Tag Archives: immune system

Is Gluten An Enhancer To Cancer?

Just as I was wrapping up a new post on my blog my attention was diverted to a TV add looking for donations as several young children spoke about their type of cancer. What a heart-wrenching appeal. You want to give everything you have so these children (and your own) won’t have to suffer the consequences of cancer and chemotherapy.

It makes me crazy when I learn of very serious disease, especially in children, because I’ve read way too much about the hazards of gluten. Yes, many cancers are linked to celiac disease and gluten consumption by significant research in my book.

Quoted from Chapter 13 in Toxic Staple: Gluten Indicted: An Enhancer to Cancer “…gluten plays a role in the cancer equation, and for those who are gluten-sensitive, this connection can be significant: ‘Untreated celiac disease increases the risk of cancer 200–300%.’(1) A wide range of cancers, including non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, throat/esophageal, stomach/intestinal/colon, and others are now being connected to gluten consumption. In addition, liver and throat ailments that can turn into cancer can clear up or improve on a gluten-free diet (GFD).” Many other cancers are mentioned and some studies are with children.

A 2013 study concludes, “in any patient with celiac disease, having hematological [blood] complaints… a possibility of lymphoma should be kept. Bone marrow examination should form a part of work up, as some of these patients may be harboring more sinister leukemias.”(2) Acute myeloid leukemia and osteosarcoma, blood and bone marrow cancers, were mentioned by the children in the appeal.

I searched one site that talked about healthy foods to help fight cancer. But if you have celiac disease, a malabsorption issue, your villi that absorb vitamins and minerals are being damaged. Lack of nutrition can affect any part of your body, even your blood and bones, and can lead to a weakened immune system, very likely setting one up for cancer and certainly making it difficult to fight it off.

Is gluten the bottom-line in many cancers? One of the phrases I repeatedly ran across in my research for Toxic Staple was, “If you want to avoid the complications of celiac disease and lymphoma, you need to do the gluten-free diet 100%.” But so much more research is needed on the ramifications of cancer and gluten. Then this vital info needs to be made available to our doctors.

I firmly believe most cancers could be prevented if one detected intolerance to gluten or celiac disease and then addressed a 100% gluten-free lifestyle. You will understand this by the time you get through the many GF success stories and supporting research in the book.

Please share this blog with anyone dealing with cancer or any chronic symptom or disease.

  1. Celiac Support Association, “Celiac Disease Facts”
  1. Aggarwal M, Kashyap R, Aggarwal G (2013) Celiac Disease with Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Rare Association. Pediat Therapeut 3:163. doi:10.4172/2161-0665.1000163

http://www.omicsonline.org/celiac-disease-with-acute-myeloid-leukemia-a-rare-association-2161-0665.1000163.php?aid=18487

The Gluten Link To Cancer: Maybe It’s Not The Processed Meat!

If you have ever seen how hotdogs and most sausages are made you’d think twice about consuming them. But is it the hotdogs, sausages, and luncheon meats that are causing an increased risk of developing stomach/intestinal/colon cancers or is it the hotdog rolls and sandwich bread?

Did the World Health Organization experts take into account that gluten can be at the root of stomach, intestinal, colon, esophageal, and many other cancers?

Compared to the general population, celiac patients have a much greater risk of developing gastrointestinal lymphoma (24-34x), and the risk is elevated substantially for esophageal and other cancers.*

Other research reports that CD “significantly increases [the] risk of developing small bowel lymphomas by 30 to 40 percent and other gut malignancies by 83-fold.”**

“A 10 – 280 fold increased risk of small bowel adenocarcinoma” was found in celiac patients compared to the general population.***

Patients suffering a return of symptoms after reacting positively to a strict GFD should be checked for “evidence of a small bowel malignancy.”****

Is anyone recognizing the impact gluten has on our bodies beside the researchers? Do you realize the devastating and degenerative affect gluten can have on any part of the body? Do you comprehend what gluten can do to your immune system if your villi are shot to hell and not absorbing vitamins and minerals?

If cancer patients were offered more testing than is generally given for celiac disease (too often only one), including testing for gluten intolerance, I wonder what percent of those with cancer would be positive for gluten issues?

For more information on cancer related to gluten read my chapter, “Gluten Indicted: An Answer To Cancer,” in my award-winning book, Toxic Staple.

*Sahin et al. “The Patient Presenting with Renal Failure Due to Multiple Myeloma Associated with Celiac Disease: Case Report” 2011

**Ahluwalia et al. “Aggressive Burkitt-like Lymphoma of Colon in a Patient with Prior Celiac Disease” 2006

*** Potter et al. “The Role of Defective Mismatch Repair in Small Bowel Adenocarcinoma in Celiac Disease” 2004

**** Straker et al. “Adenocarcinoma of the Jejunum” 1989