I asked ChatGPT with reason and search (o3-mini) about this with good evidence and it suggested a couple of preventative strategies:
Breast cancer: tamoxifen, raloxifene
Prostate cancer: finasteride, dutasteride
Lung cancer: smoking cessation
Colorectal cancer: aspirin
Liver cancer: hepatitis B vaccine or antivirals with chronic infection.
Seems legit, prompting matters a lot. I used Claude 3.5 to help create the prompt.
My daughter has been looking at these glucans and whether it is a reasonable strategy, both for cancer and infectious disease:
Iām in over my head. Does anybody have thoughts? Seems like for somebody that doesnāt have cancer it would cause inflammation?
Apparently the beta glucans generally have anti inflammatory effects, even as they can enhance immune function, but of course itās complicated. Dr. Oracle seems to have a reasonable summary:
Question: Does beta glucan increase inflammation?
Beta Glucan and Inflammation: A Complex Relationship
Introduction
Beta glucan, a polysaccharide found in various sources, has been the subject of numerous studies investigating its effects on inflammation in the body. The relationship between beta glucan and inflammation is complex and context-dependent.
Anti-inflammatory Effects
Reduction of Pro-inflammatory Cytokines
Beta glucan has demonstrated the ability to reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines in several studies:
- In a mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease, dietary beta glucan reduced the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (21434779)
- Beta glucan treatment in sepsis-induced lung injury completely blocked the elevation of TNF-Ī±, IL-1Ī², and IL-6 (17414422)
Attenuation of Inflammatory Responses
- Beta glucan administration led to less inflammation within the colon in IL-10 deficient mice (21434779)
- In ob/ob mice, yeast beta-glucan decreased pro-inflammatory modulators such as TNF-Ī±, IL-6, IL-1Ī², CCL2, and SAA3 (29285925)
Immunomodulatory Effects
Enhancement of Immune Function
While beta glucan can reduce certain inflammatory markers, it also has immunomodulatory effects that may enhance immune function:
- Beta glucan acts as a biological response modifier, promoting dendritic cell maturation and cytokine secretion (37376063)
- It can stimulate immune responses while simultaneously inhibiting inflammation (29285925)
Regulation of Gut Hormones
Beta glucan consumption influences gut hormones, which in turn can affect immune responses:
- Enriched beta glucan food consumption influences levels of peptides such as YY, ghrelin, and glucagon-like peptide 1 and 2, which can impact innate and adaptive immunity (28964548)
Considerations and Caveats
Dosage and Source
The effects of beta glucan on inflammation may vary depending on:
- The source of beta glucan (e.g., yeast, cereals, microorganisms)
- The dosage and duration of administration
Individual Variability
- The impact of beta glucan on inflammation may differ based on an individualās health status and underlying conditions
Potential for Increased Inflammation
While most studies indicate anti-inflammatory effects, itās important to note that:
- In some contexts, beta glucanās immunostimulatory properties could potentially lead to increased inflammation in certain individuals or conditions
Conclusion
The evidence suggests that beta glucan generally does not increase inflammation in the body. In fact, it often demonstrates anti-inflammatory properties. However, its effects are complex and can vary based on the specific context, source, and individual factors. Further research is needed to fully elucidate the relationship between beta glucan and inflammation in various health conditions and populations.
[Answer generated by www.DrOracle.ai]
Sources for the above AI search (unfortunately I canāt get rid of those two icons partially blocking the final reference):
Thanks for doing this, it helps quite a bit. Hard to believe it actually works. I still have reading to do.
Removal of fallopian tubes almost completely eliminates womenās chance of ovarian cancer.
Pancreatic cancer linked to obesity, high fat diet and high stress levels
Researchers at University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) found that stress-related neurotransmitters and obesity-related hormones activated CREB (cyclic AMP response element-binding protein), which was shown to promote the growth of cancer cells in the pancreas.
In the study, mice that ate a high-fat diet were more likely to develop precancerous lesions. When stress levels were also raised through social isolation, the lesions grew even more.
The stress-related cancer risk was more pronounced in female mice.
Based on these findings, the researchers suggested exploring the use of existing medications to reduce the risk of obesity- and stress-related cancers.
Research Paper:
More information: Xiaoying Sun et al, Stress and Obesity Signaling Converge on CREB Phosphorylation to Promote Pancreatic Cancer, Molecular Cancer Research (2024). DOI: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-24-0785
I asked Deepseek for a concise explanation with scientific articles on the immunomodulatory effect of Reishi mushrooms. Thatās maybe the most effective medicinal mushroom (for prevention) if you must choose a single one.
Reishi mushrooms (Ganoderma lucidum) exhibit immunomodulatory effects through bioactive compounds like polysaccharides (e.g., Ī²-glucans) and triterpenes. These components regulate immune responses by:
-
Enhancing Immune Activity:
- Ī²-glucans bind to immune cell receptors (e.g., dectin-1, TLRs), stimulating macrophages, natural killer (NK) cells, and dendritic cells, boosting phagocytosis and cytokine production (e.g., TNF-Ī±, IL-6) [1,2].
- Polysaccharides increase T- and B-lymphocyte proliferation, enhancing adaptive immunity [3].
-
Suppressing Overactive Immunity:
- Triterpenes inhibit pro-inflammatory pathways (e.g., NF-ĪŗB), reducing excessive cytokine release and inflammation, potentially aiding autoimmune conditions [4].
-
Balancing Response:
Reishi modulates Th1/Th2 balance, promoting appropriate immune reactions depending on physiological needs [5].
References:
- Batra et al., J Pharmacogn Phytochem (2013) ā Medicinal properties.
- Lin et al., Int J Med Mushrooms (2003) ā Cytokine induction.
- Wachtel-Galor et al., Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects (2011) ā Clinical effects.
- Cheng et al., Phytochemistry (2010) ā Triterpene anti-inflammation.
- Jin et al., Int Immunopharmacol (2016) ā Dendritic cell modulation.
(For full access, consult the cited journals or books.)
If one has already sequenced their genome, can they calculate this score by themselves? Or is it proprietary / unpublished?
The glucans in that study are 500 mg per capsule. You can get more than that in three grams of dried Oyster mushrooms.
Ī²-Glucan content and in vitro bile-acid binding capacity of Agaricus bisporus and Pleurotus spp. - Food & Function (RSC Publishing) DOI:10.1039/D4FO02416H(oyster%20mushroom,decreased%20by%2020.4%25%20when%20fried.
| Samples | Ī²-Glucan content, g per 100 g | G | Number of cups | Freeze dried powder amount (g) to provide 1 g of Ī²-glucan | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oats | Raw | 8.9 | 6.9 | 14 | 0.2 | 13.2 |
| Cooked | 80.2 | 1 | 100 | 0.4 | 20.4 | |
| Pleurotus, shimeji | Raw | 88.4 | 3.7 | 30 | 0.4 | 3.1 |
| Boiling | 91.8 | 2.6 | 40 | 0.2 | 3.2 | |
| Frying | 66.3 | 5.1 | 20 | 0.1 | 3.3 | |
| **Pleurotus, oyster | Raw | 91.4 | 3.2 | 30 | 0.4 | 2.7 |
| ** | Boiling | 92.2 | 3.7 | 30 | 0.2 | |
| Frying | 79.6 | 5.5 | 20 | 0.1 | 2.5 | |
| A. bisporus, button | Raw | 91.5 | 0.7 | 150 | 1.8 | 12.4 |
| Boiling | 92.2 | 1 | 100 | 0.6 | 7.5 | |
| Frying | 65 | 1.2 | 80 | 0.5 | 13 | |
| A. bisporus, cup | Raw | 92 | 0.5 | 200 | 2.4 | 15.7 |
| Boiling | 91.8 | 0.7 | 150 | 0.9 | 12.4 | |
| Frying | 72.7 | 0.8 | 120 | 0.7 | 14.4 | |
| A. bisporus, flat | Raw | 92.6 | 0.3 | 300 | 3.5 | 22.1 |
| Boiling | 93 | 0.5 | 200 | 1.2 | 13.9 | |
| Frying | 69.4 | 0.6 | 170 | 1 | 21.9 | |
| A. bisporus, brown | Raw | 91.3 | 0.7 | 150 | 1.8 | 13.2 |
| Boiling | 90.4 | 1.1 | 90 | 0.5 | 8.8 | |
| Frying | 64.3 | 1.2 | 90 | 0.5 | 13.8 |
Three grams of freeze dried oyster mushrooms provide one gram.
Raw freeze-dried Pleurotus spp. mushrooms had ā¼5 times more Ī²-glucan than A. bisporus per 100 g dry weight. The Ī²-glucan content was the highest in oyster (37.4 Ā± 1.3 g per 100 g dry weight) and shimeji mushrooms (32.5 Ā± 0.6 g per 100 g dry weight), followed by button (8.1 Ā± 0.0 g per 100 g dry weight), brown (7.6 Ā± 0.7 g per 100 g dry weight), and cup mushrooms (6.4 Ā± 0.4 g per 100 g dry weight), with flat mushrooms containing the lowest amounts (4.5 Ā± 0.1 g per 100 g dry weight). Freeze dried raw oats contained 7.6 Ā± 0.1 g per 100 g dry weight, similar to A. bisporus on a weight-for-weight basis for freeze dried samples (ESI Table 1ā ).
Peter Attia does lung cancer screening every year even as a non-smoker and never-smoker.
Is he talking about a CT scan annually? In combination with other routine screening scans itās a lot of radiation to take.
Talking of modifiable risk factors, thereās a big new study that showed exercise is actually more effective than drugs at preventing cancer reoccurrence:
structured exercise regime reduces risk of dying by a third, can stop tumours coming back or a new cancer developing
researchers enrolled 889 colon cancer patients between 2009 and 2023. Most (90%) had stage three disease. Patients were randomly assigned to take part in a structured exercise programme (445) or to just receive a healthy lifestyle booklet (444).
Patients who began a structured exercise regime with the help of a personal trainer or health coach after they completed treatment had a 37% lower risk of death and a 28% lower risk of recurrent or new cancers developing, compared with patients who received only health advice, the trial found.
Drugs get approved for less than that, and theyāre expensive and theyāre toxic.
I think this is pretty amazing. Thatās stage 3 colon cancer, which is an absolutely devastating diagnosis. And youāre talking about lowering death by 37%. If a drug did that, it would be a massive blockbuster cost a fortune.
I also find that the ādoseā of exercise is very low:
Their weekly target was the equivalent of three to four walks of between 45 and 60 minutes, but patients could choose how they got more active. Some went kayaking or skiing, for instance.
Four hours per week is a very easy target to hit IMO.
Would this reduce risk of cancer in everyone else?
I remembered now that Inigo San Millan has discussed exercise and cancer a lot, this might validate that. Exercise increases the density and function of mitochondria, which increases ability to use more lactate (which lowers serum lactate both at rest and exercise for any given intensity with more training).
The theory that cancer is a metabolic and mitochondrial disease is gaining strength. In my view, the somatic mutation and mitochondrial theories of cancer are not rivals but rather two sides of the same coin.
Nuclear mutations can disrupt mitochondrial function and drive metabolic reprogramming toward glycolysis and chronic lactate production (the Warburg effect). This metabolic shift contributes to the over- or underexpression of key genes involved in cancer, as we and others have shown. Mitochondrial dysfunction, in turn, generates excess ROS, promotes DNA damage, and triggers further epigenetic changes.
Lactate is a central player in both hypotheses and, more broadly, a promising therapeutic target. Despite strong resistance from the ācancer establishment,ā which for decades has focused almost exclusively on the somatic mutation theory, we and others have demonstrated that lactate is a key oncometabolite which regulates gene transcription, fuels tumor growth, and shapes the tumor microenvironment. Lactate is the metabolic link between mitochondrial dysfunction and malignant transformation.
Ultimately, I believe that we should contemplate cancer is likely both a genetic and a metabolic diseaseāperhaps this dual nature explains why, as the āmother of all maladies,ā it continues to evade full understanding. Grasping the mutationāmitochondriaālactate axis is, in my opinion, essential if we are to truly understand and effectively treat cancer.
In our 2017 paper, Brooks and I bridged the somatic and mitochondrial theories of cancer by highlighting lactate as the key metabolic connector.
This was a good PSA.
I had an executive physical when I was almost 50 and they found a nodule on my lung. Iāve never smoked either, but exposed to a lot of secondhand smoke when I was youngā¦ grrr. After his heart attack, my father quit smoking when he was 40 but died of lung cancer at 63ā¦ yes, he went to the doc a year prior and complained about a coughā¦ and they blew him off, as commonly happens.
On that note, aprox 15 years ago, that same doc found lung cancer on our friend who is 88 and who can run circles around me. If not for that executive physical, he might not be here.
We followed it for years, but now that it has been stable for so long, my doc said we are done (I imagine Iāll take another look in a few years).
Same goes for a nodule on my thyroid. It was biopsied years ago after some quick growth, but has now been stable for ages, so we are done with that, too.
This year, through a whole body mri, they found a spot on my pancreasā¦ so, as advised, I will be taking another look next year.
Itās endless and all might turn out to be a waste in the end, but I have a friend who was just diagnosed with late stage pancreatic cancer, so Iād rather spend my money on this than on handbags 
Peter is suggesting to check for lung cancer every year regardless. I donāt know much about it, I just thought it was interesting.
Excellent point. I know a ct scan will show more, but I wonder about balancing that vs doing a whole body MRI each year, in order to catch things in more places, albeit, not as well. Iāll have to look into this topic. Thoughts?
It didnāt sound like he did a MRI as he mentioned radiation.