Does too much protein in the diet increase cancer risk? YES

Dec. 7, 2006 -- A great deal of research connects nutrition with
cancer risk. Overweight people are at higher risk of developing
post-menopausal breast cancer, endometrial cancer, colon cancer, kidney
cancer and a certain type of esophageal cancer. Now preliminary
findings from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine
in St. Louis suggest that eating less protein may help protect against
certain cancers that are not directly associated with obesity.

The research, published in the December issue of the American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition, shows that lean people on a long-term,
low-protein, low-calorie diet or participating in regular endurance
exercise training have lower levels of plasma growth factors and
certain hormones linked to cancer risk.

"However, people on a low-protein, low-calorie diet had considerably
lower levels of a particular plasma growth factor called IGF-1 than
equally lean endurance runners," says the study's first author Luigi
Fontana, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at Washington
University and an investigator at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità in
Rome, Italy. "That suggests to us that a diet lower in protein may have
a greater protective effect against cancer than endurance exercise,
independently of body fat mass."

The study involved three groups of people. The first ate a low-protein,
low-calorie, raw food vegetarian diet and was made up of 21 lean men
and women. Another group consisted of 21 lean subjects who did regular
endurance running, averaging about 48 miles per week. The runners ate a
standard Western diet, consuming more calories and protein than group
one. The third group included 21 sedentary people who also consumed a
standard Western diet, higher in sugars, processed refined grains and
animal products. The subjects were matched for age, sex and other
demographic factors, and no one smoked or had diabetes, cardiovascular
disease, cancer, lung disease or other chronic illness.

Protein intake was, not surprisingly, lowest in the low-protein group.
They averaged a daily intake of 0.73 grams of protein per kilogram of
body weight. Endurance runners ate 1.6 grams and sedentary people on
the Western diet, 1.23 grams. The recommended daily allowance for
protein intake is 0.8 grams. That's about three ounces of protein per
day for a 220-pound man.

"It's interesting to us that both the runners and especially the
sedentary people consumed about 50 percent more protein than
recommended," says Fontana. "We know that if we consume 50 percent more
calories than recommended, we will become obese. But there is not a lot
of research on whether chronic over-consumption of protein also has
harmful effects."

Fontana and colleagues found significantly lower blood levels of plasma
insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in the low-protein diet group than
in either the equally lean runners or the sedentary people eating a
standard Western diet. Past research has linked pre-menopausal breast
cancer, prostate cancer and certain types of colon cancer to high
levels of IGF-1, a powerful growth factor that promotes cell
proliferation. Data from animal studies also suggest that lower IGF-1
levels are associated with maximal lifespan.

"Our findings show that in normal weight people IGF-1 levels are
related to protein intake, independent of body weight and fat mass,"
Fontana says. "I believe our findings suggest that protein intake may
be very important in regulating cancer risk."

He calls the study a hypothesis-generating paper that suggests
connections between dietary protein and epidemiological studies that
show associations between IGF-1 levels and the risk of cancer. But he
says more research is needed to clarify what that connection is.

The researchers also found that the group of endurance runners in the
study consumed the highest number of calories, averaging more than
2,600 per day. Those on a standard Western diet consumed just over
2,300 calories daily, while those in the low-calorie, low-protein group
ate just under 2,000 calories a day. Members of the latter group also
tended to weigh less than sedentary people but slightly more than the
endurance runners. The average body mass index (BMI) in the
low-protein, low-calorie group was 21.3. BMI averaged 21.1 among the
runners and 26.5 among those who were sedentary. BMI is a measurement
of weight divided by height squared. People with a BMI greater than 25
are considered overweight.

Fontana says most of us don't eat nearly enough fruits and vegetables
or enough whole-grains, cereals or beans. "Many people are eating too
many animal products - such as meat, cheese, eggs and butter - as
well as refined grains and free sugars," he says. "Our intake of
vegetables and fruits is low, and beans are vastly underconsumed in the
U.S. and Europe these days. "

He believes diets would be healthier if we ate more whole grains,
beans, fruits and vegetables and far fewer animal products. He
recommends mostly fish, low-fat dairy products and, occasionally, some
red meat. Such a diet would both cut total calories and reduce the
amount of protein we consume to a level closer to the range recommended
by the nutrition experts of the Food Nutrition Board of the National
Academy of Sciences. It also might result in lower levels of IGF-1.

"Eating too many calories increases our risk of developing obesity,
diabetes, cardiovascular disease and of certain types of cancer related
to obesity," Fontana says. "We hope to further clarify what happens to
cancer risk when we are chronically eating more protein than we need."

Fontana L, Klein S, Holloszy JO. Long-term low-protein, low-calorie
diet and endurance exercise modulat metabolic factors associated with
cancer risk. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 84; pp.
1456-1462, December 2006.

Funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and
Kidney Diseases and the National Center for Research Resources of the
National Institutes of Health supported this research.

Washington University School of Medicine's full-time and volunteer
faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St.
Louis Children's hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the
leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the
nation, currently ranked fourth in the nation by U.S. News & World
Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis
Children's hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC
HealthCare.

http://mednews.wustl.edu/news/page/n...?emailID=12304

Interesting study. Their finding, based on this description of their
research is, well, not necessarily very relevant to anyone doing a low
carbohydrate diet. Why? Lemme enlighten you.

The important passage is the 4th paragraph. To refresh and save
scrolling:
" The study involved three groups of people. The first ate a
low-protein,
low-calorie, raw food vegetarian diet and was made up of 21 lean men
and women. Another group consisted of 21 lean subjects who did regular
endurance running, averaging about 48 miles per week. The runners ate a
standard Western diet, consuming more calories and protein than group
one. The third group included 21 sedentary people who also consumed a
standard Western diet, higher in sugars, processed refined grains and
animal products. The subjects were matched for age, sex and other
demographic factors, and no one smoked or had diabetes, cardiovascular
disease, cancer, lung disease or other chronic illness."

So, we have a group of 21 Ornish type people (low cal, high veg, low
protein, low fat). Then 21 people who ate standard western diet (high
cal, high carb, high protein, high fat) who did endurance running. Then
we have some couch potatoes who probably ate a lot of chips and such.

The problems we find are like this:
1- There is no control here for carbohydrates. In fact, there is no
report on carb consumption among the groups. The two sets of people on
the standard western diet ate a lot of protein and probably a lot of
carbs. The folks on the veg diet probably ate no refined sugar or
grain.

2- The protein numbers. I do Protein Power Life Plan, a diet that many
would consider "high protein, low carb." My weight over the past two
months has averaged about 236lbs. Let's see, lbs to kilos, works out to
about 107 kilos. 107 *.8 = ~.86g of protein. If I ramped down to a
completely vegetative level of activity, my recommendation for protein
would be 87.5G of protein. Odd how that works out. Course, there is a
LBM methodology to PPLP that doesn't seem to be present in the study's
guidelines. Likewise it doesn't seem to figure in resistance training's
increased protein requirement.

3- There is no control here for really anything. The calories of the
veg people are higher than my daily calories as a low carb dieter
eating when I get hungry. They are way in excess of Dr. Chung's
guidelines for healthy living (not that I would recommend that). The
question it brings us back to is this: The caloric difference might
explain the difference in their results. The macronutrient composition,
beyond just protein, might explain the difference in their results. The
amount of activity might explain their results. As the lead researcher
suggests, this is a hypothesis generating paper. I wouldn't change my
life on it.

My health, and all indicators of it, have drastically improved with
added protein and reduced carbohydrate. Despite the findings of the
folks at my Alma Mater, I think I'm gonna continue to cut carbs, eat
protein, lift weights, count steps, and enjoy results.

-Hollywood, feeding good old protein and sat fat to the trolls. Keep
them off the carbs.

wrote:
Dec. 7, 2006 -- A great deal of research connects nutrition with
cancer risk. Overweight people are at higher risk of developing
post-menopausal breast cancer, endometrial cancer, colon cancer, kidney
cancer and a certain type of esophageal cancer. Now preliminary
findings from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine
in St. Louis suggest that eating less protein may help protect against
certain cancers that are not directly associated with obesity.

The research, published in the December issue of the American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition, shows that lean people on a long-term,
low-protein, low-calorie diet or participating in regular endurance
exercise training have lower levels of plasma growth factors and
certain hormones linked to cancer risk.

"However, people on a low-protein, low-calorie diet had considerably
lower levels of a particular plasma growth factor called IGF-1 than
equally lean endurance runners," says the study's first author Luigi
Fontana, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at Washington
University and an investigator at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità in
Rome, Italy. "That suggests to us that a diet lower in protein may have
a greater protective effect against cancer than endurance exercise,
independently of body fat mass."

The study involved three groups of people. The first ate a low-protein,
low-calorie, raw food vegetarian diet and was made up of 21 lean men
and women. Another group consisted of 21 lean subjects who did regular
endurance running, averaging about 48 miles per week. The runners ate a
standard Western diet, consuming more calories and protein than group
one. The third group included 21 sedentary people who also consumed a
standard Western diet, higher in sugars, processed refined grains and
animal products. The subjects were matched for age, sex and other
demographic factors, and no one smoked or had diabetes, cardiovascular
disease, cancer, lung disease or other chronic illness.

Protein intake was, not surprisingly, lowest in the low-protein group.
They averaged a daily intake of 0.73 grams of protein per kilogram of
body weight. Endurance runners ate 1.6 grams and sedentary people on
the Western diet, 1.23 grams. The recommended daily allowance for
protein intake is 0.8 grams. That's about three ounces of protein per
day for a 220-pound man.

"It's interesting to us that both the runners and especially the
sedentary people consumed about 50 percent more protein than
recommended," says Fontana. "We know that if we consume 50 percent more
calories than recommended, we will become obese. But there is not a lot
of research on whether chronic over-consumption of protein also has
harmful effects."

Fontana and colleagues found significantly lower blood levels of plasma
insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in the low-protein diet group than
in either the equally lean runners or the sedentary people eating a
standard Western diet. Past research has linked pre-menopausal breast
cancer, prostate cancer and certain types of colon cancer to high
levels of IGF-1, a powerful growth factor that promotes cell
proliferation. Data from animal studies also suggest that lower IGF-1
levels are associated with maximal lifespan.

"Our findings show that in normal weight people IGF-1 levels are
related to protein intake, independent of body weight and fat mass,"
Fontana says. "I believe our findings suggest that protein intake may
be very important in regulating cancer risk."

He calls the study a hypothesis-generating paper that suggests
connections between dietary protein and epidemiological studies that
show associations between IGF-1 levels and the risk of cancer. But he
says more research is needed to clarify what that connection is.

The researchers also found that the group of endurance runners in the
study consumed the highest number of calories, averaging more than
2,600 per day. Those on a standard Western diet consumed just over
2,300 calories daily, while those in the low-calorie, low-protein group
ate just under 2,000 calories a day. Members of the latter group also
tended to weigh less than sedentary people but slightly more than the
endurance runners. The average body mass index (BMI) in the
low-protein, low-calorie group was 21.3. BMI averaged 21.1 among the
runners and 26.5 among those who were sedentary. BMI is a measurement
of weight divided by height squared. People with a BMI greater than 25
are considered overweight.

Fontana says most of us don't eat nearly enough fruits and vegetables
or enough whole-grains, cereals or beans. "Many people are eating too
many animal products - such as meat, cheese, eggs and butter - as
well as refined grains and free sugars," he says. "Our intake of
vegetables and fruits is low, and beans are vastly underconsumed in the
U.S. and Europe these days. "

He believes diets would be healthier if we ate more whole grains,
beans, fruits and vegetables and far fewer animal products. He
recommends mostly fish, low-fat dairy products and, occasionally, some
red meat. Such a diet would both cut total calories and reduce the
amount of protein we consume to a level closer to the range recommended
by the nutrition experts of the Food Nutrition Board of the National
Academy of Sciences. It also might result in lower levels of IGF-1.

"Eating too many calories increases our risk of developing obesity,
diabetes, cardiovascular disease and of certain types of cancer related
to obesity," Fontana says. "We hope to further clarify what happens to
cancer risk when we are chronically eating more protein than we need."

Fontana L, Klein S, Holloszy JO. Long-term low-protein, low-calorie
diet and endurance exercise modulat metabolic factors associated with
cancer risk. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 84; pp.
1456-1462, December 2006.

Funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and
Kidney Diseases and the National Center for Research Resources of the
National Institutes of Health supported this research.

Washington University School of Medicine's full-time and volunteer
faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St.
Louis Children's hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the
leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the
nation, currently ranked fourth in the nation by U.S. News & World
Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis
Children's hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC
HealthCare.

http://mednews.wustl.edu/news/page/n...?emailID=12304

This study is pure bull****.

First of all it is a tiny study done over a very short period of time.
That shows that it is crap right off the bat.

Then they measure two indirect supposed markers, "levels of plasma
growth factors and
certain hormones linked to cancer risk". Markers that were apparently
identified in other crappy studies.

So here we have a tiny sample for a very short period of time and they
"appear" to negatively affect two possible completely indirect and
unproven "markers" that may increase cancer risk, maybe.

Absolute bull**** science.

TC

wrote:
Dec. 7, 2006 -- A great deal of research connects nutrition with
cancer risk. Overweight people are at higher risk of developing
post-menopausal breast cancer, endometrial cancer, colon cancer, kidney
cancer and a certain type of esophageal cancer. Now preliminary
findings from researchers at Washington University School of Medicine
in St. Louis suggest that eating less protein may help protect against
certain cancers that are not directly associated with obesity.

The research, published in the December issue of the American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition, shows that lean people on a long-term,
low-protein, low-calorie diet or participating in regular endurance
exercise training have lower levels of plasma growth factors and
certain hormones linked to cancer risk.

"However, people on a low-protein, low-calorie diet had considerably
lower levels of a particular plasma growth factor called IGF-1 than
equally lean endurance runners," says the study's first author Luigi
Fontana, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at Washington
University and an investigator at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità in
Rome, Italy. "That suggests to us that a diet lower in protein may have
a greater protective effect against cancer than endurance exercise,
independently of body fat mass."

The study involved three groups of people. The first ate a low-protein,
low-calorie, raw food vegetarian diet and was made up of 21 lean men
and women. Another group consisted of 21 lean subjects who did regular
endurance running, averaging about 48 miles per week. The runners ate a
standard Western diet, consuming more calories and protein than group
one. The third group included 21 sedentary people who also consumed a
standard Western diet, higher in sugars, processed refined grains and
animal products. The subjects were matched for age, sex and other
demographic factors, and no one smoked or had diabetes, cardiovascular
disease, cancer, lung disease or other chronic illness.

Protein intake was, not surprisingly, lowest in the low-protein group.
They averaged a daily intake of 0.73 grams of protein per kilogram of
body weight. Endurance runners ate 1.6 grams and sedentary people on
the Western diet, 1.23 grams. The recommended daily allowance for
protein intake is 0.8 grams. That's about three ounces of protein per
day for a 220-pound man.

"It's interesting to us that both the runners and especially the
sedentary people consumed about 50 percent more protein than
recommended," says Fontana. "We know that if we consume 50 percent more
calories than recommended, we will become obese. But there is not a lot
of research on whether chronic over-consumption of protein also has
harmful effects."

Fontana and colleagues found significantly lower blood levels of plasma
insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in the low-protein diet group than
in either the equally lean runners or the sedentary people eating a
standard Western diet. Past research has linked pre-menopausal breast
cancer, prostate cancer and certain types of colon cancer to high
levels of IGF-1, a powerful growth factor that promotes cell
proliferation. Data from animal studies also suggest that lower IGF-1
levels are associated with maximal lifespan.

"Our findings show that in normal weight people IGF-1 levels are
related to protein intake, independent of body weight and fat mass,"
Fontana says. "I believe our findings suggest that protein intake may
be very important in regulating cancer risk."

He calls the study a hypothesis-generating paper that suggests
connections between dietary protein and epidemiological studies that
show associations between IGF-1 levels and the risk of cancer. But he
says more research is needed to clarify what that connection is.

The researchers also found that the group of endurance runners in the
study consumed the highest number of calories, averaging more than
2,600 per day. Those on a standard Western diet consumed just over
2,300 calories daily, while those in the low-calorie, low-protein group
ate just under 2,000 calories a day. Members of the latter group also
tended to weigh less than sedentary people but slightly more than the
endurance runners. The average body mass index (BMI) in the
low-protein, low-calorie group was 21.3. BMI averaged 21.1 among the
runners and 26.5 among those who were sedentary. BMI is a measurement
of weight divided by height squared. People with a BMI greater than 25
are considered overweight.

Fontana says most of us don't eat nearly enough fruits and vegetables
or enough whole-grains, cereals or beans. "Many people are eating too
many animal products - such as meat, cheese, eggs and butter - as
well as refined grains and free sugars," he says. "Our intake of
vegetables and fruits is low, and beans are vastly underconsumed in the
U.S. and Europe these days. "

He believes diets would be healthier if we ate more whole grains,
beans, fruits and vegetables and far fewer animal products. He
recommends mostly fish, low-fat dairy products and, occasionally, some
red meat. Such a diet would both cut total calories and reduce the
amount of protein we consume to a level closer to the range recommended
by the nutrition experts of the Food Nutrition Board of the National
Academy of Sciences. It also might result in lower levels of IGF-1.

"Eating too many calories increases our risk of developing obesity,
diabetes, cardiovascular disease and of certain types of cancer related
to obesity," Fontana says. "We hope to further clarify what happens to
cancer risk when we are chronically eating more protein than we need."

Fontana L, Klein S, Holloszy JO. Long-term low-protein, low-calorie
diet and endurance exercise modulat metabolic factors associated with
cancer risk. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, vol. 84; pp.
1456-1462, December 2006.

Funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and
Kidney Diseases and the National Center for Research Resources of the
National Institutes of Health supported this research.

Washington University School of Medicine's full-time and volunteer
faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St.
Louis Children's hospitals. The School of Medicine is one of the
leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the
nation, currently ranked fourth in the nation by U.S. News & World
Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis
Children's hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC
HealthCare.

http://mednews.wustl.edu/news/page/n...?emailID=12304

"Hollywood" wrote in message
ups.com...
Interesting study. Their finding, based on this description of their
research is, well, not necessarily very relevant to anyone doing a low
carbohydrate diet. Why? Lemme enlighten you.

3- There is no control here for really anything.

Nor any control for the protein source of the runners or gluttons.

--
eleaticus
ee-lee-AT-i-cus