Selenium 100% Whole Food, by Innate Response is the product you have heard discussed by Chris Barr on the Robert Scott Bell Radio Show.

I have been privileged to know and work with Chris Barr and Robert Scott Bell, whose radio show is where you heard Chris Barr. Chris has been involved for over three decades in research with GTF Chromium 100% Whole Food and its working companion Selenium 100 % Whole Food and its relationship to diabetes and cancer. His passion is teaching others the truth about Whole Food Supplement. Robert Scott Bell’s passion is bringing to the airways folks like Chris Barr who will speak the truth on major health issues.

First the 'HIS' and then the 'HERS' ...

NATURALLY Speaking
By Christopher C. Barr

Prostate prospects prostituted?

Big news in the mainstream press is that a popular male baldness drug treatment prevents prostate cancer. A study to that effect was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The drug finasteride (marketed as Propecia and Proscar) reportedly reduced the incidence of prostate cancer by 25 per cent. This was at a high level of use five times the dosage normally recommended for the drug.

The results of this drug trial were noted as promising.

"This trial proves that prostate cancer, at least in part, is preventable. It is a huge step forward for cancer research", said Dr. Peter Greenwald, director of the National Cancer Institute's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control.

It is reported that the drug manufacturer plans to seek an expedited decision to allow marketing of this drug as a prostate cancer preventative as soon as possible.

Small step backward

Less than seven years ago the mainstream press reported that a mineral prevented prostate cancer. A study to that effect was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The mineral selenium (called a trace element because its need is so small) reportedly reduced the incidence of prostate cancer by 63 per cent. This was at a moderate level of use more than consumed in common diets, but still much less than the amount consumed in other healthful diets.

The results of this nutrient study were noted cautiously.

"It's one study with provocative findings that have to be confirmed. We do not recommend supplements", said the same Dr. Greenwald as above, then as now director of the National Cancer Institute's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control.

Greenwald called for additional studies (as in more than one) with many more people before going forward with any selenium recommendations.

Huh?!?!?!?

More comparisons

The drug finasteride did exhibit some troubling aspects in the new study. Those tumors that did develop had a greater likelihood of being more aggressive. Impotence was another side effect that presented itself.

The mineral selenium on the other hand exhibited other promising aspects in the previous study almost seven years ago. Those who developed cancer while on selenium survived cancer 50 per cent more than those not on selenium. Other studies have noted that higher selenium levels combat impotence.

The cost of the finasteride drug therapy of 5 milligrams is about $5 daily or more.

The cost of the selenium mineral supplement of 200 micrograms is about .75 cents daily or less.

Cadmium again

Last week this column reported on a new Georgetown University study that related cadmium to breast cancer. That same study noted cadmium also causes adverse changes in the prostate. That again ties directly to selenium.

Selenium combines with cadmium to remove it from the body. The more cadmium you have in your body the more that selenium will be used to dispel it from your body. Then recall that reduced selenium levels have been noted for decades to render one more susceptible to cancer.

Cadmium is a common air contaminant due to burning of fossil fuels. It is also abundant in shellfish, liver and kidney. Cigarette smoking is another significant source of cadmium. Also consumption of refined flours and sugars contributes to increased cadmium levels.

How is your addition?

Let's sum things up.

A high dosage level of the optional drug finestrade has been shown to reduce prostate cancer by 25 per cent at a cost of about $5 or more. There are also side effects as with any drug and some of them may be quite serious. In some rare instances cancer may even be worse.

Meanwhile, only 4 per cent as much of the essential mineral selenium has been shown to reduce prostate cancer by more than twice that of the drug (63 per cent) at a cost that is only 15 per cent as much of the drug price … or less. There are also side benefits associated with the mineral including better survival rates if one does get cancer.

So … what answer do you come up with for prostate cancer?

Christopher C. Barr writes Naturally Speaking from Arkansas: The Natural State … naturally! You may write him at P. O. Box 1147, Pocahontas, Arkansas 72455 or by e-mail at servantofYHVH@hotmail.com.


NATURALLY Speaking
By Christopher C. Barr

Hold the Mayo!

The renowned Mayo Clinic announced last month that it is leading a nationwide breast cancer study. The stated aim is to find some kind of marker that indicates who is more likely to develop breast cancer.

Two weeks later it was reported that the mineral element selenium may guard against breast cancer in the journal Cancer Research. One hope that University of Illinois at Chicago researchers doing this study have is to determine an amount of selenium for doctors to prescribe to protect against cancer.

Just this week an array of prominent cancer researchers noted their concern to find some kind of marker that gives advance warning of the likelihood of metastasis (the spread of cancer). Metastasis is said to be the cause of death in 90 percent of cancer deaths.

Selenium to the rescue … AGAIN!

Selenium was first noted as a possible anti-cancer substance in 1912.

More than 30 years later Drs. Clayton and Bauman noted that selenium reduced cancer incidence by more than 30 per cent. Their report was made in the journal Cancer Research when it was less than 10 years old more than 50 years ago. That is the same journal that noted a possible selenium protection against breast cancer only a few short weeks ago as noted above!


Less than 20 years after that breast cancer was linked to low levels of selenium. This was noted by numerous researchers separate and apart from one another in a variety of science journals.

Similar reports surface every few years about selenium and breast cancer.

Is anyone paying attention?

The Mayo Clinic is preparing to seek biological indicators of those more likely to develop breast cancer. They are going to compare tissue specimens of women from 1967 and all the way through the 1970s. Similar studies were conducted during those very same years. It was noted then that American women had substantially less selenium in their tissues than other cultures where breast cancer was much lower.

University of Illinois at Chicago researchers want to determine levels of selenium that may be necessary to protect against cancer. Such levels were already discovered and published in the 1960s and 1970s.

Many other current researchers want to find a marker that indicates likelihood of the metastasis that is recognized as the primary cause of cancer deaths. Selenium again was noted as that factor in the late 1970s.

Dr. Gerhard Schrauzer was professor of Medical Chemistry at the University of California at San Diego for decades. He and his colleagues found at that time that breast cancer deaths were directly proportionate to dietary intake of selenium. The lower the selenium intake the higher the rate of death from breast cancer. This was consistent throughout 27 countries (including the United States).

Dr. Schrauzer noted more than 20 years ago that if every woman in America supplemented with 200 micrograms of selenium daily then breast cancer would be significantly diminished.

This just in …

The heavy metal cadmium has been linked to breast cancer by researchers at Georgetown University according to a report just out this week. The finding will be published in next month's edition of the journal Nature Medicine.

One researcher noted that the strength of the relationship for cadmium to breast cancer even at very low levels was remarkable and a surprise.

It is remarkable that this surprises researchers. Selenium combines with cadmium to remove it from the body. The more cadmium you have in your body the more selenium will be used to dispel it from your body. Reduced selenium levels have been noted for decades to render one more susceptible to breast cancer.

Cadmium is a common air contaminant due to burning of fossil fuels. It is also abundant in shellfish, liver and kidney. Cigarette smoking is a significant source of cadmium as well. Consumption of refined flours and sugars also contribute to increased cadmium levels.

Tough questions

Why don't researchers put this puzzle together? Are they inept? Are they crooked? What other choices are there? Isn't it way past time to promote selenium supplementation as a prominent prevention for breast cancer?

Christopher C. Barr writes Naturally Speaking from Arkansas: The Natural State … naturally! You may write him at P. O. Box 1147, Pocahontas, Arkansas 72455 or by e-mail at servantofYHVH@hotmail.


What foods provide selenium? Plant foods are the major dietary sources of selenium in most countries throughout the world. The content of selenium in food depends on the selenium content of the soil where plants are grown or animals are raised. For example, researchers know that soils in the high plains of northern Nebraska and the Dakotas have very high levels of selenium. People living in those regions generally have the highest selenium intakes in the United States (U.S.) [8]. In the U.S., food distribution patterns across the country help prevent people living in low-selenium geographic areas from having low dietary selenium intakes. Soils in some parts of China and Russia have very low amounts of selenium. Selenium deficiency is often reported in those regions because most food in those areas is grown and eaten locally. Selenium also can be found in some meats and seafood. Animals that eat grains or plants that were grown in selenium-rich soil have higher levels of selenium in their muscle. In the U.S., meats and bread are common sources of dietary selenium [9,10]. Some nuts are also sources of selenium. Selenium content of foods can vary. For example, Brazil nuts may contain as much as 544 micrograms of selenium per ounce. They also may contain far less selenium. It is wise to eat Brazil nuts only occasionally because of their unusually high intake of selenium. Selected food sources of selenium are provided in Table 1 [11]. Table 1: Selected food sources of selenium [11]Food Micrograms (μg) Percent DV* Brazil nuts, dried, unblanched, 1 ounce 544 780 Tuna, light, canned in oil, drained, 3 ounces 63 95 Beef, cooked, 3½ ounces 35 50 Spaghetti w/ meat sauce, frozen entrée, 1 serving 34 50 Cod, cooked, 3 ounces 32 45 Turkey, light meat, roasted, 3½ ounces 32 45 Beef chuck roast, lean only, roasted, 3 ounces 23 35 Chicken Breast, meat only, roasted, 3½ ounces 20 30 Noodles, enriched, boiled, 1/2 cup 17 25 Macaroni, elbow, enriched, boiled, 1/2 cup 15 20 Egg, whole, 1 medium 14 20 Cottage cheese, low fat 2%, 1/2 cup 12 15 Oatmeal, instant, fortified, cooked, 1 cup 12 15 Rice, white, enriched, long grain, cooked, 1/2 cup 12 15 Rice, brown, long-grained, cooked, 1/2 cup 10 15 Bread, enriched, whole wheat, commercially prepared, 1 slice 10 15 Walnuts, black, dried, 1 ounce 5 8 Bread, enriched, white, commercially prepared, 1 slice 4 6 Cheddar cheese, 1 ounce 4 6