Copper causes tumors to grow

[d0ug]

\r\n \r\n It would be very interesting to know the cause of this research. Over doing any mineral could have a bad effect but to draw attention to copper when most people have a deficiency of copper. Deficiencies aneurysms, arthritis, cerebral palsy, depression, dry brittle hair, fatigue, hernias, high blood cholesterol, hypo or hyper thyroid, Kawasaki disease, learning disabilities, liver cirrhosis, ruptured vertebral disc problem, varicose veins and white or gray hair.
\n If you want to benefit from selling drug for those diseases than scare people from using copper\r\n

[JanH]

\r\n \r\n I\'ve read that copper needs another mineral (zinc, I think) to cause copper to be less inflammatory. I\'d like to see the same study done with this taken into account, see if the copper would have the same effect.\r\n

[jgrenon94]

\r\n \r\n Everything in moderation is okay. If someone has an overload of heavy metals you just need to have a detox. Im sure you can find copper in foods and I believe it is in raw honey. Never take supplements that have been made chemically just eat foods that naturally have that mineral you are looking for. A great safe way to clean out your body and help increase your immune system is MMS. It is a mineral that does not stay long in your body. It does it\'s job then loses its strength. Go to genesis2church.org to read a little about it.\r\n

[Ted_Hutchinson]

\r\n \r\n Bioavailable copper modulates oxidative phosphorylation and growth of tumorsFree full text here.\r\n

[jfh]

Ecole Polytechnique F�d�rale de Lausanne (EPFL)

Copper intake makes tumors breathe

EPFL researchers have shown that copper is essential for the energy production of malignant cells, and that reducing its intake via food and water can slow down tumor growth

Copper imbalances have been associated with a number of pathological conditions, including cancer. Publishing in PNAS scientists at EPFL have found that copper in drinking water � given at the maximum levels permitted in public water supplies � accelerated the growth of tumors in mice. On the other hand, reducing copper levels reduced tumor growth. The study strongly suggests that copper is an essential factor for the growth of tumors in humans as well.

Copper is a key player in cell growth. In order to proliferate, cells require energy, which they produce and store in the form of a molecule called ATP. Like all cells, tumor cells produce energy in two different ways: respiration, which requires oxygen, and glycolysis, which does not. Of the two, respiration is the more efficient way to make ATP. However it involves a number of enzymes, and one of the most important ones requires copper for its activity.

In a study led by Douglas Hanahan, researcher at EPFL and holder of the Merck Serono Chair in Oncology, scientists sought to examine the role of copper in cancer. To do this, they used genetically engineered mice with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors. "This study was motivated by our previous puzzling observation; namely that cancers, unlike healthy tissues, are especially sensitive to changes in systemic copper levels", said Seiko Ishida, the lead author of the paper.

Their research provides direct evidence that copper can enhance the proliferation of cancer cells. "The biggest surprise was that a small amount of copper added to drinking water accelerated the growth of tumors, indicating that copper is an essential nutrient for them, said Ishida.

Teaming up with Johan Auwerx, also at EPFL, the researchers found that copper insufficiency resulted in a lower activity of the respiration enzyme in tumors. PET scans also revealed that copper-deficient tumors took higher levels of glucose, suggesting that their cells were compensating more and more by using glycolysis rather than respiration for their energy. But despite this, ATP levels did not fully recover, and tumors did not grow further.

Importantly, the researchers do not think that copper causes cancer. Exposure of healthy mice to the same amount of copper via drinking water for up to two years did not result in an increased incidence of cancer. The authors suggest that copper levels could be monitored in cancer patients. They propose that minimizing copper in the patient's system may be beneficial in cancer therapy, especially when combined with drugs that block glycolysis. This two-step strategy would starve cancer cells � which tend to require much higher amounts of energy than normal cells � by limiting their two major pathways for ATP production.