Wheat - GERD - cancer link? page

[OneDeltaTenTango]

A friend who is very fit in his mid 60s and has lived an active and healthy ( as defined by CW) life has just been diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus. The general prognosis for this kind of cancer is not pretty. I did a bit of poking around the web and fund out that there are two kinds, one in the upper part of the esophagus and another in the lower. Upper type was always more prevalent and still is outside of north america. Lower esophagus cancer ( an adenocarcinoma) is the more prevalent form in north america and has been increasing in frequency beginning in the 1970s. There is an association with acid reflux etc.

Hmmm..................................

Rewind to Mark's post yesterday and particularly look at all of the comments re: GERD and how it evaporates once wheat is eliminated.

It does make one wonder if there is a pretty simple cause and effect going on here.

[petriquor]

I've had GERD symptoms for ages that cleared up after eating paleo/primal. The problem is, early on I clearly wasn't eating enough since I kept losing weight. Now when eat enough to maintain my weight, often it's a LOT of food (by volume). Since eating more I have noticed some symptoms coming back here and there, so I wonder if that's more of my issue. I wish I could pin it down on something specifically but it's hard to say.

[IvyBlue]

As I read the description it's a part of the body, not designed for it, bathed in acid regularly for a prolonged period. The body's continual attempts at repairing this damage would give ample opportunity for mutations, possibly cancerous. GERD is something I'd never heard of 10 years ago and now I know any number of people diagnosed w/ it. (suspiciously concurrent w/ the introduction of drugs to treat it) Long term I'm sure they're will be a more definitive answer if only in terms of correlation. And probably an additional pill.

[shema]

I've had GERD symptoms for ages that cleared up after eating paleo/primal. The problem is, early on I clearly wasn't eating enough since I kept losing weight. Now when eat enough to maintain my weight, often it's a LOT of food (by volume). Since eating more I have noticed some symptoms coming back here and there, so I wonder if that's more of my issue. I wish I could pin it down on something specifically but it's hard to say.

I've had on and off GERD symptoms since last year. The first time I experienced them I thought I was having a heart attack and went to see some docs who clearly thought a heart attack was odd for someone in her early 30s. The one doc I saw gave me a bagful of meds to get rid of the heartburn. I chucked it and am flying solo w/o the docs now.

Anyway, in the past few weeks I've been eating very strictly paleo, much smaller meals, and about 3 times a day with no snacks in between.

And yet I feel like the GERD has been worse than ever. This morning I had a chicken leg and broccoli for breakfast and I felt sick all morning. And I had the same queasy, sick feeling after dinner...

SO I'm doing the opposite as you - eating less and less often - and I too feel sick and have no idea what to do.