Re: Interesting article on B17 and cancer


"IanW" <whoever@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:dfjqgv$l9l$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> http://www.vialls.com/vialls/laetrile1.html
>
> No idea whether it's true or not but I've often wondered how Eskimos get
> away with eating so much meat and not suffering cancer/heart disease..
> thought it might have been because they eat fresh wild meat, rather than
> processed/preserved/farmed stuff most of the rest of us do.. but didn't
> realise B17 was prominent in their diet (what are salmon berries? is that
> roe?).
>
> Do you think there's any merit to these claims? I'm always skeptical of
> any article that mentions "conspiracy theories", like those about drug
> companies trying to scaremonger the use of B17 due to the cyanide thing..
> also, does B12 really contain cyanide in the same way as B17?
>
Two studies:

Moertel CG, Fleming TR, Rubin J, et al. A clinical trial of amygdalin
(Laetrile) in the treatment of human cancer. N Engl J Med 1982; 306:
201-206.

"One hundred seventy-eight patients with cancer were treated with amygdalin
(Laetrile) plus a "metabolic therapy" program consisting of diet, enzymes,
and vitamins. The great majority of these patients were in good general
condition before treatment. None was totally disabled or in preterminal
condition. One third had not received any previous chemotherapy. The
pharmaceutical preparations of amygdalin, the dosage, and the schedule were
representative of past and present Laetrile practice. No substantive benefit
was observed in terms of cure, improvement or stabilization of cancer,
improvement of symptoms related to cancer, or extension of life span. The
hazards of amygdalin therapy were evidenced in several patients by symptoms
of cyanide toxicity or by blood cyanide levels approaching the lethal range.
Patients exposed to this agent should be instructed about the danger of
cyanide poisoning, and their blood cyanide levels should be carefully
monitored. Amygdalin (Laetrile) is a toxic drug that is not effective as a
cancer treatment. "

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ann Pharmacother. 2005 Sep;39(9):1566-9. Epub 2005 Jul 12.

Life-threatening interaction between complementary medicines: cyanide
toxicity
following ingestion of amygdalin and vitamin C.

Bromley J, Hughes BG, Leong DC, Buckley NA.

Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, The Canberra Hospital,
Garran, Australia.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a case of severe accidental cyanide poisoning
following a
single ingestion of amygdalin with therapeutic intent. CASE SUMMARY: A
68-year-old patient with cancer presented to the emergency department
shortly
after her first dose (3 g) of amygdalin with a reduced Glasgow Coma Score,
seizures, and severe lactic acidosis requiring intubation and ventilation.
The
patient also ingested 4800 mg of vitamin C per day. She responded rapidly to
hydroxocobalamin treatment. The adverse drug reaction was rated probable on
the
Naranjo probability scale. DISCUSSION: Amygdalin and laetrile (a synthetic
form
of amygdalin) are commonly used as complementary or alternative medicine
(CAM)
for the treatment of cancer. Vitamin C is known to increase the in vitro
conversion of amygdalin to cyanide and reduce body stores of cysteine, which
is
used to detoxify cyanide. Amygdalin has been used for decades by patients
with
cancer who are seeking alternative therapies, and severe reactions have not
been
reported with this dose. An interaction with vitamin C is a plausible
explanation for this life-threatening response. CONCLUSIONS: This case
highlights the fact that CAMs can produce life-threatening toxicity. This
case
also adds a further note of caution, namely, the potential for serious
interactions between CAMs, particularly where there is no tradition of
concomitant use.



.

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