There is a lot that we can do using functional medicine to strengthen and optimise the body’s functioning in order to lower the risk of developing chronic diseases such as cancer. A healthy gut and microbiome (organisms that live within the gut) plays a massive role first in the prevention of cancer but also in cancer treatment outcomes.
A healthy gut microbiome is actively anti-tumor forming; where as an unhealthy gut can be the opposite.
Everything Starts in the Gut….
Around 70-80% of the body’s immune system is found in and around the gut. There is constant cross talk between the microbes of the gut, and the immune system. If the gut becomes chronically inflamed due to poor diet, certain medications, shift in the microbe to organisms that are more inflammatory. This can have a knock on effect on the other systems of the body.
One of the ways that the gut microbes keep the body healthy, is in the production of beneficial compounds. Also known as ‘post-biotics’. When the microbes feed on beneficial bioactive ingredients like turmeric, ginger, green tea, garlic – they produce special compounds that can pass into the blood stream and have an anti-cancer impact on the cells of the body. For example, the mitochondria are directly affected by these post biotics. The types of ‘post-biotics’ produced depends on how healthy the diet it and how healthy the microbes are.
An inflamed gut and one where there is increased permeability of the gut lining (aka leaky gut) can increase inflammation in the body which increases the risk of developing chronic inflammatory illnesses.
Cancer treatment such as chemotherapy and anti-biotics, is devastating for the gut microbiome. The first step of recovery is to rebuild the gut microbiome so that these important anti-cancer chemicals can be made inside of your gut again.
Undertaking a microbiome test (comprehensive stool analysis) to examine the different types of organisms present in the gut, alongside the levels of inflammation and the levels of beneficial or inflammatory compounds being produced by these organisms, can give us a valuable insight into how we can optimise the state of the gut for cancer prevention.
I sometimes will also recommend a Food Inflammation Test (FIT) which is a blood finger prick test, to see if there are any trigger foods driving inflammation in the gut. The KBMO FIT test also looks at gut permeability, Candida and LPS.
The Role of Oestrogen
Oestrogen has a massive role to play in hormone related cancers. We now know that there is a lot of variety in the way that different people process oestrogen. This is mainly genetically determined, but some people tend to produce more inflammatory oestrogens which are more disease promoting. Whereas others tend to produce less of these inflammatory oestrogens.
The good news is that once you have this information, which can be gained by doing a DUTCH test (dried urine test for comprehensive hormones). There are ways to support healthier metabolism of oestrogen using certain bioactive components in the diet e.g broccoli.
The Functional Approach
Each person is different and there will be different drivers and triggers in each case. So in functional medicine, we look at the whole picture, including thyroid health, adrenals (energy & stress), genetics, detoxification, immune system, blood glucose, cardiovascular as well as gastrointestinal health.
The Next Steps
If you would like to work with me to optimise your gut and body functioning specifically to reduce cancer risk. Please book a free consultation via the link on the home page and let’s talk!