate compounds as well as phthalate metabolites."
Results:All of the patients had the parent phthalate, DEHP, and/or its toxic metabolite, MEHP, in the blood, sweat, and urine. This finding "suggests that exposure to potentially toxic phthalate compounds is very common." " On average, the phthalate metabolite, MEHP, concentration in sweat was more than twice as high as urine levels."
". In several individuals, DEHP was found in sweat but not in serum, suggesting the possibility of phthalate retention and bioaccumulati
"Some toxic phthalate metabolites such as MEHP were eliminated comparatively well in sweat."
Conclusion: As all participants had evidence of the potentially toxic metabolite MEHP, the parent compound DEHP appears to be a ubiquitous contaminant in some population groups. Considering that in a number of individuals, some phthalate compounds appeared in sweat but not in serum suggests that bioaccumulation of selected phthalate compounds such as DEHP and DBP may be occurring with uncertain human toxicity. Furthermore, the toxic metabolite MEHP appears to be well eliminated in sweat." (See Genuis SJ et al., Human Elimination of Phthalate Compounds, Blood, Urine, and Sweat (BUS) Study, The Scientific World Journal, 2012.)
SWEATING AND UBIQUITOUS BPA (BISPHENOL A) BPA AFFECTS DRUG FOR INFLAMMATORY BREAST CANCER, ALSO CAUSES BREAST CANCER CELLS TO GROW!
Ubiquitous BPA is found in plastics, such as water bottles, cash register receipts, etc. And BPA can be identified in sweat!
In 16 out of 20 people, BPA (Bisphenol A) was found in their sweat. Some of them did not even have BPA in their urine or blood.
Go sweat!
A 2014 Science Daily article discussed newly discovered dangers of BPA on breast cancer. "Although BPA is known to mimic estrogen, it also affected inflammatory breast cancer, which are frequently estrogen receptor-negative, meaning they do not respond to estrogen. BPA exposure caused breast cancer cells to grow faster than untreated cancer cells regardless of whether the cancer was estrogen receptor-positive or -negative, the investigators (from Duke) found." (See Science Daily, BPA Stimulates Growth of an Advanced Subtype of Human Breast Cancer Cells Called Inflammatory Breast Cancer, June 2014, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/06/140623103937.htm)
In the 2011 Genuis SJ et al. study, the researchers sought to determine if toxic BPA could be detected in the blood, urine, and sweat.
Where is BPA found? "BPA is most commonly found as a component in polycarbonates and in the production of epoxy resins As well as being found in a myriad of products including plastic food and beverage containers (including baby and water bottles), BPA is .... in household appliances, electronics, sports safety equipment, adhesives, cash register receipts, medical devices, eyeglass lenses, water supply pipes, and many other products. .... Moreover, BPA derivatives, such as bisphenol A-glycidyl methacrylate and bisphenol A-dimethacrylate, have recently been incorporated into the dental industry and used in dental fillings and sealants."
For their study, the researchers examined the blood, urine, and sweat of twenty people, half of them healthy, and the other ten harboring various toxins, including BPA.
Results: "BPA was found to differing degrees in each of blood, urine, and sweat. In 16 of 20 participants, BPA was identified in sweat, even in some individuals with no BPA detected in their serum or urine samples."
Conclusion: "Biomonitoring of BPA through blood and/or urine testing may underestimate the total body burden of this potential toxicant. Sweat analysis should be considered as an additional method for monitoring bioaccumulation of BPA in humans. Induced sweating appears to be a potential method for elimination of BPA." (See Genuis SJ et al.,Human Excretion of Bisphenol A in Blood, Urine and Sweat (BUS) Study,J Environ Public Health, 2012.)