Does L-Glutamine Feed Cancer?

When a doctor makes a statement that an amino acid – found in most protein foods (seafood, meat, milk, eggs) and many vegetables – feeds cancer … common sense says that a more complex, multifactorial, interdependent sequence is likely taking place , and maybe one or two or three mechanisms are still running.

Pharma-Care’s reductionist thinking trains people to think in terms of 1 substance = 1 result. 1 symptom requires 1 drug. But anyone who has even an elementary understanding of the body knows that practically nothing happens in isolation; Healing or illness is a holistic picture.

I think you must be a PhD student; Specialization in a certain type of tumor research in order to be able to present an adequate picture of what actually happens in the interaction of L-glutamine (or other amino acids) and the various substances and mechanisms involved in tumor growth.

To give you a quick example, let’s look at this study – and I chose this piece because the layman can actually understand what is being said here. This paper refers to a similarly simplified statement that “antioxidants feed tumors”:

“Accordingly, studies on the effect of antioxidant food supplements for cancer prevention and treatment have shown contradicting and mostly unpromising results, which gave rise to confusion and the“ antioxidant paradox ”(1). Another redox consideration for cancer treatment involves increased ROS levels in cancer cells that are already “on the verge of the oxidative abyss” (23-25). This point of view arises from the well-known concept of hormesis, which has been recognized by Paracelsus since the 16th century – “The dose makes the poison” (26). The concept of hormesis, which revolutionized modern toxicology, claims that the dose-response curve is U-shaped, which generally means that a drug / stimulus can have opposite effects in small and large doses [for more details refer to Calabrese and Baldwin (27) and papers stemming from it]. Indeed, a mild oxidative state has been shown to promote all of the characteristics of cancer cells; however, if the threshold is exceeded (reaching the top of the arm of the U-shaped curve), The influence of the oxidative environment can easily become anticarcinogenic and promote cell cycle arrest, senescence, programmed cell death, or necrosis (Illustration 1). It has thus been shown that increased oxidative pressure in the blood, if it is not adequately balanced by internal AOD, can limit the efficiency of melanoma cells to form distant tumors (28). These results are a textbook example of the antioxidant paradox that suggests how antioxidant supplementation can promote the metastatic potential of cancer cells. “

Translation: a lower amount of antioxidants (e.g. Vit C, bioflavonoids, grape seed extract, pycnogenol etc.) promotes cancer growth, BUT high amounts of these antioxidants are anti-carcinogenic; Kill cancer cells.

You can spend a few hundred hours delving into the super-complex effects and interactions of L-glutamine (and all the other amino acids) on the cellular processes of cancer, but first take a look at this “simple” diagram:

Figure 5. Fates of glutamine / glutamate in cancer cells.

And check out the full explanation here and here.

But this article says nothing about the elimination of L-glutamine, but looks at the entire path of interactions and domino effects and says, “Indeed ME1 suppression increased ROS [reactive oxygen species] Accumulation and reduced growth of tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo, while glutamine utilization is suppressed and the cells are sensitized to oxidative damage. “

So you can use gene suppression to suppress glutamine ulitization … what else could suppress glutamine use in cancer cells? What about epigenetics (thoughts, beliefs, stress, emotions affect gene expression)? How about trusting the body’s deep wisdom about its extreme complexity and interdependence and just doing what your body asks?

Of course, with any new trend in health information, it doesn’t take much research to find conflicting information, like this rat study that showed that L-glutamine reduced tumor growth and restored gut lining. This article makes the valid point (the body is viewed as a connected whole) that if you restrict your diet, your body can make glutamine on its own anyway.

If you don’t know how to connect to or listen to your body’s wisdom, I recommend starting this guided meditation if you have no experience meditating or using your intuition. And if you are already on this path of deeper relationship, then use this guided meditation to go deeper.

Do you have cancer at all?

The really crazy thing that happens with statements like “Cancer cells feed on L-glutamine” is that people without cancer hear that and think, “Oh, I better stop taking L-glutamine because I get cancer!”

So you have IBD and are already malnourished from an extremely restrictive diet and now you think you need to cut out most sources of protein to avoid L-glutamine? Or you can use L-glutamine on an empty stomach to firm up your stool; So instead of 20 bowel movements a day, you have 3 – and stop taking it just in case you get cancer?

Keep in mind that several studies have also indicated that avoiding serine and glycine or phenylalanine and tyrosine can also inhibit tumor growth in animal models. What are you going to do now? Especially those of you who don’t even have cancer.

Let’s say the tumor growth process involves 10 different substances (which we currently know about), this means that curing or avoiding any possibility of cancer means avoiding ingestion of all of these substances and surviving with selected vegetables, fish oil, and spring water ? ? Remember that in this chemical soup we live in a world where we carry, breathe, drink and absorb carcinogens all day long. We carry class 2 cancer-causing devices with us and send these radiation waves through our homes around the clock. I can feel my immune system deteriorate as I write this.

In my experience, nothing kills your immune system faster than stress – no food, chemical, or toxins are more harmful than stress in the form of fear and / or despair.

So many people spend so much time and energy looking for the latest health information – just in case they miss out on something harmful – that their focus is in the wrong place. The Dalai Lama said that you can eat anything you want as long as you eat it with love. He speaks of real, agape, unconditional, compassionate-for-me-and-the-world love.

Health fears will come and go …

How much time do you spend each day doing things that are good for health? Exercise in the fresh air, reach into a healthy soil (microbiome), swim in lakes, rivers or oceans.

How about cuddling with pets or people, setting healthy limits to your time and energy, meditating, yoga and tai chi?

Instead of talking about this supplement or supplement, let’s talk about how to grow your own food in healthy soil full of compost and worms (again, microbiome), take the time to go for a walk with someone instead of just texting them write to find 3 things every day you think good / cool / blessed.

Do you have hobbies, activities or do you create art every day that brings you JOY? Are you doing something that you love so much that you get into a flow state (where time disappears)? If not, start there … find that thing! Health starts today!

How much time do you spend researching health topics instead of developing your own intuition? Develop and build your ability to listen to your body, to your stomach … Receiving information and engaging in dialogue with the deep wisdom of your body is probably the most health friendly thing you can do.

How much time do you spend each day on integrated mind / body / soul healing therapy (like lazer tapping) to heal those ingrained childhood injuries and trauma that you carry around with you? locked in your tissues and cells?

Are you even in your body as you read this? Or have you dissociated … if you don’t know, then you have at least partially dissociated yourself due to pain or trauma.

I encourage you to focus your time – both mentally and physically – on all of the items listed above that we know offer tremendous protection against cancer. The same things are the front line protection of any health imbalance and the key to healing any current imbalance. You can choose where to focus your time and energy. Choose freedom.

Jini Patel Thompson is an internationally recognized expert in naturopathic treatments for digestive diseases. She healed herself from the widespread Crohn’s disease and has been drug and surgery free for over 20 years. Appeared on numerous podcast, television and radio shows in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, Jini gives people hope and visions on how to cure colitis, Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in all natural methods. Her books on natural digestive disease cures have been sold in over 80 countries around the world.