Whole-Food Guide for Breast Cancer Survivors (11 page)

Prescription Drugs and Nutrient Depletion

A critical matter that’s often overlooked by medical professionals and consumers alike is the profound effect that pharmaceutical drugs can have on the absorption, utilization, and excretion of nutrients. Drug-induced nutrient depletion can lead to further health challenges, because your cells need all of the vital nutrients all of the time. Be sure to discuss with your nutritionist or integrative physician how you can compensate for any deficiencies your medications may be causing.

Common Drug-Induced Nutrient Depletions

Adapted, with permission, from Designs for Health Ltd.

Note: This is just a partial list. For a complete reference on drug-induced nutrient depletions, see
The Nutritional Cost of Prescription Drugs
by Ross Pelton and James LaValle, or
The A–Z Guide to Drug-Herb-Vitamin Interactions
by Alan Gaby et. al.

(Almost) Everything You Wanted to Know about Supplements (but Were Afraid to Ask)

We realize that the subject of supplements is very confusing for many people. The following are some common questions our clients have asked about supplements over the years.

What’s in a Label?

Today, most multinutrients offer either an RDA or a percentage of daily value on the label as a general nutrition guideline for consumers. The underlying concept is that these allowances should prevent deficiency diseases associated with each nutrient. For example, as discussed previously, 75 milligrams of vitamin C is the amount deemed necessary to prevent scurvy but not the amount that nutritionists think is necessary for optimal health. What’s more, such generalizations do not work for some segments of the population, because of biochemical individuality, a concept introduced by biochemist Roger Williams, who first described how differences in individual anatomy, physiology, and genetics determine individual nutritional requirements.

TIP:
A poorly formulated supplement shows “100% DV” of each nutrient on the label. We recommend against this type of supplement, because quality manufacturers know that some nutrients are used up more quickly than others (for example, the B vitamins) and some daily values (DVs) are set at unrealistically low levels (for example, vitamin C). On the other hand, some nutrients may be toxic at doses above the RDA (for example, vitamin A and iron). A high-quality multinutrient will take all of this into account in providing a formula that reflects a practical understanding of how nutrients act in the body.

How Do I Know What Form of the Nutrient Is Best?

All nutrients come in many forms. Please keep two basic principles in mind: First, you’ll want a nutrient that’s in a form that’s as close to the way nature made it as possible. The simple truth is that synthetic products are far less expensive and have a longer shelf life than natural substances. As such, they are the darlings of low-price chain stores and many pharmacies. Look for a brand that says “food based” or “100% whole food.” That way, you are getting not only the nutrient but also the cofactors, enzymes, bioflavonoids, and other phytochemicals that help the nutrient perform its job better.

Second, we suggest familiarizing yourself with nutrients that belong to “families” and understanding that ingesting only one “member” of the family can cause problems. An excellent example is vitamin E, which actually consists of a large cast of characters: first, the tocopherols—alpha, beta, delta, and gamma—and then the tocotrienols—also alpha, beta, delta and gamma. Ideally, your multinutrient label will say “mixed tocopherols” or “mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols.” An isolated form of one part of a nutrient can easily throw the other parts off balance.

It’s also useful to know whether the nutrient is in its active or precursor form. In other words, can your body use it just the way it is, or does the nutrient need to go through some sort of conversion process? Vitamin B6, for example, is known as pyridoxal-5-phosphate in its active, ready-to-be-metabolized form. Only higher-quality brands will invest the resources to provide the active forms of nutrients when possible.

Finally, if you seek out supplements as part of your breast-cancer protection plan, be sure that the form you choose matches the form used in the research studies showing benefit. For example, selenium comes in many forms, but Se-methylselenocysteine (SeMSC) is the form that has shown the most promise in recent studies for cancer prevention (Smith et al. 2004). Avoid multinutrients that do not divulge the form of the nutrient you are being asked to take!

How Do I Identify a High-Quality Supplement?

If you plan to take supplements, it is important to make sure that you are getting what your body needs. Unfortunately this is not always the case. Here are a few of the most critical of several issues to consider when purchasing supplements.

BIOAVAILABILITY

A nutrient is only as good as your ability to absorb it. So it’s good to get a handle on what makes some forms more absorbable than others. Remember, the closer to real food your formula is, the more familiar it will feel to your body. That said, there are a few other basic principles. Minerals, for example, are notoriously hard for the body to absorb in both food and supplement form. Albion Labs, a leader in the nutritional supplement field, estimates that typical absorption rates for minerals range from 10 to 45 percent (quoted in Bauman 2009). The following chart illustrates some common nutrient forms and can serve as a guide to preferable ones.

NUMBER OF NUTRIENTS INCLUDED

All multinutrient formulas include the basics, but only a high-quality supplement includes trace minerals, which play a vital metabolic function. For example, look for a formula that includes chromium to assist with blood sugar regulation, silicon for hair and nail strength, boron for bone health, and vanadium for insulin sensitivity. These trace minerals are of particular importance since they are scarce in most conventional soils. A good-quality formula includes these trace minerals and more.

USP CERTIFICATION

A supplement with the USP (U.S. Pharmacopoeia) designation is of the highest quality, indicating that the product has met the following standards: disintegration (you don’t want your vitamin pills just sitting in your stomach!), strength, purity, and expiration (when the supplement will no longer meet these standards). Look for the USP symbol to ensure that your supplements have been verified in this fashion.

If you like, you can also request a certificate of analysis from the supplement manufacturer to help ensure quality control and that the label reflects the actual contents. An authentic certificate gives details of the lab where tests were conducted, what was tested, and the lot number of the product tested. This is a good way to be sure the product is free of heavy metals, pesticides, solvents, and other pollutants.

NO “JUNK” INGREDIENTS

Beware of products with ingredient names you can’t pronounce or identify, such as titanium dioxide, stannous chloride, and sodium metavanadate, common ingredients in drugstore supplements. Other substances to avoid include all artificial colors and flavors, sugars, artificial sweeteners, and toxic fillers. You might also consider avoiding common allergens, such as lactose, gluten, and cornstarch.

Questions to Ask Professionals

Some issues around supplements need to be discussed with a professional nutritionist or other holistic practitioner. For example, how do you know what dosage of a nutrient is best for you? Your needs depend on your existing nutritional status, your biochemical makeup, and your individual risk factors for breast cancer. Your practitioner may suggest conducting specific tests that would indicate your need for specific nutrients. This up-front spending can bring large dividends in the long run, because you can then be more judicious in using only those supplements that will provide the most benefit. Other questions to ask your practitioner are:

• How and when should I take the supplement?
  
• How long should I take the supplement?
  
• What interactions among nutrients do I need to watch for?
  
• What interactions might the supplements have with the herbs or medications I take?
  

You will usually get what you pay for. We feel that it is far better to take fewer supplements of better quality than to swallow a trunkful of “junk” supplements that could wind up doing more harm than good.

Keep in mind that supplements, no matter how useful, do not and never will have the same power as nutrient-dense, whole Eating for Health foods. Supplements are meant to be used as an adjunct to a healthy diet,
never
a replacement. Be sure to work with your nutritionist or other holistic practitioner to determine which supplements and dosages are right for your particular situation.

To Do

• Be sure to get plenty of all required nutrients, paying special attention to those with documented anticancer activity and making sure to check for nutrient depletions from medications you may be taking.
  
• Test your iodine and vitamin D levels, because iodine and vitamin D are your superstar protective nutrients. If you are deficient, take steps to raise your levels according to your practitioner’s recommendations.
  
• Avoid nutrients that can cause problems for people who are concerned about cancer recurrence: iron, copper, and synthetic folic acid.
  
• Quality is more important than quantity when it comes to supplements. Make sure to take both adequate dosages and an absorbable and complete form of your nutrients.
  

Last Word

I was going crazy and spending all my money on every supplement that someone mentioned might be useful. A turning point for me was when I finally decided to invest in knowing what was happening in my body, not my neighbor’s or running partner’s. Once I started recognizing myself for the unique biochemical being that I am, I could pick and choose the nutrients that made the most sense for me and spend my money on high-quality supplements that I knew were going to help.

—Carole B., breast cancer survivor

6.
Glucose, Weight, and Insulin Control

Sugar is the most hazardous foodstuff in the American diet.

—Linus Pauling, Nobel laureate

Chapter Goal: Lower glucose and insulin levels

How do you just say no to sugar? With its jolt of sweetness and energy, sugar can be an addictive substance for many of us. What’s more, it shows up in different forms in nearly all processed foods, disguised under a variety of names, such as maltodextrin, corn syrup, rice syrup, and dehydrated cane juice, among others. Though these names may not include the word “sugar,” make no mistake: they are all forms of sugar. The key is finding strategies to manage your sweet tooth, because sugar has potential effects that just aren’t that sweet, as we’ll explore in this chapter.