The Science Behind Boston C

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Part 1. Boston C Micronutrients

Boston C is a High-Density, Broad Spectrum Micronutrient Supplement.

I believe that adequate Micronutrients consumption such as vitamins and trace minerals play absolutely critical roles in wellness and illness. These are the foundation of Boston C in what I believe to be highly synergistic ratios. Boston C contains 84 vitamins and minerals by our most recent account. One could say that the extensive therapeutic results I achieved in my clinic using Boston C were just the most incredible series of coincidences in the history of mankind. Or, maybe it was something else? Let’s look at the science.

Let’s see what science says on the subject of Micronutrients…

From The United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC):

“Micronutrients are dietary components, often referred to as vitamins and minerals, which although only required by the body in small amounts, are vital to development, disease prevention, and wellbeing. Micronutrients are not produced in the body and must be derived from the diet.” (1)

From the World Health Organization (WHO):

“Called micronutrients because they are needed only in minuscule amounts, these substances are the “magic wands” that enable the body to produce enzymes, hormones and other substances essential for proper growth and development. As tiny as the amounts are, however, the consequences of their absence are severe.” (2)

From UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund):

“Micronutrients – also known as vitamins and minerals – are essential components of a high-quality diet and have a profound impact on health. While they are only required in tiny quantities, micronutrients are the essential building blocks of healthy brains, bones and bodies…Micronutrient deficiencies are often referred to as ‘hidden hunger’ because they develop gradually over time, their devastating impact not seen until irreversible damage has been done.” (3)

From The American Cancer Society:

American Cancer Society Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Survivors

“Additional nutritional supplementation such as nutrient‐dense beverages and foods can be consumed by those who cannot eat or drink enough to maintain sufficient energy intake.” (4)

From the Board on International Health:

“While the required amounts of micronutrients are very small, micronutrient deficiency (MND) can have wide-range negative health impacts that will ultimately result in death if untreated. MNDs are common, affecting an estimated 2 billion people worldwide.” (5)

From the World Health Organization (WHO):

“Under ideal conditions of food access and availability, food diversity should satisfy micronutrient and energy needs of the general population. Unfortunately, for many people in the world, the access to a variety of micronutrient rich foods is not possible.” (6)

It is recognized that micronutrient deficiencies and suboptimal intakes are common worldwide. (7)

Even in industrialized nations, where it may be presumed that healthy, nutritious food is easier to obtain, social, economic, educational, ethnic and cultural backgrounds influence the diet and may adversely affect an individual’s micronutrient status. (8)

“Micronutrient deficiencies and inadequacies constitute a global health issue, particularly among countries in the Middle East.” (9)

From the American Medical Association:

Back in 1987, the Journal of the American Medical Association proclaimed their long-standing belief that, “Healthy adult men and healthy adult nonpregnant, nonlactating women consuming a usual, varied diet do not need vitamin supplements.” Most people, it was believed, could obtain adequate amounts of these nutrients from their diet, which is simply not the case. (10)

Bear in mind, this is the same medical journal that advertised cigarettes for 20 years. (11)

In 2002, it came as no surprise when the AMA finally reversed their erroneous policy on vitamin supplements by announcing that the Journal of the American Medical Association would begin advising all adults to take at least one multivitamin each day. 

According to Drs. Fletcher and Fairfield of Harvard University who wrote JAMA’s new guidelines, “most people do not consume an optimal amount of all vitamins by diet alone…Recent evidence has shown that suboptimal levels of vitamins, even well above those causing deficiency syndromes, are risk factors for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporosis…The high prevalence of suboptimal vitamin levels implies that the usual US diet provides an insufficient amount of these vitamins. We recommend that all adults take one multivitamin daily.” (12)

How well do future Doctors do nutritionally in Medical School?

“This is the first comparison of the specific micronutrient intakes of students enrolled in a US medical school to the Dietary Reference Intake values. The main finding was that dietary intakes were especially low in male and female students for key nutrients related to maintaining health and preventing chronic disease…” (13)

What happens to these Doctors after they graduate?

“The clinical nutritional knowledge of medical students and practicing physicians was assessed. Overall, nutrition knowledge was modest. However, there were substantial variations in knowledge among closely related topics. Knowledge often was highest among nutrition topics which have received the most publicity in the popular press. The nutrition knowledge profile suggests that medical students and physicians learn about nutrition haphazardly and are highly dependent for their knowledge on nonprofessional literature.” (14) 

“There is a need to develop an open and non-judgmental dialogue between oncologists and cancer patients, addressing the needs of the patient while dealing with issues related to the efficacy and safety of micronutrients. Referral of patients to an integrative medicine consultant may help achieve these goals, providing both parties with the option of reaching an informed and respectful decision about treatment.” (15)

“Knowledge of the clinical aspects of trace elements is becoming indispensable for front-line clinicians.” (16) 

 The problems associated with Micronutrient deficiencies

“Trace mineral deficiencies may affect several biological functions in humans, including physical growth, psychomotor development and immunity.” (17)

Several studies (18, 19, 20, 21, 22) have demonstrated that the growth of children is affected by deficiencies or imbalances of elements such as copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg).

Micronutrients are not produced in the body and must be derived from the diet (23).

At least half of children worldwide ages 6 months to 5 years suffer from one or more micronutrient deficiency, and globally more than 2 billion people are affected. (24).

Investing in the future: A united call to action on vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Global Report 2009:  Investing in the future 1, Investing in the future 2 

Global micronutrient status has improved modestly over the last two decades, but around two billion people suffer from at least one vitamin or mineral deficiency (25).

Micronutrients and Cancer Risk

“An abundance of epidemiologic evidence, based on numerous and remarkably consistent observations that persons who consume high intakes of fruits and vegetables have reduced risks of most human cancers, supports the concept that micronutrients may play important roles in the prevention of human cancers…Although we cannot be certain which compounds are responsible, the evidence is overwhelming that an abundant intake of fruits and vegetables can play an important role in reducing cancer incidence.” (26)

Numerous studies have reported that higher micronutrient consumption results in a significantly lower cancer risk (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36).

“…our findings strongly suggest that at high intakes, these micronutrients exhibit independent associations in both whites and African Americans consistent with 30–70% reductions in colon cancer risk.” (37)

Micronutrients in Immunity and Prevention

“Immune function may be improved by restoring deficient micronutrients to recommended levels, thereby increasing resistance to infection and supporting faster recovery when infected.” (38)

Resistance to infection and disease may be enhanced by adding the deficient nutrient back into the diet and restoring immune function (39).

“The available clinical data suggest that micronutrient supplementation can reduce the risk and severity of infection and support a faster recovery…current knowledge regarding the importance of micronutrients in immunity, the effects of micronutrient deficiencies on the risk and severity of infection, and the worldwide prevalence of an inadequate micronutrient status form a sound basis for the use of a targeted multiple micronutrient supplement to support immunity over a person’s lifetime.” (38)

“Considering the importance of micronutrients in immunity, and the fact that many people of all ages have single or multiple micronutrient deficiencies that can have detrimental immunological effects, there is a rationale for micronutrient supplementation to restore concentrations to recommended levels, especially after an infection, and to support immune function and maintenance.” (38)

“Trace mineral deficiencies may affect several biological functions in humans, including physical growth, psychomotor development and immunity.” (17)

There is a bidirectional interaction among nutrition, infection and immunity: the immune response is compromised when nutrition is poor, predisposing individuals to infections, and a poor nutritional state can be aggravated by the immune response itself to an infection (40).

Life-style factors affecting immune function during adulthood. 

Immune defenses can be impaired by undernutrition of Micronutrients, which increases susceptibility to infection (39, 40, 41).

Infection can cause a significant increase in the demand for micronutrients (40, 42).

There is currently no single biomarker that accurately illustrates the effects of supplementation on the immune response. Instead, clinical outcomes are instead used to determine the effectiveness of supplementation (43, 44).

“Soil is being deprived of essential micro nutrients…Lack of these important vitamins and minerals also has a profound impact on the body‘s immune system. Immune system weakened by a lack of micronutrients puts us at increased health risk.” (45)

Optimal immune function is dependent on a healthy immune system. In turn, adequate nutrition is crucial to ensure a good supply of the energy sources, macronutrients and micronutrients required for the development, maintenance and expression of the immune response (46).

Trace element deficiencies and excesses are known to affect numerous biological functions in humans, including physical growth, psychomotor development and immunity (17, 47, 48).

“An abundance of epidemiologic evidence, based on numerous and remarkably consistent observations that persons who consume high intakes of fruits and vegetables have reduced risks of most human cancers, supports the concept that micronutrients may play important roles in the prevention of human cancers…Although we cannot be certain which compounds are responsible, the evidence is overwhelming that an abundant intake of fruits and vegetables can play an important role in reducing cancer incidence.” (26)

“…our findings strongly suggest that at high intakes, these micronutrients exhibit independent associations in both whites and African Americans consistent with 30–70% reductions in colon cancer risk.” (37)

“A major outcome of trace element deficiencies is reduced activity of the concerned enzymes. However, since each trace element is related to so many enzymes, deficiency of a single trace element is often not associated with any specific clinical manifestations, but rather manifests as a combination of various symptoms.” (49)

Many epidemiological surveys and animal studies have demonstrated that health problems are caused by the deficiency of trace elements (50).

“It is noteworthy that the doses at which trace elements exert pharmacologically effective actions are much higher than the RfD.” (RDA) It continues with, “Trace elements exert pharmacological actions if they are ingested in amounts several to ten times higher than the nutritional requirements…However, when dealing with trace elements, caution must be exercised to avoid excessive dosage.” (51)

“Trace elements are required in small concentrations as essential components of biological enzyme systems or of structural portions of biologically active constituents.” (52)

“The last decade has seen a growing interest in trace elements in human health and disease. It was generally believed until then, by clinician and nutritionist alike, that they are so widely distributed in foodstuffs that deficiency in any element except iodine was unlikely. However, the advent of more accurate methods of assay, especially of blood and hair, and the increasing use of parenteral feeding, hitherto unsuspected trace element deficiencies have been brought to light…” (53)

“Iatrogenic deficiencies may occur in people receiving prolonged unsupplemented parenteral nutrition…” (54) 

Medical Definition of iatrogenic: induced inadvertently by a physician or surgeon or by medical treatment or diagnostic procedures.

“It has been found that the imbalances in the optimum levels of trace elements may adversely affect biological processes and are associated with many fatal diseases, such as cancers.” (55)

Micronutrients and Cancer

The success of treatment and healing processes in people with cancer are greatly influenced by the nutritional status of the patient (15). This is particularly relevant in clinical practice since, depending on the nature, site, and stage of the malignancy, 30%–90% of patients have an inadequate diet (56, 57).

Cancer patients with deficient diets have a higher morbidity and mortality (15): the mortality in malnourished cancer patients is about 30% higher (58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63).

“An inadequate supply of antioxidant micronutrients in patients with cancer is reflected (15), among other things, in raised markers of oxidative stress.”  (27, 33, 34, 35, 36, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68)

“Micronutrient deficiencies have, basically, a negative effect on the course of malignant disease and the efficiency of treatment intended to destroy tumors (15), as it impairs immunocompetence, increases the risk of complications, and impacts on the patient’s physical and mental quality of life.” (58, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75)

“Is there plausibility in the notion that vitamin/mineral supplementation could alter the course of a potentially fatal illness? Available data suggest there is.” (73)

“Micronutrients effectively control multiple steps in breast cancer.” (76)

“In the course or their disease, many cancer patients develop tumor-associated malnutrition which, among other things, is characterized by a micronutrient deficit…In the case of reduced food intake and/or inappropriate food choice the use of a multi-vitamin multimineral supplement administered in physiological doses…can be generally recommended.” (58)

In relation to micronutrient mixtures, a “synergistic micronutrient mixture has been shown to be effective against multiple targets in cancer development and progression.” (77)

“Our results indicate that the micronutrients were successfully able to induce apoptosis in more than 90% of cancer cells, while preserving the healthy cells. This selective destruction of cancer cells was also associated with the preservation of healthy cells.” (78)

The synergistic anticancer effect of micronutrients is exemplified in the study of Kale, et al (79).

In relation to Selenium, (which Boston C contains) the major effects of supplementation have been observed in the incidences of colorectal, lung, and prostate cancers along with a drastic decrease in the total cancer mortality by 50% (80).

Study results have illustrated the importance of micronutrients as a significant factor in nutrition therapy, and provided evidence that taking a multivitamin/mineral preparation can improve both the quality of life and the prognosis of patients with cancer. For example, a study carried out at the Mayo Clinic (USA) of 1129 patients with lung cancer showed that mortality was reduced by 26% in patients taking a micronutrient preparation compared with those not taking any such supplements.

The mean survival in patients taking micronutrients was 4.3 years compared with two years in patients not taking multivitamin/mineral supplements (74).

Next, a study of ovarian cancer patients who were treated with cyclophosphamide and cisplatin was analyzed. It was found that consumption of oral supplements with multiple antioxidants including selenium led to a significant improvement in the immune status and a reduction in the frequency of chemotherapy-induced adverse reactions.

The incidence of adverse reactions to the chemotherapy, such as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, stomatitis, hair loss, flatulence, abdominal pain, weakness, and malaise, was SIGNIFICANTLY lower in the antioxidant group than in the control group (81).

Are supplements and antioxidants bad if used with chemo?

A fair and comprehensive appraisal of the existing medical literature and evidence demonstrates that the ongoing denigration of dietary supplements with effective antioxidant and immunomodulating micronutrients during chemotherapy by oncologists is simply not justifiable since they appear to show significant benefit in study after study, (74, 75, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88). The ongoing advice against antioxidants appears to be misinformed, anecdotal and even worse, unscientific.

Specialists in the Division of Pediatric Oncology of the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, New York, investigated the relationship between chemotherapy and antioxidant use status in their patients. In patients with higher than average plasma concentrations of antioxidants,“there was a beneficial association with fewer dose reductions, fewer infections, improved quality of life, less delay in chemotherapy treatment schedule, reduced toxicity, and fewer days spent in the hospital.” (83, 84)

Systematic review studies show that supplementation with antioxidants increased either survival times, tumor response or both, and that they reduced the rate of side effects as compared with the control groups (85, 86).

“Since the 1970s, 280 peer-reviewed in vitro and in vivo studies, including 50 human studies involving 8,521 patients, 5,081 of whom were given nutrients, have consistently shown that non-prescription antioxidants and other nutrients do not interfere with therapeutic modalities for cancer. Furthermore, they enhance the killing of therapeutic modalities for cancer, decrease their side effects, and protect normal tissue.” (87)

“Non-prescription antioxidants and other nutrients do not interfere with cancer therapeutic modalities, enhance their killing capabilities, decrease their side effects, or protect normal tissues, and in 15 human studies, 3,738 patients actually had prolonged survival. Antioxidant and other nutrient food supplements are safe and can help to enhance cancer patient care.” (75)

“The present review encompasses a total of 174 peer-reviewed original articles from 1967 till date comprising 93 clinical trials with a cumulative number of 18,208 patients, 56 animal studies and 35 in vitro studies. Our comprehensive data suggests that antioxidant has superior potential of ameliorating chemotherapeutic induced toxicity. Antioxidant supplementation during chemotherapy also promises higher therapeutic efficiency and increased survival times in patients.” (88)

Part 2. Boston C and MSM

Another significant ingredient in the Boston C formula is MSM, known as Methyl-sulfonyl-methane. 

MSM is an organic source of sulfur. Sulfur is necessary for the formation of connective tissue, and because MSM is 34 percent organic bioavailable sulfur, MSM has been widely studied for its use in all manner of therapeutic benefits. In the Philippines at my facility, we were synthesizing our own MSM in my laboratory as part of Boston C . Now that we are manufacturing in the U.S., we are very pleased to be using OptiMSM®  from Bergstrom Nutrition, the leading global MSM supplement manufacturer. MSM has Food and Drug Administration (FDA) GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) notification (89). There are numerous peer-reviewed published studies on the efficacy of MSM in humans and animals, a few of which I will highlight here. 

It’s been demonstrated that MSM is highly bioavailable, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant/free radical scavenging, immunomodulative, and anti-cancer (90).

“As a therapeutic agent, MSM utilizes its unique penetrability properties to alter physiological effects at the cellular and tissue levels. Furthermore, MSM has the ability to act as a carrier or co-transporter for other therapeutic agents, even furthering its potential applications.” (90)

Inflammation 

“Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is naturally occurring organic sulfur that is known as a potent antioxidant/anti-inflammatory compound.” (91)

“Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is a natural organosulfur compound that exhibits antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects.” (92)

“Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), the isoxidised form of dimethyl-sulfoxide (DSMO), is an effective natural analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent.” (93)

Conclusion: Study confirms MSM is an anti-inflammatory agent, and it mitigates abnormal immune reactions that trigger inflammation (94).

“Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), naturally occurring in green plants, fruits and vegetables, has been shown to exert anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.” (95)

MSM has been shown to improve inflammation in a number of conditions. For example, MSM attenuated cytokine expression in vivo for induced colitis (95), lung injury (96), and liver injury (96, 97). 

MSM has been shown to help with liver injury due to acetaminophen.

“Our findings suggest that MSM pretreatment could alleviate hepatic injury induced by acetaminophen intoxication…” (98)

“MSM is able to reduce the initial cytokine surge that is induced by acute exercise, while allowing for an efficient response to infectious stimuli after a single bout of acute exercise.” (99)

In vitro studies suggest that MSM does not chemically neutralize ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species) in stimulated neutrophils but instead suppresses mitochondrial generation of superoxide, hydrogen peroxide, and hypochlorous acid (100). Additionally, MSM is able to restore the reduced glutathione (GSH)/oxidized glutathione (GSSG) ratio to normal levels, decrease NO (Nitric Oxide) production, and reduce neuronal ROS production following HIV-1 Tat exposure (101).

“The present study shows that MSM possesses a hepatoprotective effect against CCl₄-induced liver injury in rats. This protective effect might be through its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic properties.” (97)

In a physician’s review of clinical case studies, MSM was an effective treatment for four out of six patients suffering from interstitial cystitis (102). Additionally, MSM is also suggested to alleviate the symptoms of seasonal allergic rhinitis (103, 104).

“The results of this study suggest that MSM supplementation of 2600 mg/day for 30 days may be efficacious in the reduction of symptoms associated with SAR.” (Seasonal allergic rhinitis) (104)

Stress can trigger an acute response by the innate immune system and an adaptive immune response if the irritant is pathogenic. Sulfur containing compounds such as MSM play a critical role in supporting the immune response (105, 106, 107).

MSM and Cancer

An emerging area of MSM research deals with the anti-cancer effect of the organosulfur compound. In vitro studies using MSM alone or in combination have evaluated the metabolic and composition effects of a number of cancer cell lines including breast (108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113), esophagus (114), stomach (114), liver (114, 115), colon (116), bladder (117), and skin cancers (111, 118) with promising results. 

MSM independently has been shown to be cytotoxic to cancer cells by inhibiting cell viability through the induction of cell cycle arrest (114, 110, 111), necrosis (114), or apoptosis (108, 109, 114, 115, 116). 

In vitro studies indicate that MSM can induce apoptosis in gastrointestinal cancer cells (114), hepatic cancer cells (115), and colon cancer cells (116).

“Sulfur significantly suppressed the growth of PCa (Prostate Cancer) in vivo.” (119)

“Methylsulfonylmethane (organic sulfur) induces apoptosis and decreases invasiveness of prostate cancer cells.” (120)

“Methylsulfonylmethane (organic sulfur) modulates proliferation and invasiveness of prostate cancer cells.” (121)

“Based on all these results from our study, we strongly recommend the use of MSM as a trial drug for treating breast cancers because of its multi-targeting mechanism.” (108)

“In conclusion, our results show for the first time that MSM induces apoptosis in HCT-116 colon cancer cells regardless of their p53 status.” (116)

“Taken together, all the results suggest that MSM has anti-cancer effects through inducing apoptosis in liver cancer.” (115)

“This review summarized chemopreventive efficacy of natural products and their constituent phytochemicals in various in vitro and in vivo colon cancer models. All these results strengthen the fact that natural products can modulate various molecular pathways involved in cancer initiation and progression.” (122)

MSM and Arthritis

A number of in vitro studies suggest that MSM exerts an anti-inflammatory effect through the reduction in cytokine expression (123, 124, 125, 126). Similar results have been observed with MSM in experimentally induced-arthritic animal models, as evidenced by cytokine reductions in mice (127) and rabbits (123, 124, 125, 126, 128).

In studies with osteoarthritic populations given MSM daily, significant improvements in physical function were observed, as assessed through the WOMAC (129, 130, 131, 132), SF36 (130, 131, 132), and Aggregated Locomotor Function (ALF) (131).

“Our results support previous anecdotal reports that intervention with MSM on elderly patients suffering from OA is beneficial. A treatment approach based on current literature is to start off at 3 g/day, then to increase up to 6 g/day in two divided doses. Although large, long-term dose response studies are necessary, MSM should be considered in certain OA patient populations.” (132)

“Patients with OA of the knee taking MSM for 12 weeks showed an improvement in pain and physical function.” (129)

“MSM (3g twice a day) improved symptoms of pain and physical function during the short intervention without major adverse events.” (130)

“Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), the isoxidised form of dimethyl-sulfoxide (DSMO), is an effective natural analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent.” (93)

MSM has been shown to effect inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus (127, 133).

MSM and Exercise Induced Inflammation

One of the best ways to induce short term inflammation is via exercise. Exercise related studies are an amazing tool for evaluating rapid inflammatory responses in relation to MSM supplementation.

Endurance exercise-induced muscle damage was reduced with MSM supplementation, as measured by creatine kinase (134). Pre-treatment with MSM reduced muscle soreness following strenuous resistance exercises (135, 136, 137) and endurance exercise (138).

It’s indicated that MSM dampens inflammatory expression following exercise and reduces postexercise immunosuppression (139).

“Three weeks of MSM supplementation at 3g/day attenuated post-exercise muscle and joint pain at clinically significant levels compared to placebo.” (138)

“The study suggests that MSM supplementation may attenuate exercise-induced muscle and joint pain at clinically relevant levels…” (140)

This study suggests that some individuals may be able to return to regular training more quickly following knee extensor damage with MSM supplementation (135).

“MSM may help alleviate the discomfort/pain that can follow a stressful exercise session.” (136)

“These results complement earlier studies showing anti-oxidant effect of MSM and suggest that single dose oral supplementation with MSM lowers exercise induced oxidative stress in healthy untrained young men…” (141)

“These results suggest that in moderately trained cyclists, antioxidant supplementation counters oxidative stress induced by a 90 min exercise at 70% VO2max.” (142)

“It seems that 10-day supplementation with MSM has allowed to decrease muscle damage via effect on antioxidant capacity.” (134)

“MSM, especially when provided at 3.0 grams per day, may favorably influence selected markers of exercise recovery." (137)

“These results suggest that chronic daily oral supplementation of MSM has alleviating effects on known markers of oxidative stress following acute bouts of exercise in healthy young men.” (143)

“…we have demonstrated that MSM could exert some protective effect on oxidative and inflammatory exercise-induced injury.” (144)

Joint Health

In vitro studies suggest that MSM protects cartilage through its suppressive effects on IL-1β and TNF-α (123, 125, 126) and its possibly normalizing hypoxia-driven alterations to cellular metabolism (111).

“Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), which is one of the popular ingredients of so-called health foods in Japan, is expected to relieve inflammation in arthritis and allergies…Intake of MSM for 13 weeks decreased degeneration of the cartilage at the joint surface in the knee joints…” (145)

Oral administration of DMSO or its main metabolite MSM lessened the destructive changes in joints of 36 Mrl/Mn/lnr female mice (146).

“Conclusion: the study shows that taurine, silymarin and MSM possess significant neuro-and hepato-curative attributes due to their antioxidant properties.” (147)

MSM Skin Benefit

A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical pilot study on OptiMSM®, found in Boston C.

Significant improvements in skin appearance and condition were found in the treatment group when evaluated by expert grading, instrumental analysis, and participant self-assessment (148).

Part 3. Boston C and Blackstrap Molasses

Blackstrap Molasses is a Micronutrient packed ingredient that’s used in Boston C for the purpose of carrying the additional nutrients along side it. Originally, coconut extracts were used for this purpose until clinical tests demonstrated that blackstrap molasses was much better suited for the task due to nutrient density and low sugar content.

Blackstrap molasses contains vital vitamins and minerals, such as Iron, Calcium, Copper, Manganese, Magnesium, Potassium, B vitamins, including B6, B2 and B3, Selenium, Small amounts of sodium, zinc, and phosphorus. I believe that Boston C incorporates a breakthrough method of delivering bioactive molecules and nutrients that is safe and effective.

We chose this method of using a nutrient dense natural sugar as a carrier due to cancer cells being sugar metabolic, which has been known for nearly 100 years. Physiologist Dr. Otto Warburg received a Nobel Prize back in 1931 (149) for his research indicating that cancer’s primary fuel was from anaerobic fermentation of glucose. He demonstrated that cancer cells require sugar to thrive via enhanced glycolysis (150). This increased glucose uptake in malignant cells is observable through modern technology known as Positron Emission Tomography (PET) (151, 152).

Here’s a little history about (PET) for reference and clarity. Positron Emission Tomography emerged in the 1970’s, and the initial applications were for heart and brain imaging research (153). Back in 2000, the widespread use of imaging with PET really gained widespread use in the field of clinical oncology. This followed two major events: the creation of, commercial production and distribution of the glucose analogue, 2-(18F)fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG), and the formulation of the device that combines PET with X-ray computed tomography (PET/CT) (154). In the U.S. alone, more than 2,000,000 PET scans are performed annually, with about 98% of them focused on staging or the restaging of tumors (155).

Once we look at the mechanisms of how PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scanning works, our Boston C design and theory of mechanism starts to come into focus. 

The website of Stanford University demonstrates the scientific mechanism of the PET scan (156).

“How PET scans work:  A small amount of radioactive glucose (a sugar) is injected into a vein. The PET scanner takes a picture of where glucose is being used in the brain.

PET scanning utilizes a radioisotope tracer that is an analog to glucose, called fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). FDG accumulates within malignant cells because of their high rate of glucose metabolism. Once injected with this agent, the patient is imaged on the whole body PET scanner to reveal malignant lesions which may have been overlooked or difficult to characterize by conventional CT scan, X-ray, or MRI.” (156)

glu·cose – noun, a simple sugar which is an important energy source in living organisms and is a component of many carbohydrates.

Basically, as cancer cells in the body gobble up the sugar solution, the radioactive isotopes are released, and it allows us to see where the tumors are on the PET scan.

In theory, sugar-loving cancer cells are tricked into taking in everything else in Boston C when they gobble up the molasses.

“Recent data on cane molasses appear to lend support to historical accounts concerning its effectiveness as both preventative and a possible curative agent for some cancer.” (157)

Recent analyses from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have demonstrated blackstrap molasses to be a rich source of micro- and macronutrients (158). 

Blackstrap molasses, its most concentrated form, was used for the therapy of a variety of diseases, including cancer long ago (159).   Anecdotal evidence suggests that cancer was very rare among sugar cane plantation workers who were regularly consuming the raw brown sugar (160). Blackstrap molasses is rich in a variety of essential minerals including iron, zinc, selenium, magnesium and potassium as well as the majority of the vitamin B complex (160), deficiencies of which confer a major cancer risk (161). Molasses also contains high concentrations of amino acids and linoleic acid (162), an essential lipid that has a documented anti-tumor effect (163, 164).

Cane molasses is fed widely to domestic animals (162). A feeding study on the phenolic carbohydrate compounds of cane molasses suggested that they are beneficial to both ruminant and non-ruminant animals (165). (Ruminant stomachs have 4 compartments and are found in animals like sheep, cattle, goats, deer, camels, and buffalo. Examples of non-ruminant animals are humans, primates, swine, dogs, cats, and even horses.) 

The feeding of 8% sugar cane bagasse to broiler chicken demonstrated weight gain and carcass quality as well as elevated immunoglobulin levels (166). 

In conclusion, I feel that Boston C is one of the biggest breakthrough nutritional supplements ever developed due to its robust profile and significant track record of demonstrated clinical success.

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