The Lung Cancer Blog » November 2008
November 17, 2008
Study Sheds Light on Why Only Some Smokers Get Lung Cancer
New research is being done to find out why only some smokers end up getting lung cancer and one reason may be something called methylation, an event regulating gene expression that changes as people age.
"Alteration to DNA methylation might potentially explain why some former smokers sustain additional genetic damage resulting in lung cancer," Vucic said. "As methylation is a reversible DNA modification, this knowledge could prompt the development and application of chemopreventive agents and unique therapeutic strategies that target DNA methylation in these patients."
November 3, 2008
Natural Vitamin E May Prevent Lung Cancer
With the recent alarming studies that show vitamin E supplements may cause lung cancer, one might think that naturally occurring vitamin E in foods is also dangerous. Not so. A new study has found that vitamin E in its natural alpha-tocopherol form slashed lung cancer risk by more than 50 percent.
It's one of the first studies to look at the effects of different forms of vitamin E on lung cancer risk.
There are eight forms of vitamin E: four tocopherols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta) and four tocotrienols (alpha, beta, gamma, delta). Alpha-tocopherol is the main source found in supplements and in the European diet, while gamma-tocopherol is the most common form in the American diet.
Mike Adams at Natural News comments on this:
... the real truth about natural vitamin E continues to come out: It slashes lung cancer risk by a whopping 55 percent. It also slashes the risk of other cancers, but only if you use the natural form of vitamin E, not the synthetic form. The National Cancer Institute knows this, of course, but they continue to use synthetic vitamin E anyway, since the whole purpose of their own studies is to discredit vitamin E rather than conduct actual science.
It makes you wonder, doesn't it?
November 2, 2008
Lung Spots Shouldn't Be Ignored
Dr. Peter Gott answers a letter from a concerned reader who tells of her father-in-law's experience with lung spots:
Following an X-ray, he was told he had a spot on his lung, but the doctor didn't feel it was anything to worry about ... Since he hated going to doctors, he didn't do anything abut it. Five months later, he was in the hospital, diagnosed with lung cancer.
She says people shouldn't wait to have lung spots checked out, even if the doctor thinks there's nothing to worry about and Dr. Gott responds in agreement.
Read the full letter and Dr. Gott's response here.
