Glutamine is in everything and almost impossible to avoid. How should I handle this situation? My body needs protein/Glutamine to continue healing as well, I can't cut glutamine out of my diet totally either. Is there an inhibitor that I can give me an opportunity to eat fish, meat, beans and other protein and inhibit cancer cells from using glutamine as a fuel which I consume in my my diet?

In other words, is there any way to stop glutamine driven TNBC pathways, so I can consume protein in my diet?

Thanks

Lovely

@seyhun

Hi Lovely,

There are so many things to say about the diet and it would make sense to invite a nutritionist to speak about that. There are various diets that are relevant to cancer, and some of the most well known are Ketogenic Diet, Gerson Diet, Methionine-Restricted Diet, Alkaline Diet, Mediteranean Diet, Budwig Diet and others.

Here is an example how changing from a diet fuelling cancer to one limiting the fuel, leads to important decrease in tumor markers https://www.cancertreatmentsresearch.com/update-from-don-on-the-healing-from-prostate-cancer/ In this case, the a man with prostate cancer was initially using a diet focused on fats (Ketogenic Diet) that was totally unsuitable for hormonal cancers. It's hard to say if the positive result is due to reducing fats by switching to Gerson diet or the contribution of both stoping Ketogenic and starting Gerson diet, but the outcome was very clear and sustainable.

In the past I was very strict about the diet, but latter I came to the conclusion that extremes are not sustainable.  So in my view, I think its best to go for the following in our diets:

1. reduce bad fast and replace those with DHA/EPA containing fats https://www.cancertreatmentsresearch.com/omega-3/
2. eliminate sugar or if not possible eat just a bit at a time
3. reduce as much as possible carbohydrates - if bread is used, use whole grain one and low amounts
4. avoid foods that contain high amounts of glutamine - red meat, etc. - if not possible, minimise
5. maximise veg/plants on your plate and use as many as possible in a raw sate

These are just a few points that come in to my mind now. We can not avoid eating fats, sugar/carbs, glutamine totally, but the point is to

1. replace what we eat with foods that supply some of the best anti-inflammatory and alkaline elements (we discussed in this website the key role of inflammation and pH in cancer)
2. avoid high amounts of foods at a time that may give high blood glucose jumps and insulin release, high glutamine levels that may trigger cancer growth (we discussed on this website the key role of glucose, glutamine, fats in cancer growth)

While moving to a balanced diet, we can start employing treatment strategies such as the one discussed here https://www.cancertreatmentsresearch.com/shutting-down-the-power-house-of-cancer/ that should help us with the above. Such treatment strategy includes e.g. Metformin, that would reduce the impact of glucose, fats and glutamine blood levels on fuelling cancer growth.

Kind regards,
Daniel

@daniel

Thank you very much for your response. You said " In the past I was very strict about the diet, but latter I came to the conclusion that extremes are not sustainable.  So in my view, I think its best to go for the following in our diets:

1. EASY - reduce bad fast and replace those with DHA/EPA containing fats https://www.cancertreatmentsresearch.com/omega-3/
2. EASY - eliminate sugar or if not possible eat just a bit at a time
3. EASY - reduce as much as possible carbohydrates - if bread is used, use whole grain one and low amounts
4. DIFFICULT - avoid foods that contain high amounts of glutamine - red meat, etc. - if not possible, minimise
5. EASY - maximise veg/plants on your plate and use as many as possible in a raw sate"

Is there any glutamine inhibitor that can inhibit Cancer Cells to process Protein/glutamine to energy sources to grow or survive?

Jane said in her book  "It's best to strave glutamine indirectly, by working on the enzymes that break down glutamine for fuel. (e.g. glutaminase or ketoglutarate dehydrogenase - See Metro Map) Although cancer cells demand it, your body needs glutamine too. Cancer will grab Glutamine from any of your tissues whether you starve it or not and replenish it should not be feared. It is lowering Cysteine levels of the antioxidant glutathione that is a more important strategy to weaken the cancer cell."

 In here she is talking about Cysteine Levels, and according to my research Cysteine is present in any protein products that has glutamine in it. In my perspective there is no difference between Cysteine intake or Glutamine intake due to both are present in protein products such as dairy, Red Meat, White Meat, Seafood, Legumes and beans....etc.

Can you please share your opinion on how to reduce (if you know) Cysteine levels, and do you know any glutamine enzyme inhibitors that can help people like me to inhibit glutamine intake of cancer cells.

Thank you again

Lovely

@seyhun

Ovarian cancer therapeutic potential of glutamine depletion based on GS expression:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324225322_Ovarian_cancer_therapeutic_potential_of_glutamine_depletion_based_on_GS_expression

Tamoxifen and raloxifene suppress the proliferation of estrogen receptor-negative cells through inhibition of glutamine uptake

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00280-010-1316-y

Inhibitors of glutamate dehydrogenase block sodium-dependent glutamate uptake in rat brain membranes

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2013.00123/full

@seyhun

Dear Lovley,

Glutamine once inside the cell is converted in Glutamate that is used as a fuel for several processes inside the cancer cell including ATP production, anti-oxidant production. I agree with Jane that trying to take Glutamine out from the blood is not the best approach but it's best to address the relevant intracellular processes.

However, when too much glutamine enters our blood stream (when for example we eat a lot of foods that contain glutamine) the story changes. In that case we may want to remove some of that from the blood. In that case, phenylbutyrate drug (FDA approved) could be a good option.

Once Glutamine is in the cell and is converted in Glutamate, we want to address at least two major processes:

1. conversion of Glutamate into ATP. For that GDH inhibitors such as EGCG (food supplement) can be considered but it should be used in high dose, e.g. 3g/day or more. Furthermore, as stated in the paper shared by Johan above, another option could be to use Bithionol (Ref.) which is a drug used for animals but seen as safe in humans (Ref.).

2. conversion of Glutamate in anti-oxidants. In order for Glutamate to be converted in Glutathione (anti-oxidant), Cysteine is required. The import of that into the cell is inhibited by another drug (FDA approved) that is called Sulfasalazine. There are more ways to address the intracelular anti-oxidant production, and I will discuss in an article that I will publish soon.

I hope this is clear and helps.

Kind regards,
Daniel

@daniel

So, Did I understand correctly? If I consume Glutamine high sources of food, glutamine in my blood stream will go higher and the cancer will grab it and process it to 2 separate ways to feed itself and I must close those 2 pathways separately with Bithionol and Sulfasalazine. Separately, I could reduce the amount of glutamine in my bloodstream with Phenylbutyrate (FDA Approved) off label drug. 

I am waiting for your next post, please let me know, so I don't miss it. It is exteremely important for me, because I must learn how to stop TNBC from processing Glutamine. 

Thank you very much 

@seyhun

Yes, Lovley. That is what I meant.

There are two other pathways that take up Glutamate but those I mentioned would have the most priority.

Kind regards,
Daniel

Bithionol, Sulfasalazine, Phenylbutrate 

Although, you said all above 3 off label drugs are inhibiting 2 separate pathways,  o I need to add all these 3 drugs to my Metromap, or do I need to pick 1 or 2 of these and add it? 

Thank you very much

Lovely

Chris Beat Cancer "Many human cancer cells, including colorectal, reast, ovarian, melanoma, and even leukemia are dependent on an amino acid called methionine. Without it, they die. Methionine is one of the 9 essential amino acids that cannot be made by the body. It must come from food. ........ Milk, eggs, red meat, beans, chicken, fish..." 

Again, Glutamine...... So, Andrew,

What do you know about Methionine? Do you have any more information about Methionine to educate us. I made a research, but limited findings... First of all, I want to see what you think about "Methionine CAN NOT made by the human body" portion of it. Is this a real information?

What I know from my study and Jane's book, Glutamine is abondoned in human body, even if we do not eat glutamine rich protein foods, cancer cells can go and find glutamine anywhere in our body. So, what is methionine? What is glutamine?

Thank you very much for your time again

Lovely

Danielle,

I am sorry, I copied above context from conversation with my friend Andrew ( I asked the same question to him as well, and he doesn't have any proper answer for it yet). 

Above question is for you too.

Thank you very much

Lovely

@seyhun

Dear Lovely,

As soon as I find the time I intend to address Methionine and Glutamine next to others, from the pro-oxidant strategy point of view, and bring some context to that. 

Now I am working on starting up the supplement company and it takes so much time (as it is essential for me to be able to go forward with the activities in oncology and helping people).

I hope next week I find time to write a post on the above.

Kind regards,
Daniel

@daniel

Thank you very much Daniel. I really appreciate you, your time and knowledge that you share with us.

Lovely