It has been estimated that 30–40 percent of all cancers can be prevented by lifestyle and dietary measures alone. Obesity, nutrient sparse foods such as concentrated sugars and refined flour products that contribute to impaired glucose metabolism (which leads to diabetes), low fiber intake, consumption of red meat, and imbalance of omega 3 and omega 6 fats all contribute to excess cancer risk. Intake of flax seed, especially its lignan fraction, and abundant portions of fruits and vegetables will lower cancer risk. Allium and cruciferous vegetables are especially beneficial, with broccoli sprouts being the densest source of sulforophane. Protective elements in a cancer prevention diet include selenium, folic acid, vitamin B-12, vitamin D, chlorophyll, and antioxidants such as the carotenoids (α-carotene, β-carotene, lycopene, lutein, cryptoxanthin). Ascorbic acid has limited benefits orally, but could be very beneficial intravenously. Supplementary use of oral digestive enzymes and probiotics also has merit as anticancer dietary measures. When a diet is compiled according to the guidelines here it is likely that there would be at least a 60–70 percent decrease in breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers, and even a 40–50 percent decrease in lung cancer, along with similar reductions in cancers at other sites. Such a diet would be conducive to preventing cancer and would favor recovery from cancer as well.

Background: Fibromyalgia engulfs patients in a downward, reinforcing cycle of unrestorative sleep, chronic pain, fatigue, inactivity, and depression. In this study we tested whether a mostly raw vegetarian diet would significantly improve fibromyalgia symptoms.

Background: Pure vegetarian diets might cause cobalamin deficiency due to lack of dietary intake. It was hypothesized that a population following a vegan diet consuming mostly raw fruits and vegetables, carrot juice, and dehydrated barley grass juice would be able to avoid vitamin B₁₂ deficiency naturally. Methods: Subjects were recruited at a health ministers’ reunion based on adherence to the Hallelujah diet for at least 2 years. Serum cobalamin and urinary methylmalonic acid (MMA) assays were performed. Follow-up with sublingual tablets, nutritional yeast, or probiotic supplements was carried out on subjects with abnormal MMA results. Results: 49 subjects were tested. Most subjects (10th to 90th percentile) had followed this diet 23–49 months. 6 subjects had serum B₁₂ concentrations <147 pmol/l (200 pg/ml). 37 subjects (76%) had serum B₁₂ concentrations <221 pmol/l (300 pg/ml). 23 subjects (47%) had abnormal urinary MMA concentrations above or equal to 4.0 µg/mg creatinine. Sublingual cyanocobalamin and nutritional yeast, but not probiotic supplements, significantly reduced group mean MMA concentrations (tablet p < 0.01; yeast p < 0.05, probiotic > 0.20). Conclusions: The urinary MMA assay is effective for identifying early metabolic cobalamin deficiency. People following the Hallelujah diet and other raw-food vegetarian diets should regularly monitor their urinary MMA levels, consume a sublingual cobalamin supplement, or consume cobalamin in their food.

The BTI-Tn5B1-4 insect cell line, commercially available as the High Five cell line (Invitrogen), supports higher levels of recombinant protein production compared to existing insect cell lines. Proprietary serum-free media such as ExCell 405 (JRH Biosciences), Express Five (Life Technologies), IS BAC (Irvine Scientific), and CCM3 (HyClone) are available which were developed specifically for a suspension culture of High Five cells. While these media are highly optimized, a lower cost alternative is desirable for large-scale protein production which is also serum-free and supports good cell growth (>5 x 10(6) cells/mL) and recombinant protein production (>50 mg/L of secreted protein). The amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism of the Tn5B1-4 cells was first examined. It was found that asparagine was nearly depleted during batch growth in Ex-Cell 405, without limitations in glutamine, other amino acids, or glucose. Alanine also accumulated to about 35 mM during growth. We then extended the formulation techniques for medium development used for Spodoptera cell lines to the Tn5B1-4 cell line. A medium based on IPL-41 basal medium, Hy-Soy protein hydrolysate (Quest, International), yeastolate ultrafiltrate, a lipid-sterol emulsion, and Pluronic F-68 was developed. Dextran sulfate (100 microg/mL) was used to induce a single cell suspension culture. This medium is denoted as ISYL and performs best when supplemented with a 2.5% lipid-Pluronic F-68 mixture. Supplementation with additional aspargine in a 1.5% lipid-Pluronic F-68 mixture did not improve growth, suggesting that a lipid was growth-limiting and not an amino acid. Ex-Cell 405 and ISYL with 2.5% lipid-Pluronic F-68 supplement supported virtually identical growth rates, extent of growth (ca. 6.0 x 10(6) cells/mL) in an 80% oxygen atmosphere, and supported production of SEAP (secreted human alkaline phosphatase) at a volumetric level of about 65-70 mg/L. Thus, the less expensive ISYL medium can deliver acceptable performance and may be suitable for large-scale insect cell cultures.

While there have been many studies on health outcomes that have included measurements of plasma carotenoids, this data has not been reviewed and assembled into a useful form. In this review sixty-two studies of plasma carotenoids and health outcomes, mostly prospective cohort studies or population-based case-control studies, are analyzed together to establish a carotenoid health index. Five cutoff points are established across the percentiles of carotenoid concentrations in populations, from the tenth to ninetieth percentile. The cutoff points (mean ± standard error of the mean) are 1.11 ± 0.08, 1.47 ± 0.08, 1.89 ± 0.08, 2.52 ± 0.13, and 3.07 ± 0.20 µM. For all cause mortality there seems to be a low threshold effect with protection above every cutoff point but the lowest. But for metabolic syndrome and cancer outcomes there tends to be significant positive health outcomes only above the higher cutoff points, perhaps as a triage effect. Based on this data a carotenoid health index is proposed with risk categories as follows: very high risk: <1 µM, high risk: 1-1.5 µM, moderate risk: 1.5-2.5 µM, low risk: 2.5-4 µM, and very low risk: >4 µM. Over 95 percent of the USA population falls into the moderate or high risk category of the carotenoid health index.