Category: Cancer

Cancer remains a lifestyle disease. Seaweed increases the immunity for cancer and in some cases reported eliminates cancer. Take Pacific Seamoss for a convenient daily supplement of healthy food.

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Biosea Health Cancer

Care for the carer

care for the carer. Keep your health with Pacific Seamoss

I became the carer for my mother in the final months of her battle with colorectal cancer. As her disease progressed her dependence on me, day and night increased. That time of my life was the most difficult but also the most rewarding.

Compared to other full-time carers I had an easy time of it. As emotionally and physically draining as the experience was, it was over within a year and I was able to grieve my mother then return to a normal life. Others care for their loved ones for years or even decades. It is for these people that I write this paper.
From my experience as a palliative carer, and as someone who has recently started taking Pacific Seamoss, I recommend seaweed for all carers. Care for the carer.

Seaweed to Care for the Carer

1. Seaweed creates more energy for the carer

Although there is no definitive science on this, there are many possible reasons why Pacific Seamoss customers say they have more energy than they have had for years. The increase in complete nutrients plus the benefits of increased good gut bacteria probably accounts for the new levels of energy. Every carer feels fatigued at some point and extra energy without the sleep-depriving effects of caffeine are a real benefit to daily life.

2. Seaweed contains molecules that help you cope better with stress

Being a carer is stressful. Not only are you dealing with the physical demands, but there is also the mental load of the distress of your loved one, plus the emotional loss of the healthy person you once. Tyrosine is just one of the nutrients found in seaweed that converts to neurotransmitters in the brain to increase mental function and reduce fatigue during times of stress. So owe it to yourself, and take seaweed to care for the carer[1]

3. Seaweeds boost immunity to Care for the Carer

Being a carer means getting sick is not an option. You need to be healthy to carry out the daily tasks of caring for your loved one, plus you don’t want to make them unwell by passing on a cold or flu. Seaweed is high in major immune-boosting co-factors like Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin B3, and zinc.[1] Seaweed also has well-documented antioxidant properties to help fight infection and disease. [2]

4. Seaweed prevents major diseases caused by chronic stress

As much as we like to think we are coping well, being a carer is having a physiological effect on our bodies. Stress changes the hormonal balance so hormones like cortisol, glycogen and adrenaline are working against us, dramatically increasing the risk of major diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. The science shows that seaweed is a good long-term option for prevention of stress-related disease.

  1. Cancer is reduced in populations that consume seaweed, plus seaweed shows cancer prevention properties. [3-5]
  2. Seaweed reduces blood pressure, cholesterol and waist circumference – all risks for heart attack. [5-7] (Check out our review)
  3. Seaweed reverses glucose intolerance and improves energy storage and metabolism, reducing risk of type 2 diabetes. [7-9]

Being a carer is not easy, yet it is something feel we must do. I suggest you make things easier for yourself; being kinder to you will allow you to be kinder to the one you love. Seaweed will make things easier for you. Care for the carer.

Further Reading

[1] M. L. Cornish, A. T. Critchley, and O. G. Mouritsen, “Consumption of seaweeds and the human brain,” Journal of Applied Phycology, vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 2377-2398, 2017.
[2] F. Makkar and K. Chakraborty, “Antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory potential of sulphated polygalactans from red seaweeds Kappaphycus alvarezii and Gracilaria opuntia,” International Journal of Food Properties, vol. 20, no. 6, pp. 1326-1337, 2017. (Google Scholar)
[3] J. Kim et al., “Associations among dietary seaweed intake, c-MYC rs6983267 polymorphism, and risk of colorectal cancer in a Korean population: a case–control study,” European journal of nutrition, pp. 1-12, 2019.
[4] J. Teas, Q. Zhang, and S. Muga, “Seaweed as chemoprevention: From breast cancer epidemiology to breast cancer cell culture,” ed: AACR, 2006.
[5] A. Nanri et al., “Dietary patterns and all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular disease mortality in Japanese men and women: The Japan public health center-based prospective study,” PloS one, vol. 12, no. 4, 2017.
[6] P. Matanjun, S. Mohamed, K. Muhammad, and N. M. Mustapha, “Comparison of cardiovascular protective effects of tropical seaweeds, Kappaphycus alvarezii, Caulerpa lentillifera, and Sargassum polycystum, on high-cholesterol/high-fat diet in rats,” Journal of medicinal food, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 792-800, 2010.
[7] S. Wanyonyi, R. Du Preez, L. Brown, N. A. Paul, and S. K. Panchal, “Kappaphycus alvarezii as a food supplement prevents diet-induced metabolic syndrome in rats,” Nutrients, vol. 9, no. 11, p. 1261, 2017.
[8] J. Teas, M. E. Baldeón, D. E. Chiriboga, J. R. Davis, A. J. Sarriés, and L. E. Braverman, “Could dietary seaweed reverse the metabolic syndrome?,” Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition, vol. 18, no. 2, p. 145, 2009.
[9] Y. X. Chin, Y. Mi, W. X. Cao, P. E. Lim, C. H. Xue, and Q. J. Tang, “A pilot study on anti-obesity mechanisms of Kappaphycus alvarezii: The role of native κ-carrageenan and the leftover sans-carrageenan fraction,” Nutrients, vol. 11, no. 5, p. 1133, 2019.

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Biosea Health Cancer Reviews

Seaweed Protects Against Lung Cancer

seaweed protects against lung cancer

Prebiotics, including seaweed, and probiotics (yoghurt) prevent lung cancer. How can this be true? Not convinced that seaweed protects against lung cancer. A 2019 study in the Journal of American Medical Association showed prebiotics, including seaweed, and probiotics (yoghurt) have a role in the prevention of lung cancer[1].

How can the gut and the lungs be linked?

The relationship between the gut microbiota and overall health and wellbeing is now well established. Metabolites from the microorganisms, including short chain fatty acids, trigger changes in metabolic pathways throughout the body. It has previously been shown that gut microbiota can influence inflammation in the lungs [2] and also improved lung function in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) [3]

Prebiotics and Probiotics – the difference.

Prebiotics are also known as soluble fibre. They are foods that dissolve when eaten to create a viscous gel that is readily digested by the good bacteria in the colon. This type of fibre is found in legumes and fruit. Prebiotics are different to cellulose rich insoluble fibre which is found in grains and vegetables. These are not digested, but act as bulk to enable bowel movements and prevent constipation.

Probiotics are foods or supplements that already contain a component of bacteria or other micro-organisms. Probiotics deliver bacteria to the lower intestines to improve the ratio of good to bad bacteria. Yoghurt is the most common example of this, but other probiotic foods include kombucha, kefir, miso and sauerkraut.

Peer-reviewed Studies Showing Seaweed protects against Lung Cancer

Scientists from around the world published the study in the Oncology Section of the Journal of the American Medical Association in October 2019.

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of individual or combined prebiotic and yoghurt intake on lung cancer risk. The positive effects from prebiotics and probiotics, specifically yoghurt, have been well documented in the past. Both create health benefits by modulation of gut microbiota and metabolic pathways. However, little research had been done to examine the effect of prebiotic and yoghurt intake on the development of lung cancer.

In this massive study data from 1.4 million participants from America Europe and Asia was collected over a period of 8 years. Scientists looked at fibre intake, yoghurt consumption and other known risks including age, smoking status, obesity and much more.

Results showed that both the prebiotic fibre and yoghurt decreased the risk of lung cancer by just under 20% each. But surprisingly, when prebiotic fibre and yoghurt were combined the risk reduction rose to 30%. This suggests a synergistic effect between prebiotics and probiotics.

Prebiotic Seaweed Protects Against Lung Cancer

Pacific Seamoss has a carbohydrate content of 38 percent, of which 34 percent is prebiotic soluble fibre. Pacific Seamoss, like other functional foods, has a wide variety of beneficial health effects because of its high prebiotic activity. It is the metabolites from the good bacteria which cross into the blood stream to create medicine-like effects throughout the body and improve overall health and resistance to disease.

This study suggests that Pacific Seamoss also confers a reduced risk of lung cancer, up to 30 percent if you are a regular yoghurt eater as well.

But I don’t smoke, so I don’t need to worry about lung cancer

“Unfortunately, this is a myth. 45% of females who get lung cancer don’t smoke”

Smoking is still the major cause of lung cancer accounting for about 90 percent of cancers in males but only 65 percent in females. Secondhand smoke is also a leading cause. But there is a high percentage of lung cancer cases that have no known origin and may be genetically linked or just related to getting older.

Lung Cancer is the Leading Cause of Cancer Deaths

Lung cancer is the 4th most common cancer but the most deadly. While more people are diagnosed with other cancers, including breast, colorectal, skin and prostate cancers, lung cancer is the deadliest with about 9,000 people dying each year in Australia and about 12,000 new diagnoses each year. [4]

The following figure shows that most people are not diagnosed until they are at stage IV, and the 5-year survival rates are terrifyingly close to zero at 3.2%. If diagnosed early as few are, then survival is about 65%.[4]

The 10 most common cancers are shown in the Table below.

From AIHW: Cancer in Australia 2019.

Seaweed Protects Against Lung Cancer – What We Recommend

The ratio of good to bad microorganisms in the colon changes when we change our diet. This study showed that daily consumption of prebiotic soluble fibre will reduce lung cancer risk, and this effect will be greater if a probiotic is also consumed.

We recommend a daily intake of the functional food capsules of Pacific Seamoss because seaweed protects against lung cancer and therefore while it has maximum prebiotic benefits, it also has high nutrient and nutraceutical content. Add your favourite low sugar yoghurt to your diet and not only are you enjoying your food, you are doing something positive for your long term health.

Both your gut and your family will love you for it.

References

[1] J. J. Yang et al., “Association of Dietary Fiber and Yogurt Consumption With Lung Cancer Risk: A Pooled Analysis,” JAMA oncology, 2019. (Abstract here)
[2] J. P. McAleer and J. K. Kolls, “Contributions of the intestinal microbiome in lung immunity,” European journal of immunology, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 39-49, 2018. (Publication here)
[3] H. Kan, J. Stevens, G. Heiss, K. M. Rose, and S. J. London, “Dietary fiber, lung function, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the atherosclerosis risk in communities study,” American journal of epidemiology, vol. 167, no. 5, pp. 570-578, 2008. (Publication Here)
[4] A. I. o. Health and Welfare, “Cancer data in Australia,” AIHW, Canberra2019, Available: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/cancer/cancer-data-in-australia.

Categories
Biosea Health Cancer Health Benefits

Cancer Fighting Properties of Seaweed

Cancer fighting properties of seaweed eat Pacific Seamoss

Cancer Fighting Properties of Seaweed

Seaweed has been known for millennia to have anti-cancer properties. The Egyptians used seaweed to treat breast cancer as early as 2640 BC, while both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Japanese Folk medicine use seaweed to treat tumors.   Modern science is now recognizing how important seaweed can be for cancer prevention, with studies showing that a diet rich in seaweed can dramatically reduce blood markers linked to breast cancer.

The growth of abnormal cells characterizes cancer, and there are more than 100 cancerous diseases with an enormous health burden worldwide. Carotenoids are a class of biological pigment which are known to have beneficial effects for cancer prevention. Carotenoids, including fucoxanthin, are in many seaweed species and considered by researchers to have incredible potential cancer-fighting properties with promising applications in other areas of human health. Fucoxanthin is one of the most readily available carotenoids that is the subject of research. It is known to stop the growth cycle of cancer cells leading to programmed cell death dramatically slowing cancer growth. Currently, most of the research studies on the anti-cancer effects of  Fucoxanthin are focused on animal subjects. Scientists are excited by the prospect of developing cancer-fighting medications from seaweeds for humans.

Fresh seaweedMuch of this work is with brown seaweeds that have high levels of fucoxanthin. There is accumulating evidence that shows fucoxanthin may have reduction anti-cancer effects on several cancer cells such as lung, breast, colon, prostate, and bladder cancer.

Fucoxanthin has significantly inhibited the growth of prostate cancer by destroying prostate cancer cells. Fucoxanthin has also been identified to substantially reduce the growth of urinary bladder cancer cells by acting as a cancer-inhibiting agent. In a study on mice with skin tumors, the mice were fed fucoxanthin, which led to the suppression of skin tumors resulting in a reduced number of tumors. Studies on human lung cancer cells treated with fucoxanthin also showed a decrease in the number of human lung cancer cells.

The effect of fucoxanthin does not stop at cancer cell reduction. There have been many reports indicating fucoxanthin has a protective effect against the dangerous side effects of drugs. Because fucoxanthin is a natural compound, it is effective without being toxic to the body. It reduces cancer cells plus decreases side effects of conventional cancer treatments leading to improved quality of life cancer patients.

It is not just brown seaweed with anti-cancer activity. Other seaweeds also have anti-cancer activity, but the mode of action is less well understood.

Cancer Research on Pacific Seamoss

One particular seaweed, Pacific Sea Moss©, a red seaweed, containing fucoxanthin in smaller amounts, has been researched on its anti-carcinogenic effects. In Asian cultures such as Korea, Japan, and parts of China, the red seaweed found in Pacific Sea Moss© has long been part of the diets where its consumption is associated with reduced prevalence of breast cancer. Seaweed is also used to treat tumors in traditional Chinese medicine.

Scientists have undertaken several tests on rats induced with a human breast tumor. Once the rats started eating the red seaweed found in Pacific Sea Moss© (Euchemia denticularum “spinosum”), the breast tumors began to decrease in size and number. The mechanism is complicated, but it seems that the seaweed changes the gut microbiome, which reduces the levels of estrogen, which decreases cancer prevalence. The results highlight the importance of marine dietary fiber as a food supplement.

Tests undertaken on human colon cancer cells have showcased the anti-carcinogenic effects of Euchemia spinosum, whereby the human colon cells have died after being administered with the red seaweed found in Pacific Sea Moss©.

Verifiable evidence shows that adding seaweed in our diet may increase the capacity of our bodies to fight against different forms of cancer such as liver, bladder, breast, colon, and prostate cancer. Therefore, these results suggest that the intake of Pacific Sea Moss© has the potential of reducing the risk of several types of cancer.

We make no medical claims.  But we all understand seaweed is healthy. Biosea Health provides seaweed in an easy to consume way with Pacific Sea Moss©  Simply good healthy food.

Categories
Biosea Health Cancer Health Benefits

Potential cancer fighting properties in seaweed

Seaweed Cancer Fighting Properties in Pacific Sea Moss

Potential cancer fighting properties in seaweed

Seaweed has been known for millennia to have anti-cancer properties. The Egyptians used seaweed to treat breast cancer as early as 2640 BC, while both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Japanese Folk medicine use seaweed to treat tumors.   Modern science is now recognizing how important seaweed can be for cancer prevention, with studies showing that a diet rich in seaweed can dramatically reduce blood markers linked to breast cancer.

The growth of abnormal cells characterizes cancer, and there are more than 100 cancerous diseases with an enormous health burden worldwide. Carotenoids are a class of biological pigment which are known to have beneficial effects for cancer prevention. Carotenoids, including fucoxanthin, are in many seaweed species and considered by researchers to have incredible potential cancer-fighting properties with promising applications in other areas of human health. Fucoxanthin is one of the most readily available carotenoids that is the subject of research. It is known to stop the growth cycle of cancer cells leading to programmed cell death dramatically slowing cancer growth. Currently, most of the research studies on the anti-cancer effects of  Fucoxanthin are focused on animal subjects. Scientists are excited by the prospect of developing cancer-fighting medications from seaweeds for humans.

Fresh seaweedMuch of this work is with brown seaweeds that have high levels of fucoxanthin. There is accumulating evidence that shows fucoxanthin may have reduction anti-cancer effects on several cancer cells such as lung, breast, colon, prostate, and bladder cancer.

Fucoxanthin has significantly inhibited the growth of prostate cancer by destroying prostate cancer cells. Fucoxanthin has also been identified to substantially reduce the growth of urinary bladder cancer cells by acting as a cancer-inhibiting agent. In a study on mice with skin tumors, the mice were fed fucoxanthin, which led to the suppression of skin tumors resulting in a reduced number of tumors. Studies on human lung cancer cells treated with fucoxanthin also showed a decrease in the number of human lung cancer cells.

The effect of fucoxanthin does not stop at cancer cell reduction. There have been many reports indicating fucoxanthin has a protective effect against the dangerous side effects of drugs. Because fucoxanthin is a natural compound, it is effective without being toxic to the body. It reduces cancer cells plus decreases side effects of conventional cancer treatments leading to improved quality of life cancer patients.

It is not just brown seaweed with anti-cancer activity. Other seaweeds also have anti-cancer activity, but the mode of action is less well understood.

Cancer Research on Pacific Seamoss

One particular seaweed, Pacific Sea Moss©, a red seaweed, containing fucoxanthin in smaller amounts, has been researched on its anti-carcinogenic effects. In Asian cultures such as Korea, Japan, and parts of China, the red seaweed found in Pacific Sea Moss© has long been part of the diets where its consumption is associated with reduced prevalence of breast cancer. Seaweed is also used to treat tumors in traditional Chinese medicine.

Scientists have undertaken several tests on rats induced with a human breast tumor. Once the rats started eating the red seaweed found in Pacific Sea Moss© (Euchemia denticularum “spinosum”), the breast tumors began to decrease in size and number. The mechanism is complicated, but it seems that the seaweed changes the gut microbiome, which reduces the levels of estrogen, which decreases cancer prevalence. The results highlight the importance of marine dietary fiber as a food supplement.

Tests undertaken on human colon cancer cells have showcased the anti-carcinogenic effects of Euchemia spinosum, whereby the human colon cells have died after being administered with the red seaweed found in Pacific Sea Moss©.

Verifiable evidence shows that adding seaweed in our diet may increase the capacity of our bodies to fight against different forms of cancer such as liver, bladder, breast, colon, and prostate cancer. Therefore, these results suggest that the intake of Pacific Sea Moss© has the potential of reducing the risk of several types of cancer.

We make no medical claims.  But we all understand seaweed is healthy. Biosea Health provides seaweed in an easy to consume way with Pacific Sea Moss©  Simply good healthy food.

Categories
Biosea Health Cancer Health Benefits

Breast Cancer Rates 1/10 of UK. Why?

Breast Cancer Rates are 1/10 in Japan than UK with seaweed

Breast Cancer Rates in UK are Higher

Breast cancer rates in UK are 10 times those of Japan. USA has 4 times rate of mortality than Japan. Why? Diets, and eating seaweed is just one of differences implicated. This  wide difference has intrigued researchers and other studies have followed from this remarkable difference.

The rates of Japanese versus UK, France and Spain are even more pronounced.

Another interesting comparison is the rates of breast cancer in Japan versus the rates of breast cancer in the USA over 25 years.

This graph from Kotanda and Hori in 2016 assessed breast cancer incidence rates between Japanese in Japan and those in the USA.  The full details of how they made are in the reference below. They used aged-standardized incidence rates (called ASR) and the data is from 1959 to 2007.  Conclusions were.

  •  The ASRs of the three prefectures in Japan have been increasing.
  • The ASRs in the USA also showed increasing trends
  • ASR for Japanese are lower than Americans throughout the 50 years
  • The Japanese are slowly catching up on the Americans

The figure below shows more data.

The question is why? What is different about the society that causes this markedly different cancer rates.

Breast Cancer Markers Halved with Seaweed

Professor Jane Teas was looking for this as early as 1981 but went on with a clinical trial of 16 women post breast cancer detection and treatment in 2013. Her conclusions from that paper is that one marker of breast cancer is particular chemical in the blood called uPAR (Urinary human urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor).

“One serum protein (m/z 8,928) reversibly increased with seaweed and may be the immunostimulatory complement activation C3a des-arginine. uPAR is higher among postmenopausal women generally, and for BC patients, it is associated with unfavorable BC prognosis. By lowering uPAR, dietary seaweed may help explain lower BC incidence and mortality among postmenopausal women in Japan”.

Plain English: Seaweed halved a marker of breast cancer in less than 4 weeks. That marker can be identified in blood tests and the uPAR is called creatinine.

Here is the image from the publication.  For more information head to the references by Jane Teas 2013. We now know seaweed is good for you.

References

  • Kota Katanoda, Megumi Hori 2016. Incidence rate for breast cancer in Japanese in Japan and in the United States from the Cancer Incidence in Five Continents. Japanese Journal of Clinical Oncology, Volume 46, Issue 9, September 2016, Page 883, https://doi.org/10.1093/jjco/hyw119 and Oxford University Press
  • Saika, K., & Sobue, T. (2009, January). Epidemiology of breast cancer in Japan and the US. Japan Medical Association Journal.
  • Teas J. The consumption of seaweed as a protective factor in the etiology of breast cancer. 1981 Medical Hypotheses DOI 10.1016/0306-9877(81)90004-9
  • Teas, Jane; Vena, Sylvia; Lindsie, D; Irhimeh, Mohammad 2013 The consumption of seaweed as a protective factor in the etiology of breast cancer: proof of principle DOI: 10.1007/s10811-012-9931-0