How To Eat To Beat Disease with Dr William Li #234
Dr. William Li, a medical doctor and author, discusses how food influences our health by strengthening five defense systems: angiogenesis, stem cell regeneration, gut microbiome, DNA protection, and the immune system. He explores specific foods and fasting for disease prevention and treatment.
Deep Dive Analysis
15 Topic Outline
Introduction to Food as Medicine and Body's Defenses
Debunking Common Food Myths: Soy and Tomatoes
Understanding the Body's Hardwired Health Defenses
The Five Health Defense Systems: Angiogenesis and Stem Cells
The Five Health Defense Systems: Gut Microbiome, DNA, and Immune System
DNA Repair and the Role of Foods like Kiwi
Scientific Rigor in Food as Medicine Research
Green Tea, Black Tea, and Their Impact on Health Defenses
Angiogenesis: Its Role in Health and Disease, Including Cancer
The Interplay Between Inflammation and Angiogenesis
Food Strategies for Cancer Prevention and Treatment
Gut Microbiome's Influence on Immunotherapy Effectiveness
Distinguishing Healthy Sugars from Added Sugars
The Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Dr. Li's Personal Food Choices and Future Research
7 Key Concepts
Food as Medicine
This is a field of research that applies the same rigorous scientific methodology used for drug development to study the impact of food. It aims to generate evidence for how specific foods activate the body's natural health defenses and can be used for prevention and treatment.
Angiogenesis
Angiogenesis is the body's defense system for growing blood vessels, maintaining a 'just right' balance of circulation. Too few blood vessels can lead to organ starvation (e.g., heart failure, stroke complications, diabetic neuropathy), while too many can feed diseases like cancer, arthritis, or psoriasis.
Stem Cell Regeneration
This health defense system involves the body's ability to repair and renew organs from the inside out. We are born with approximately 750 million extra stem cells stored in our bone marrow, which are called out to circulate and fix damage invisibly when needed.
Gut Microbiome
The gut microbiome is a critical health defense system comprising roughly 39 trillion bacteria and 380 trillion viruses living inside the body. Most of these microbes are beneficial and play a vital role in maintaining overall health and influencing various bodily systems.
DNA Protection
Our DNA is hardwired with a defense system that silently fixes an average of 10,000 mistakes every 24 hours. This system protects against damage from environmental factors like ultraviolet radiation, chemicals, oxidative stress, and even emotional stress, which can fray our genetic code.
Immune System Regulation
The immune system acts like a volume switch, perfectly tuned to deliver a little inflammation where needed and robust protection against external invaders (bacteria, viruses) and internal threats (cancer). It must be able to turn up when needed and then turn back down to a homeostatic balance.
Cancer without Disease
This concept describes microscopic tumors that form in the body all the time due to natural cellular mistakes. These tiny cancers can grow up to the size of a ballpoint pen tip but remain harmless, unable to grow larger because they lack a blood supply to feed them.
9 Questions Answered
No, some common beliefs are urban legends; for example, research shows soy consumption can lower the risk of death for women with breast cancer, and men who eat two to three servings of cooked tomatoes a week have a 30% lower risk of prostate cancer.
Our body is hardwired with five health defense systems—angiogenesis, stem cell regeneration, the gut microbiome, DNA protection, and the immune system—that work to maintain health, resist disease, and promote healing.
Our DNA is hardwired to protect itself, silently fixing an average of 10,000 mistakes every 24 hours, and it can be assisted by antioxidant-rich foods that ward off damage and help repair existing errors.
Yes, the field of 'food as medicine' uses the same molecular biology and genomic technologies employed in drug development to study the impact of foods on the body's systems, sometimes even comparing foods head-to-head with drugs.
Microscopic cancers are common but remain harmless until they hijack the body's angiogenesis defense system to grow their own blood supply, which can cause them to grow 16,000 times in two weeks.
Inflammation and angiogenesis are closely linked; inflammation often signals the need for new blood vessel growth during healing, but chronic inflammation can provoke uncontrolled angiogenesis, contributing to diseases like cancer.
Yes, research shows that certain gut bacteria, like Akkermansia mucinophila and Ruminococcus, are correlated with better immunotherapy responses, and these bacteria can be grown by consuming specific foods like pomegranates, cranberries, Concord grapes, and dietary fiber.
No, the body needs some sugar, especially for the brain, and natural sugars found in whole fruits and vegetables are generally fine; the danger lies in added sugars found in processed foods, which can overwhelm the body and contribute to disease.
Intermittent fasting, or calorie restriction, helps reboot the body's defenses by starving cancer (inhibiting angiogenesis), calling out stem cells for renewal, rebalancing the gut microbiome, repairing DNA, slowing cellular aging, and fortifying the immune system.
21 Actionable Insights
1. Caloric Restriction in Cancer Treatment
During cancer treatment, consider cutting down caloric intake or practicing intermittent fasting, as this strategy reboots health defenses and can be an anti-cancer strategy by manipulating metabolism.
2. Boost Akkermansia for Immunotherapy
To support the growth of Akkermansia mucinophila, a gut bacteria linked to better immunotherapy responses, consume foods like pomegranates, cranberries, or Concord grapes, which prompt the gut to secrete healthy mucus.
3. Increase Fiber for Cancer Outcome
Increase dietary fiber intake, aiming for at least five grams per day (e.g., one average-sized pear), to foster Ruminococcus bacteria in the gut, which has been correlated with a 30% decrease in mortality for melanoma patients on immunotherapy.
4. Practice Intermittent Fasting
Restrict calories through intermittent fasting, such as skipping a few meals a week, to reboot health defense systems, starve cancer, call out stem cells, reboot the gut microbiome, repair DNA, slow cellular aging, and fortify the immune system.
5. Re-evaluate Soy Consumption
Do not avoid soy due to the myth that it increases breast cancer risk; research indicates that for women at highest risk, including those with breast cancer, increased soy consumption is associated with a lower chance of death.
6. Incorporate Cooked Tomatoes
Do not avoid tomatoes due to myths about nightshades or lectins; studies show that men who eat two to three servings of cooked tomatoes per week have a 30% lower risk of developing prostate cancer.
7. Eat Kiwi for DNA Repair
Consume one kiwi fruit daily to fortify blood and neutralize about 60% of incoming DNA damage, or eat three kiwis daily to help repair damaged DNA.
8. Drink Green Tea for Cancer Prevention
Drink two to three cups of green tea daily, as studies show it can lower the risk of developing ovarian cancer by up to 50%.
9. Black Tea for Stem Cells
Consume black tea to stimulate the release of stem cells from bone marrow into circulation, which then travel through the body to repair organs and promote regeneration.
10. Avoid Added Sugars
While the body needs some sugar and can process natural sugars in fruits and vegetables, avoid added sugars found in candies, cakes, and sodas, as these easily overwhelm the body and are dangerous for health.
11. Mindful Daily Food Choices
Recognize that every food decision impacts your health, either building it up or taking it down, so be mindful of what you choose to eat daily.
12. Embrace Food Diversity
Understand that most natural foods activate multiple health defense systems, so consuming a diverse range of foods is beneficial for overall health.
13. Lean into Loved Healthy Foods
Instead of focusing on eliminating foods, identify and lean into the healthy foods you already love, as many of these activate health defenses and are part of traditional food cultures.
14. Choose Organic Coffee
Opt for organic coffee beans over conventionally grown ones, as organic plants produce more beneficial bioactives like chlorogenic acid in response to insect nibbles, in addition to having fewer pesticides.
15. Utilize Mushroom Stems
Do not discard the stems of button mushrooms, as they contain twice as many beneficial compounds as the caps; save them to use in soups, salads, or stir-fries.
16. Consume Squid Ink
Consider consuming squid ink, found in dishes like squid ink pasta, as it has been shown to cut off the blood supply to cancer and preserve stem cells.
17. Eat Tinned Sardines
Incorporate tinned sardines into your diet for healthy omega-3 fatty acids, easily prepared with olive oil, pepper, and lemon for a quick Mediterranean meal.
18. Eat Swiss Chard and Dinosaur Kale
Include Swiss chard and dinosaur kale in your diet, as they are good leafy green vegetables that provide wonderful dietary fiber and can be easily cooked into dishes like minestrone soup.
19. Incorporate Spices and Herbs
Enhance your food’s flavor and health benefits by incorporating a variety of spices and herbs like raspberry, basil, turmeric, and cinnamon.
20. Enjoy Pears and Peaches
Enjoy juicy pears and peaches, especially in the summer, as they are healthy and delicious fruits.
21. Access Dr. Lee’s Resources
Visit drwilliamlee.com or follow @drwilliamlee on social media, and attend his free bi-monthly masterclasses to stay updated on new science regarding health defenses and beneficial foods.
7 Key Quotes
The food you eat can either be the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.
Anne Wigmore (quoted by Rangan Chatterjee)
What is super that most people don't realize is that our body is super. It is actually hardwired. All of us who were born actually have been hardwired with all the processes we need to maintain our health from the day we're born until our very last breath.
Dr. William Li
Foods that we consume activate our body's own hardwired health defenses. And that's actually why we don't get sick more often.
Dr. William Li
Research actually shows that those women who are at highest risk, including women who have breast cancer, the more soy they eat, the lower their chances of death.
Dr. William Li
On average, a typical person has 10,000 mistakes made in their DNA every 24 hours.
Dr. William Li
So literally, angiogenesis out of control is a trigger, an explosive trigger for tumor growth.
Dr. William Li
It's not food versus medicine. I'm not on a hilltop waving a thing of kale saying everybody should forget about their medicines and don't go to your doctor anymore. What I'm saying is that food plus medicine, it is another powerful tool in the toolbox.
Dr. William Li
3 Protocols
Dietary Strategy to Support Immunotherapy Response (Akkermansia mucinophila)
Dr. William Li- Consume foods that prompt your gut to secrete healthy mucus.
- Include pomegranates, pomegranate juice, cranberries, Concord grapes, or their juices in your diet.
- This helps grow Akkermansia mucinophila bacteria in your gut, which is correlated with a better response to immunotherapy.
Dietary Strategy to Support Immunotherapy Response (Ruminococcus)
Dr. William Li- Increase your daily dietary fiber intake.
- Aim for at least 5 grams of fiber per day (e.g., one average-sized pear).
- This promotes the growth of Ruminococcus bacteria, which is correlated with a better response to immunotherapy and a 30% decrease in mortality.
Intermittent Fasting for Health Defenses
Dr. William Li- Consciously restrict caloric intake for periods of time, such as by skipping a few meals a week.
- Leverage the body's natural fasting state (like during sleep) to activate health defense systems.
- Benefits include starving cancer, calling out stem cells, rebooting the gut microbiome, repairing DNA, slowing cellular aging, and fortifying the immune system.