(NaturalHealth365) Amino acids are the foundation of many natural processes in our bodies. They assist in wound and tissue repair, help transport and store nutrients and provide structure to cells, just to name a few. Methionine is one of the eight essential amino acids that the body needs.

However, over forty years ago, methionine was also discovered to play a major role in cancer tumor growth. Today, there’s a resurgence in protocols that suggest ‘methionine restriction’ as a way to stop cancer cell growth. Even mainstream researchers are now looking at the connection.

The jury is still out on this sometimes controversial nutrition-based protocol, however. And the question remains: If you have breast cancer, is a methionine restriction diet right for you?

What is the methionine – cancer cell connection?

In a groundbreaking 1974 study, UCLA researchers discovered the “Absolute Methionine Dependency” of some forms of metastatic cancer. Researchers studied the cells of healthy breast tissue as well as breast cancer cells in petri dishes and discovered that normal breast cells could grow without methionine.

Breast cancer cells, however, could not. Similar studies were done with ovarian, colon and prostate cancer cells, with the same results. Subsequent studies conducted on live tumors yielded similar conclusions.

Methionine is found in high quantities in fish and chicken. It is also found in moderate amounts in red meat, eggs, and milk. A typical methionine restriction diet, then, is basically a vegan diet of vegetables, fruits, grains and legumes.

Interesting to note: A study from Baylor College in Houston showed that restricting foods that contain methionine offered promise as a possible treatment for advanced, metastasizing cancers. For this study, Baylor researchers focused on cancers in the prostate, lung and gastrointestinal tract.

The NORI Protocol: Methionine restriction and high-dose selenium

“The NORI protocol is very simple to implement but may be one of the most powerful alternative cancer treatments ever developed,” a statement on the NORI Protocol website reads. ”By optimally timing and synchronizing cycles the methionine restricted diet with the administration of the ‘cocktail [of specific supplements],’ cancer cells lose all defenses and nutrients necessary for growth and division. The NORI protocol directly targets the cancer cell’s mitochondria which is exactly the root of the problem from the onset of the disease process.”

Powerful words, indeed ─ and the protocol has been working for many. The NORI Protocol was developed by Mark Simon, founder of the Nutritional Oncology Research Institute. It combines a methionine restriction diet with high dose selenium as well as genipin (Zi Zhi or gardenia plant extract) and thymoquinone supplementation. Thymoquinone is found in many herbs and plants. It occurs in high quantities in black cumin seed oil.

Killing cancer cells: Are there any problems with the methionine restriction diet?

I love the fact that in a methionine restriction diet, a person naturally eats more super-healthy vegetables and phytoestrogen-containing legumes. Keep in mind, there’s also no denying the connection between methionine and cancer cell growth.

My main concern, however, in following a methionine restriction diet is its reliance on fruit consumption. Fruits contain the least amount of methionine, so many methionine restriction protocols encourage heavy fruit consumption – especially tropical fruits like papaya and pineapple.

Fruits such as these can have a healing effect for some people because they contain anti-inflammatory properties as well as proteolytic (i.e. protein-consuming) enzymes. But, remember, the bottom line when it comes to metastatic tumor growth: sugar is cancer’s best friend.

Fruits contain a form of sugar called glucose. A study done at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center proved that when you deprive cancer cells of glucose, you kill them. Graeber and his colleagues demonstrated that glucose starvation – depriving cancer cells of glucose – activates a metabolic and signaling amplification loop that leads to cancer cell death. If you have breast cancer, depending on your metabolic type and the health of your GI tract, you may do better with a limited-glucose (i.e. limited fruit) approach.

There is no “cookie-cutter” anti-cancer protocol that is right for everyone across the board. If you are considering methionine restriction, you owe it to yourself to get the facts first before you proceed. Your journey towards healing breast cancer naturally is ultimately a personal one; only YOU can determine the best course of action for you!

About the Author: Dr. Veronique Desaulniers (“Dr. V”) is a best-selling author and specialist in Chiropractic, Bio-Energetics, Meridian Stress Analysis, Homeopathy and Digital Thermography. After 30 years in active practice, she decided to “retire” and devote her time to sharing her personal, non-toxic Breast Cancer healing journey with others. Her years of experience and research have culminated in “The 7 Essentials™ “, a step-by-step coaching program that unravels the mystery of healing the body. Her website and personal healing journey have touched the lives of thousands of women around the globe. To get your F.R.E.E. 7-day mini e-course and to receive her weekly inspiring articles on the power of natural medicine – visit: BreastCancerConqueror.com

References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC388177
https://www.nutritionaloncologyresearchinstitute.com/nori-protocol.html
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120626131854.htm

Methionine Restriction: An Anti-Cancer Diet