The Microbiome-Cancer Connection

We try to consume organic foods whenever possible to minimize the carcinogenic effects of herbicides and pesticides . We avoid getting sunburned advice you're all likely familiar with . But the microbiome is proven to be an exceptionally powerful factor in causing and preventing cancer in some unexpected ways .

For instance , it has become clear that many instances of colon cancer get their start in the mouth . It's also becoming clear that numerous forms of cancer , from breast cancer to prostate cancer , originate with the composition of microbes in the gastrointestinal tract . It's the one common thread among many forms of cancer .

This single insight alone has the potential to give you enormous control over your lifetime risk for these diseases . So in this episode of Define Health , let's consider these cancer-related issues of the microbiome .

It is , admitted , admittedly , a conversation that is just getting started , with many more lessons to learn , but gain an awareness of these microbiome-related issues and you can take concrete steps to address these risks and later in the podcast I'd like to tell you about Define Health's sponsors Paleo Valley , our preferred provider of many excellent organic and grass-fed

food products , and BioDequest , my number one choice for probiotics that are scientifically formulated , unlike most of the other commercial probiotic products available today . Of course , numerous causes of cancer have been identified over the years .

Some causes are environmental , some are dietary , others involve toxic exposures or hormonal disruptions , and there are also genetic and epigenetic disruptions that can lead to changes that lead to a formation of a cancer .

But we need to add the microbiome to the list , that is , the collection of microbes in various parts of the body , but especially the gastrointestinal microbiome and the oral microbiome , and that's because these areas are proven to be the seeds or the source of microbes and their byproducts that are involved in cancer causation .

Also , the unique thing about the microbiome is that the emerging science tells us that various microbial factors cause not just one or two or three kinds of cancers , but dozens of different cancers , and that not addressing these microbial factors means that you cannot hope for complete control over cancer risk .

It's also appearing that the microbiome has a number of ways in which it can contribute to causing or propagating a cancer . It could be a direct or local effect . It could be an inflammatory effect . It could be through endotoxemia , that is , the release of toxins from bacteria that enter the bloodstream and then gain access to various organs .

It could be direct invasion of a microbe , that is , the microbe actually enters a tissue like breast or prostate or pancreas and do its damage .

That way it could also achieve changes that lead to cancer by disrupting the immune response , often turning off your protective immune response against an emerging cancer , often turning off your protective immune response against an emerging cancer .

And microbes can also be responsible for damaging your DNA , actually introducing changes into your genetic code or the epigenetics that control expression of your genes . That can then in turn lead to cancer and allow its propagation .

A very important collection of observations have come from some studies performed recently in which many tumors were actually taken out of people patients resected , that is , and then studied and looked at for the presence of microbes and also for the presence of bacterial toxins . Lo and behold , tumors are filled with microbes and with their toxins .

So breast , for instance , breast tissue that's been examined after removal includes microbes like Streptococcus infantis and Fusobacterium nucleatum . Fusobacterium nucleotide is an oral microbe . So in this case , presumptively , there's . One of the causes of breast cancer is a microbe from the mouth .

Examination of pancreatic cancer has revealed the presence of fecal microbes such as enterobacter , klebsiella and citrobacter . Now how did fecal microbes get into the pancreas ? Because fecal microbes live , or are supposed to live , about 24 feet down from the pancreas .

There's no direct connection between the colon , where fecal microbes are supposed to live , and the pancreas . The pancreas is 24 feet up higher . So we have to presume that fecal microbes somehow gain access , likely by ascending into the small intestine .

Colon cancer contains two mouth microbes Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis , two microbes that originate in the mouth and likely gain access either through the bloodstream or by swallowing . There's also E coli and Bacteroides fragilis , two stool microbes . But no surprise , that's where they're supposed to be .

But when E coli and certain strains of Bacteroides fragilis proliferate , they can contribute to change that lead to a cancer . Another interesting observation made through recent studies of tumors taken out of patients is that they also contain lipopolysaccharide endotoxin .

So if we take those fecal microbes , they're also called gram-negative because they stay in a certain way when you try to look at them under a microscope . They're also called proteobacteria or enterobacteriaceae . These are more umbrella-type terms for fecalcal microbes .

These fecal microbes have a toxin in their cell wall called lipopolysaccharide endotoxin , or lps endotoxin for short . When these microbes die let's say in the colon they die , they release that endotoxin into the intestines , which then can gain access into your bloodstream .

Now this is especially true when you have small intestinal bacterial overgrowth , that is , when you have fecal microbes that have proliferated in the colon , where they belong , but then ascended into the small intestine , where they don't belong .

The small intestine is by design very permeable because that's where you're supposed to absorb such things as amino acids and fatty acids and vitamins and minerals . So the small intestine is by design very permeable .

But when there are fecal microbes in the small intestine , the microbes and their toxins irritate and inflame the intestinal wall , making it even more permeable , and so there's increased entry of LPS endotoxin through the wall of the small intestine into the bloodstream and that's called endotoxemia , and by that route LPS endotoxin can gain access to all the organs of

the body , like breast or prostate or liver or thyroid gland , and thereby introduce changes that can lead to the development of cancer . You can see that there are some common threads . There are some patterns to emerge out of all this .

One is that many cancers originate with the mouth , that is , microbes that originate with the mouth , such as Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis .

By the way , when those two are together , as they often are in people who have bleeding gums or gingivitis or periodontitis , even though those microbes are present normally and don't necessarily cause harm , when you have those situations of bleeding gums , gingivitis or periodontitis , that's when these two microbes proliferate .

And then , when they work together , they're especially lethal . And these microbes are able to gain access into other parts of the body . Fusobacterium enters the bloodstream every time you floss or brush or have other any kind of minor microtrauma to the mouth , and can also be obtained by swallowing and gain access to other parts of the body , such as the colon .

It's not quite clear how porphyromonous gains access to other organs , but it does so . These two mouth microbes are a cause for numerous cancers in other parts of the body , or at least contribute to the cancers .

Another pattern that emerges when you look at all this is that fecal microbes those are , those gram-negative proteobacteria like E coli and Enterobacter and Citrobacter are common inhabitants of various cancers all throughout the body . It's not quite clear at what point they participate . Do they initiate the cancer ?

Do they simply propagate it or make it worse and metastasize ? Not quite clear . But we find colonic or fecal microbes in all those cancers , and the emerging science tells us that they do participate in causing or worsening the cancer .

And then , lastly , another pattern that emerges is that many of the cancers also have that LPS endotoxin , now that LPS endotoxin comes from mostly fecal microbes . So once again we're back at the role of fecal microbes in the colon , but also in the small intestine , where they're given increased access to the rest of the body .

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That's a remnant of 1920s 1930s thinking . Penicillin emerged from that kind of thinking . If you have pneumococcal pneumonia , take this antibiotic . If you have a urinary tract infection from E coli , take that antibiotic .

We want to get away from that kind of idea because more often than not , issues involving the microbiome are not just single microbes and you kill them with a single antibiotic . They're due to disruptions of the entire microbiome , and so just taking an antibiotic is not part of the solution . It's actually part of the problem , right ?

Multiple courses of antibiotics got us here and , of course , if it's all responded to antibiotics which are massively overused nowadays , we should be seeing a drop in cancer , right ?

If a lot of cancer is caused by the microbiome disruptions of the microbiome , the overuse of antibiotics should have been leading to a marked reduction in cancer incidence , and it has not , of course . In fact , cancers are increasing , and so get away from this idea of an antibiotic for every microbe .

Instead , let's address the factors that allow microbial disruptors to take root .

So if a lot of colon cancer , for instance , originates from microbes that come from the mouth , like Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis , especially when there's bleeding gums , gingivitis or periodontitis present , the solution involves better oral hygiene and having a dentist or a related health professional address those conditions , and not necessarily with an

antimicrobial . There might be situations where an antimicrobial would be better , in case you have really bad case , say , of periodontitis and you're losing your teeth . In that situation you're probably better off with an antibiotic , but most of the time it's better dental hygiene that you manage , and with the assistance of some dental professional .

The most important practice , by the way , in my view as a non-dentist , is to break the biofilm . My good friend , dr Debbie Osment , who is a functional dentist in Oklahoma City , talks a lot about this .

She tells a story of how she would go to Peru once a year , pre-pandemic , to volunteer to offer her dental services to the people living in the mountains of Peru . And she told me that people would ride as much as two days on their donkeys to get to the American dentist for their free care .

And she said that all she did from day till night was pull teeth , because these people shut up with mouths full of rotten teeth because they all chewed sugar cane . But then she's made an extraordinary observation , that is , an occasional person would show up with a full mouth of intact teeth and she asked them do you chew sugarcane ?

They say yes , and she'd ask what do you do different than other people ? They say , well , I take a twig after I chew sugarcane and go between my teeth and clean them . Not a toothbrush , not fluoride toothpaste , no dentist besides Dr Osmond , just a twig .

And so she advocates this concept of breaking the so-called biofilm , that is , the little film that many tooth decay causing microbes create and cause damage to your teeth . So the most important thing you can do for dental health is flossing and similar actions that break the biofilm .

It could be a toothpick , it could be one of those little picks that you can use that are plastic and go between your teeth . But break the biofilm and don't use mouthwash . Mouthwash is extremely disruptive . It's shown to be unhealthy .

For instance , your blood pressure goes up for a while after you use mouthwash because you've killed not just bad microbes but good microbes also . So it's very disruptive If you use sweeteners , try to use some xylitol now and then , because xylitol is antimicrobial and it's selective for the bad microbes , like streptococcus mutans . That causes tooth decay .

So attention to the oral microbiome has the potential to reduce many cancers , especially colon cancer . Another area you want to pay attention to is to correct or improve colonic dysbiosis , that is , disrupted microbial composition in the colon and SIBO small intestinal bacterial overgrowth a much worse situation and we do that .

We accomplish that by restoring important keystone microbes , that is , foundational microbes that you've likely lost because those microbes are very susceptible to common antibiotics and other factors . So this includes a list of microbes , but at the top of the list , lactobacillus roteri and Lactobacillus gasseri , two very important microbes .

They're especially important because they colonize both the colon and the small intestine , where a lot of disruptions have occurred , and those two species specifically produce bacteriocins . They're champions at producing bacteriocins , natural antibiotics effective in killing those fecal microbes .

Let's focus for a moment on our favorite microbe of all , lactobacillus roteri , because Lactobacillus roteri has been shown over and over again to be protective against numerous forms of cancer . For instance , when introduced into a pancreatic cancer model in an animal , it actually eradicates the cancer .

When combined , especially with lactobacillus casea , another beneficial microbe , lactobacillus rhodori , has also been shown to reduce the formation of polyps in the colon .

Now , these observations have yet to be confirmed in humans , but so far the animal and the experimental evidence is extremely powerful in illustrating how lactobacillus ruterite , this one microbe that we ferment using my method of extended fermentation , obtained very high counts of around 300 billion per half cup serving of the yogurt . Recall , it's not yogurt .

It looks and smells like yogurt , but it's not . But it's our way of getting very high counts of reuterite and that is looking like an extremely powerful strategy for reducing or preventing several forms of cancer .

So if you don't know what I'm talking about , take a look at my other Defiant Health podcasts or my blog , my drdavisinfinitehealthcom blog , where I tell you how to make these as yogurts . It's not yogurt . It looks and smells like yogurt , but it's not yogurt . It looks and smells like yogurt .

But it's a way to ferment these microbes to very high counts typically 300 billion , 300 billion per half cup serving of this yogurt . Have with some blueberries or some chia seeds , whatever , but you want to get these microbes to recolonize your entire gi tract , including the 24 feet of small intestine .

So if these keystone microbes are successful in killing off fecal microbes , that is , the fecal proteobacteria that have that endotoxin , the LPS endotoxin , in their cell wall , guess what happens ? Guess what follows ? There's a reduction in LPS endotoxemia .

And if you're successful in pushing or eradicating fecal microbes in the small intestine , the permeable small intestine , you further reduce endotoxemia . You reduce the entry of microbes into the bloodstream . You reduce the entry of LPS endotoxin and giving them less opportunity to get to your breasts or thyroid gland or liver or prostate .

And so these strategies that seem to focus on the mouth and on the microbial composition of your small intestine and colon are ways , I believe , that potentially could massively reduce your potential for cancers in virtually every organ of the body .

It doesn't mean you're impervious , but I believe you've ratcheted down dramatically your potential risk for various cancers over your lifetime .

Another important strategy to accomplish these ends is to include lots and lots of fermented foods Foods like kefir , kimchi , sauerkraut , fermented sauerkraut , veggies you ferment on your kitchen counter all sorts of wonderful ways to ferment foods and include the fibers that nourish microbes .

These are fibers like inulin or fructooligosaccharides that come from foods such as onions , garlic , other root vegetables , jicama , legumes like black beans , white beans , red beans , kidney beans . And don't forget hyaluronic acid , one of the very few fibers sourced from animals .

So hyaluronic acid has been abandoned by most people because most people have stopped eating organ meats . So add back hyaluronic acid as a powder . Take these steps . Now .

If this is a little bit strange or complicated to you , take a look at my drdavesinfinitehealthcom blog posts . There's also a membership website where we talk about these things face-to-face via Zoom every about once a week . Also , my Supergut book .

Supergut has all these recipes for all kinds of different fermented foods , including what I call SIBO yogurt , lactobacillus roteri yogurt , lactobacillus gasseri yogurt and many other fermented foods all meant to help you rebuild your microbiome .

Now , if you learned something by listening to this episode of Defiant Health , I encourage you to subscribe through your favorite podcast directory . Post a review , post a comment , tell your friends . Let's build this community of people who want to be empowered in their own health to compensate for the deficiencies of the modern healthcare system . Thanks for listening .