Broccoli, I choose you!

Imagine this. You're at a buffet table and you see several types of foods displayed. There are donuts, cakes, oranges, bananas, broccoli, celery, cheese and crackers.


What do you choose?

If you are used to a SAD diet (Standard

American Diet), you probably chose the

cake, a few donuts and a wedge of orange.

Why?  Because our taste buds are

conditioned to want sweets.


So why won't broccoli be a first choice?


Some people avoid broccoli and other green stuff in general because they are not usually sugary sweet. In fact, many assume that green foods do not taste good.  I've even heard someone compare broccoli to a miniature tree and eating it seemed absurd.

My love affair with broccoli started when I had the opportunity to enjoy a well made broccoli dish. It was  seasoned with salt and pepper and tender but with a slight crunch. I instantly changed my perception of broccoli and how good it could be.  It also led me to create my own unique broccoli recipes.

Why should you try it?


It's 100% natural so you don't have to worry about ingredients you can't pronounce.  It's green and you've probably heard by now that green foods are good for you. And what's more, it's full of cancer fighting compounds.

Not only would I choose the broccoli for the reasons above, I would choose it because I know that my body would feel better after my meal. Foods with added sugar are known to be acidic in nature causing heartburn and inflammation in the body. Broccoli, on the other hand is alkaline.

I'm not prefect and have a sweet tooth sometimes. I will have the occasional sugary snack. But I always remember to neutralize my body back optimal conditions with alkaline foods like broccoli or my current favorite, green tea.


So the next time you come across a buffet table with lots of varieties of foods, ask yourself one question. 


Where's the broccoli?

Enzyme action

                                                             Theory on KRAS G12D mutation and High Glucose Link

by Tolu Oni
If you have done any research on pancreatic cancer mutation, you have surely come across KRAS. It is the most common mutation named in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas with over 90% of patients having the G12D mutation.  


Now a little biochemistry lesson. 

Glucose from the food we eat is broken down through a process called glycolysis. The products, 2 pyruvate molecules, are digested further into acetyl CoA which is then fed into the Kreb's Cycle. NADH and FADH  are generated from the Kreb's cycle. Hydrogen from these molecules used in the electron transport chain and  Oxidative Phosphorylation to produce ATP (energy of the cell).


Research shows that in pancreatic cancer the main source of energy for the cell is through glycolysis. Oxidative phosphorylation is highly inhibited or shut down completely. 


Now take look at the structure of G or Glycine. 












And here's D or Aspartic acid














See the difference?


Now here's Acetyl CoA and Acetate







                                                                                                                Acetyl CoA                                                                                                                                                     Acetate


Did you notice that the main difference between G and D is the acetate molecule?


Let's Recap.
In Pancreatic cancer, it is known that most of the energy is obtained from glucose and that the electron transport chain is hindered. It is also known that diabetes is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer.  High sugar intake is well known to be a causative agent in diabetes. 


Now we just confirmed (at least molecularly) that excess glucose drives the DNA mutation of Glycine to Aspartic Acid in KRAS.
Acetyl CoA is used in the acetylation of histones.


Obviously there are still several questions. 


What is the exact mechanism in which this occurs?
What prompts or hinders this reaction?
Does the acetyl group travel back to the nucleus to cause the mutation?
When does the mutation occur and under what conditions?
Why does it mutate that specific Glycine?


These can all be answered with carefully designed experiments.