Tag: cancer

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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.

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Arthritis Biosea Health Gut Microbiome Health Benefits

Seaweed reduces obesity? Will it save Queensland’s Fattest City?

seaweed reduces obesity Eat Pacific Sea Moss

USQ scientists set to break the obesity cycle with leading edge findings. Are functional foods better than dieting and exercise…..

Toowoomba takes out the unenviable title of the fattest city in Queensland according to researchers at the Mitchell Institute. Over 83% of the Toowoomba population is overweight or obese, posing major disease risk and a potential public health crisis in the region. But all is not lost for the Garden City with one of its locals possibly holding the key to ending the city’s obesity problem. Professor Lindsay Brown of University of Southern Queensland at Toowoomba has spent more than a decade investigating functional foods and their affect on lifestyle diseases such as obesity, high blood pressure and cancer. Professor Brown says that seaweed is showing exceptional effectiveness in reversing obesity related health problems in animal studies and would like to see them in human studies.

Prof Brown and his team of researchers fed rats a junk food diet. The rats, just like humans, gained weight especially around the belly, and also developed fatty liver disease, high blood pressure, pre-type 2 diabetes, arthritis and inflammation of the gut.

But eating as little as 5 gm of seaweed per day completely reversed all of these symptoms.  Blood pressure returned to normal and cell damage to the heart and liver was reversed. Fatty deposits in liver and blood vessels disappeared.  The body’s response to sugar reverted back to the healthy functioning and diabetes risk was eliminated. Inflammation throughout the body was minimised so joint and heart health was much improved.  Professor Brown says the results are highly impressive and somewhat unexpected. He anticipated an improvement in symptoms but not a complete reversal, and a result better than if the patient was taking multiple medicines.

Blood pressure control with seaweed dietary supplement also stopped weight gain
From du Preez 2020 Seaweed reduces weight gain from rats on a junk food diet and makes no different to rats on a standard diet.

Professor Brown now wants to get the message out to the residents of his home town to help change Toowoomba’s frightening health reputation.  He openly provides all the science so residents can judge the effectiveness for themselves. However the media and medical industry have been slow to realise the potential of functional foods.