Summary

Dr. Eric Berg discusses the significance of a specific blood test in the context of cancer detection and prevention. Dr. Berg, a well-known health and wellness expert, explores how this blood test can potentially aid in the early detection of cancer and the importance of incorporating it into routine health screenings.

The purpose is to make viewers aware of the best options they have available for identifying cancer and helps to screen out cancer. This blood test assesses the severity of how much damage there is in the cell.

Understanding Your Cells

When a cell dies or ruptures due to trauma, it releases various substances into its surrounding environment. Among these substances is an essential enzyme called "Lactate Dehydrogenase" (LDH). LDH is a crucial player in cellular metabolism, particularly in cancerous cells, where its functions become significantly notable.

Energy Generation in Cancerous Cells:

LDH plays a vital role in generating energy within cancer cells through a process known as anaerobic glycolysis. Unlike normal cells that rely on oxygen-dependent aerobic respiration to produce energy, cancer cells prefer to utilize anaerobic glycolysis, even in the presence of sufficient oxygen. This phenomenon, known as the Warburg effect, allows cancer cells to meet their high energy demands for rapid growth and proliferation.

Involvement in Biochemical Pathways:

LDH is actively involved in a specific biochemical pathway known as the glycolytic pathway. In this pathway, glucose, a primary source of cellular fuel, is broken down into pyruvate through a series of enzymatic reactions. LDH catalyzes the final step in this pathway, converting pyruvate to lactate.

Energy Dependence of Cancer:

The dependence of cancer cells on LDH for energy generation is a unique vulnerability that researchers and medical professionals aim to exploit for potential therapeutic strategies. By targeting LDH and inhibiting its activity, scientists seek to disrupt the energy production of cancer cells, which may lead to their reduced viability and growth.

Lactate Dehydrogenase Isoenzyme Test

• The only problem with this test is that it doesn't tell you the specific type of cancer.

Examples:

• If you have a heart attack, you're going to find more of this enzyme in your blood
• Stroke
• Liver disease
• Kidney disease

Anything that involves the destruction of a cell could release this enzyme. Because cancer destroys cells, you may also find higher amount of Lactate Dehydrogenase in your blood.

There are 5 different types of this enzyme (called isomers) so it might be worthwhile to have them all tested.

• Depending on what number enzyme you have tested, you can determine what part of the body it came from and that you might have a problem in.

What It Won't Do:

• Won't tell you the specific type of damage that you have

What It Will Do:

• Allow you to monitor progress over time
• It will tell you that you have damage and the severity of that damage

A normal adult will have a range between 140-280 units per liter

Caveats

• If you take a lot of vitamin C that can reduce the amount of this enzyme and can potentially give you a false picture of what's really going on.
• If you perform very intense exercise it can skew the results too (exercise causes damage in a sense)
• Certain drugs like aspirin, narcotics, and even alcohol can raise this enzyme

References:

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6308051/