For Which Cancer Types Should I Avoid Bamboo Supplement?

Highlights

Nutritional supplements and extracts like Bamboo have benefits and are used by cancer patients and those at-genetic risk of cancer. There is limited or hardly any clinical data available for use of nutritional supplements and foods in cancer patients. Generating clinical evidence of efficacy for cancer through a randomized clinical trial is further infeasible due to variations in genetics and cancer chemotherapy treatments across cancer patients. Hence a different and new approach is needed to find out for which cancers you should not take Bamboo supplement and why should not take them?

Is it okay to take Bamboo extracts or supplements for all cancer indications and any chemotherapy treatment? A common belief but a myth is that everything natural can only be of benefit and do no harm. For example, the use of grapefruit with certain medications is not recommended. Another example is the use of spinach with some blood thinning medications can cause adverse interactions and hence to be avoided. For cancer, nutrition including plant-based foods and supplements can influence outcomes and hence an extremely important decision which needs to be made. Hence NIH-National Cancer Institute has a website for nutrition for cancer care for patients which are generalized recommendations and not personalized for cancer indication and treatments.

A frequently asked question by cancer patients and those at-risk is “What Foods and Nutritional Supplements could be beneficial over others for me?”. “Who should not take an extract or supplement and why?”. Generic guidelines like eating only plant-based-foods or avoiding all sugar or adopting a keto diet is a good start but not actionable and personalized enough.

To find answers to questions on extracts and nutritional supplements and foods requires knowledge of contained active ingredients; genetic mutation prevalence for cancer indication; understanding of underlying cancer biology; chemotherapy treatments and mechanism of actions of active ingredients.

Taking Bamboo extracts or nutritional supplements may benefit Primary Uterine Undifferentiated Carcinoma patients on Carboplatin treatment over Bloodroot nutritional supplements. But Bamboo supplements or Bamboo extracts offer less benefit if on Radiation treatment for Primary Sclerosing Epithelioid Fibrosarcoma compared to Ginseng. Similarly, taking nutritional supplements Bamboo may benefit healthy individuals who are at genetic risk of cancer due to mutation of gene NF1 over Yerba Santa. But avoid nutritional supplements Bamboo when at genetic risk of cancer due to mutation of gene VHL.

The takeaway being – cancer, genomics, treatments and other personalized factors will influence decision making to questions like: Are extracts or nutritional supplements Bamboo beneficial and should not be taken? Why should Bamboo be not taken? Who should not take Bamboo? What are side effects of Bamboo with Radiation chemotherapy? What are the benefits of Bamboo for cancer? Can Bamboo help fight cancer and so on.

Whenever there are changes in chemotherapy treatments or cancer tissue genetics – the nutrition may change and hence needs to be re-evaluated. Do consider factors like cancer indication, ongoing chemotherapy treatments and nutritional supplements, age, gender, weight, height, lifestyle and genetics for personalization of nutrition.

Brief Overview

Use of nutritional supplements – vitamins, herbs, minerals, probiotics, and other specialty categories are increasing. Supplements are high concentrations of active ingredients which are also found in different foods. Difference between supplements and foods being that foods contain more than one active ingredient at much lower concentrations. Every active ingredient in an extract or nutritional supplement or food has a unique mechanism of action which can influence nutrition decisions.

These are some example questions which nutrition planning should help answer for you. Should you take supplements Bamboo? Should you take it when at genetic risk of cancer for mutation of gene NF1? Should you take it when at genetic risk of cancer for mutation of gene VHL? Should you take it when diagnosed with Primary Sclerosing Epithelioid Fibrosarcoma? Should you take it when diagnosed with Primary Uterine Undifferentiated Carcinoma? Should you take it when on Carboplatin treatment? Should you continue taking it if you change your treatment from Carboplatin to Radiation? So a general explanation like – it is organic and plant-based or it increases immunity is not sufficient information for making a decision of use of Bamboo extracts and nutritional supplements.

Cancer

Genetic variations across cancer patients can be different and hence no two cancers are alike. The improved availability of “personalized to genetics” chemotherapy treatments and cancer disease monitoring via blood and saliva have been significant factors to improve outcomes. The earlier the lifestyle and treatment intervention – the better the influence on outcome. Genetic testing has the potential to assess cancer risk and susceptibility early. But for at-risk individuals besides regular monitoring in most cases there are no therapeutic treatment intervention options available. After diagnosis with cancer such as Primary Uterine Undifferentiated Carcinoma or Primary Sclerosing Epithelioid Fibrosarcoma, the treatments get personalized to tumor genomics and factors like staging of disease, age and gender. During cancer remission (after treatment cycle is complete) – monitoring is used for assessment of any relapse and accordingly decide on next steps. A large majority of cancer patients and those at-risk may take nutritional supplements like Bamboo.

So the question is that are all genetic risks and cancer indications to be considered uniformly when making decisions on the use of Bamboo extracts or nutritional supplements? Are the biochemical pathway implications of genetic risk for cancer due to mutation of gene NF1 the same as due to mutation of gene VHL? Are the implications of Primary Uterine Undifferentiated Carcinoma the same as Primary Sclerosing Epithelioid Fibrosarcoma? Is it one and the same if you are on treatment with Radiation or Carboplatin?

Bamboo – An Extract or Nutritional Supplement

Bamboo is a plant rich in nutrients, native to Asia. It is a great source of natural Silica. The extract from young bamboo shoots  is considered to have medicinal properties. Young edible bamboo shoots are consumed as a healthy food/vegetable as they are low in calories and high in antioxidants. Following are some of the purported uses/health benefits of bamboo:

• May improve heart health
• May support bone health
• May boost immunity
• May help in collagen production
• May be good for hair growth
• May improve digestive health

Bamboo supplements contain many active ingredients including Vitamin C, Tricin, Palmitic Acid, Oleic Acid and Linolenic Acid at different concentration levels. The molecular pathways which are regulated by Bamboo include WNT Beta Catenin Signaling, TGFB Signaling, Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Oncogenic Cancer Epigenetics. These biochemical pathways directly or indirectly regulate specific cancer molecular endpoints like growth, spread and death of cancer cells. Because of this biological regulation – for cancer nutrition, the right choice of supplements like Bamboo individually or in combination is an important decision to be made. When making decisions on the use of supplement Bamboo over other nutritional supplements – do consider all these factors.

Who Should not take Bamboo Supplements and Why?

There is no easy way to answer the question “For which cancers should I not chooseBamboo nutritional supplements”. Just like the same chemotherapy treatment does not work across patients, for similar reasons Bamboo in comparison with other nutritional supplements may be beneficial or not. Along with which cancer and associated genetics – the ongoing treatments, lifestyle habits, height, weight and food allergies are all factors in deciding if Bamboo should be avoided or not and why.

1. Will Bamboo Supplements benefit Primary Sclerosing Epithelioid Fibrosarcoma patients undergoing Radiation treatment?

Primary Sclerosing Epithelioid Fibrosarcoma is characterized and driven by specific genetic mutations like PBRM1, ATRX and PIK3C2G leading to biochemical pathway changes in TGFB Signaling and Inositol Phosphate Signaling. A cancer treatment like Radiation works through a specific pathway mechanism of action. The goal is to have a good overlap between the treatment and cancer driving pathways for a personalized approach which is effective. In such a condition any food or nutritional supplement which has a contrary effect to the treatment or reduces the overlap should be avoided. As an example, Bamboo supplement should not be taken for Primary Sclerosing Epithelioid Fibrosarcoma along with treatment Radiation. Bamboo supplement impacts the biochemical pathway called TGFB Signaling which either promotes drivers of the disease and/or nullifies the treatment effect. Some of the factors which should be considered when choosing nutrition are type of cancer, treatments and supplements being taken currently (if any

2. Will Bamboo Supplements benefit Primary Uterine Undifferentiated Carcinoma Patients undergoing Carboplatin Treatment?

Primary Uterine Undifferentiated Carcinoma is characterized and driven by specific genetic mutations like KMT2C, TP53 and NSD1 leading to biochemical pathway changes in WNT Beta Catenin Signaling, Oncogenic Histone Methylation, Amino Acid Metabolism, Cell Cycle Checkpoints, Apoptosis and Chromatin Remodeling. A cancer treatment like Carboplatin works through specific pathway mechanisms. The goal is to have a good overlap between the treatment and cancer driving pathways for a personalized approach. In such a condition any food or nutritional supplement which supports treatment action or improves the overlap should be considered. As an example, Bamboo supplements should be considered for Primary Uterine Undifferentiated Carcinoma along with the treatment Carboplatin. Bamboo supplement impacts pathways/processes like WNT Beta Catenin Signaling which either obstruct drivers of Primary Uterine Undifferentiated Carcinoma and/or improve Carboplatin treatment effect.

3. What about Bamboo Supplements for Healthy Individuals with VHL Mutation associated Genetic Risk?

Different companies offer panels of genes to be tested for assessing genetic risk to different cancers. These panels cover genes associated with cancers of the breast, ovary, uterus, prostate, and gastrointestinal system and others. Genetic testing of these genes may confirm a diagnosis and help guide treatment and management decisions. Identification of a disease-causing variant may also guide testing and diagnosis of at-risk relatives. VHL is one of the genes generally available in panels for cancer risk testing.

VHL mutation causes biochemical pathways/processes like Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Hypoxia to get impacted. These pathways are direct or indirect drivers of cancer molecular endpoints. Bamboo should not be taken when the genetic panel identifies mutation of VHL for Kidney Cancer. Bamboo impacts pathways/processes like Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and creates adverse conditions with VHL.

4. What about Bamboo Supplements for Healthy Individuals with NF1 Mutation associated Genetic Risk?

NF1 is one of the genes available in panels for cancer risk testing. NF1 mutation causes biochemical pathways/processes like Oncogenic Cancer Epigenetics and RAS-RAF Signaling to get impacted. These pathways are direct or indirect drivers of cancer molecular endpoints. Bamboo supplements may be considered when the genetic panel identifies mutations in NF1 for Pheochromocytoma And Paraganglioma. Bamboo impacts pathways/processes like Oncogenic Cancer Epigenetics and creates a canceling effect in those individuals with NF1 mutation.

* Other Factors are also included like BMI, Treatments, Lifestyle Habits

In Conclusion

It is important to remember that cancer chemotherapy treatments and nutrition are never the same for everyone. Food and nutritional supplements like Bamboo are chosen by you and can influence outcomes.

“What should I eat?” is a commonly asked question by cancer patients and those at-risk. The answer to this question depends on cancer indication, underlying genetics, current chemotherapy treatments, food allergies, lifestyle information, and food preferences.

The addon.life approach to nutrition personalization uses knowledge of active ingredients contained in foods and nutritional supplements, cancer biology, chemotherapy treatment action and genetic mutation prevalence across cancer indications. addon.life team of clinicians, clinical scientists and engineers are experts in cancer biology focusing only on nutrition personalization for cancer patients and those at-risk.

What food you eat and which supplements you take is a decision you make. Your decision should include consideration of the cancer gene mutations, which cancer, ongoing treatments and supplements, any allergies, lifestyle information, weight, height and habits.

The nutrition planning for cancer from addon is not based on internet searches. It automates the decision making for you based on molecular science implemented by our scientists and software engineers. Irrespective of whether you care to understand the underlying biochemical molecular pathways or not - for nutrition planning for cancer that understanding is needed.

Get started NOW with your nutrition planning by answering questions on the name of cancer, genetic mutations, ongoing treatments and supplements, any allergies, habits, lifestyle, age group and gender.

References

• α-Linolenic acid inhibits the migration of human triple-negative breast cancer cells by attenuating Twist1 expression and suppressing Twist1-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition.
• Elevated β-catenin activity contributes to carboplatin resistance in A2780cp ovarian cancer cells.
• The synergy of Vitamin C with decitabine activates TET2 in leukemic cells and significantly improves overall survival in elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia.
• Separation and purification of tricin from an antioxidant product derived from bamboo leaves.
• cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics
• Mutational landscape of metastatic cancer revealed from prospective clinical sequencing of 10,000 patients.
• Inhibition of Foxo1 protects pancreatic islet beta-cells against fatty acid and endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis.
• cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics
• Clinical Utility of Prospective Molecular Characterization in Advanced Endometrial Cancer.