GRITtv with Laura Flanders

THE MOST IMPORTANT
BIOMEDICAL DISCOVERY OF THE CENTURY!
by
RUSSELL DOBKINS
February 3, 2009

There are a number of previously incurable diseases, such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis/hypertension, arthritis, thyroiditis, fibro-myalgia, and lupus, which share a common etiology, that is they are all known to be caused by the body's immune system attacking the cells of the body. The question medical science has been trying to find the answer to is why, in these diseases, does the immune system attack these various cells, in the body. Recent discoveries in molecular biology and genetics have found an important clue! The breakthrough comes from the work of Dr. Ajit Varki, at the University of California San Diego, Medical School.

Dr. Varki (from his website at UCSD Medical School) is:
Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Cellular & Molecular Medicine
Co-Director, Glycobiology Research and Training Center
Co-Director, UCSD/Salk Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny
Associate Dean for Physician-Scientist Training
“Our research interests are currently focused on a family of sugar molecules called the Sialic Acids, and their roles in biology, evolution and disease.  The surfaces of all cells in all organisms are decorated with a dense and complex array of sugar chains.  These "glycans" are known to mediate or modulate many biological processes including sub-cellular and cellular trafficking, intercellular adhesion, signaling, and microbial attachment.  Much data also indicates their involvement in embryonic development, normal tissue organization, tumor metastasis, and in the interactions of cells with extra-cellular molecules.  In recent years, improved technologies have permitted exploration of this new frontier of "Molecular Glycobiology."  The Varki lab (directed by Ajit and Nissi Varki) uses these new approaches, along with the traditional tools of molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics and genomics to investigate selected areas of Glycobiology.  The present focus is on the sialic acids, which are found at the outermost position on the glycan chains of all vertebrate cell surfaces and glycoproteins.  Currently active projects are relevant to the roles of sialic acids in Viral and Bacterial Infectivity, the Regulation of the Immune Response, the Initiation and Progression of Tumors and Unique Aspects of Human Evolution.  We are particularly intrigued to find multiple differences in sialic acid biology between humans and our closest evolutionary cousins, the great apes.  These differences are a signature of the multiple cellular and molecular events that occurred during the last few million years of human evolution, and are relevant to understanding several aspects of the current human condition, both in health and disease.”

In December 2008, I was fortunate to hear Dr. Varki's lecture “Primate Evolution and Human Disease”, on UCTV, in which he spoke about his research and these new discovery's. I found it so interesting and important that I searched for and read all his most recent publications. In this paper I will describe to you what I see, is so important about this new research. I will also explain to you a few of the interesting and essential, new understandings in the field of biology.
Dr. Varki has been studying the genetic evolution of Man. This new field is called “Anthropogeny”. This has been made possible by the sequencing of the Human genome, completed in 2001. The genome of our nearest mammalian relative, the Chimpanzee was completed in 2005. The next big step in the genome project is to determine which genetic sequences make what gene products. Dr. Varki found some very important differences in the Human and the Chimpanzee genes. Genes make enzymes, which catalyze most biological reactions, and are involved in forming many cellular structures and products. One such structure, found on the surface of all vertebrate cells are sugar molecules called sialic acids. Dr. Varki found there are two major kinds of sialic acids, an A type, and a B type, found on the surfaces of all mammalian cells. All the mammals except humans have both A and B types. Humans have only the A type. These sialic acids are produced by enzymes, which are produced from specific gene sequences. Since all the mammals except Humans produce both A and B types, and Humans only produce the A type, there must have been something which caused this difference. So, how could this difference come about? Dr. Varki, being an expert on Glycobiology, knew that pathogenic organisms, such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites, bind to these sialic acids on the cell surfaces. Further, most animal pathogens bind to the B type sialic acids. This understanding explains why Humans don't get most animal diseases. Humans don't have the B type binding site! So, Dr. Varki, and others working on this realized that something must have happened to cause Humans to loose the genes that make the B type sialic acids. What he believes happened is that about two million years ago a malaria epidemic, of the kind that now infects our primate cousins, the Great Apes, infected and killed all of our Hominid ancestors, except for a few who had a mutation in their genes. As the Primate malaria pathogen binds only to the B type site, not having such a B type binding site, allowed our A type only ancestors to survive this deadly epidemic. Now, we are the descendants of those A type Hominids. Since then, the protozoan malaria parasite has mutated, probably in the last two thousand years, to be able to bind to the A type sites.
Dr. Varki next began looking for antibodies to the B type sialic acids in Humans, and he found them. Now, Human's don't make B type sialic acids, so why do we have antibodies to them? He correctly reasoned that B type sialic acids must be getting into our bodies through eating food which contains the B types sialic acids. Mammal meat and milk contain 1-2% B type sialic acids. To prove that this was indeed happening, he did an experiment on himself. He ingested a high dose of B type “Ape” sialic acids, and then looked for them in various parts of his body, to see if they were incorporated into it. They were! He found them incorporated into the cellular structure of his hair, finger nails, skin and other tissues. He has found these “foreign” molecules incorporated into the cellular structures of the blood vessels, the nervous system, the brain, organs, skin, digestive system, and even the placenta and fetus!
Our immune systems recognize our “self” molecules by the sugar and protein molecules, on the cell surfaces. Any cell, or pieces of cells that have the wrong glyco molecules set off the immune system. They don't taste right, or smell right, or fit right, at the molecular level, so our immune system goes after them as “invaders”. The immune system recognizes the type B sialic acids as “not self”, and mounts an attack on them, where ever they are, in whatever cells they may be incorporated into. Now, antibodies don't usually destroy invaders, but attach to the invaders and call in the white blood cells and macrophages. These macrophages and white blood cells use digestive enzymes to destroy the “foreign” molecules. However, the cells where this “war” happens, are damaged, resulting in cell destruction and inflammation. The body then has to clear out the debris, and rebuild the tissues. Dr. Varki has also found large numbers of B type sialic acids in many kinds of cancerous tumors. He is a “Board Certified Oncologist”, as well. He has found a clear connection between cancer and these B type sialic acids. Epidemiological studies have for a long time shown strong statistical correlations between cancer and eating red meat! Groups of people who are vegetarian, such as “Seventh Day Adventists”, are known to have a much lower incidence of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, strokes, and other diseases, than meat eating populations, and on average live 3 to 10 years longer.

So, lets look at a few of the diseases known to be caused by the immune system attacking the various cells, tissues, and organs of the body:

Diabetes: Type I Diabetes, known as Juvenile Diabetes, is known to be caused by an immune system destruction of the insulin producing Beta cells of the Pancreas. Is the immune system attacking the B type sialic acids incorporated into the Beta cells of the pancreas, thereby destroying the Beta cells and their ability to produce insulin? Could an histological examination of such cells, along with B type sialic acid and antibody analysis, answer this question?

Atherosclerosis: It is now known that the initiating process of Atherosclerosis is caused by an immune system attack on the cells lining the arteries. Is cellular destruction and inflammation followed by cholesterol and calcification to “repair the damage and seal up the leak” resulting in hardening and constricting the arteries? Is this happening because the white blood cells are recognizing antibodies bound to B type sialic acids that were incorporated into the epithelial cells lining the arteries?

Autoimmune Thyroiditis: All the endocrine glands are bathed in the bloodstream. The thyroid gland gets Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) from the Pituitary gland, through the bloodstream. It then secretes thyroid hormone directly back into the bloodstream. Could B type sialic acids in the bloodstream be taken up in the glandular cells or enzymes, as nutrients, attracting immune system attack, resulting in damage to the glandular tissues? Current medical understanding (as expressed in the most current medical books) is that most thyroid disease is caused by autoimmune attack of the thyroid gland (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis)!

Arthritis: Arthritis is known to be caused by autoimmune attack of the tissues of the joints. Why?

Multiple Sclerosis: Multiple Sclerosis is known to be caused by an immune system attack on the myelin sheath of the nerves. Dr. Varki has found large numbers of B type sialic acids in nervous system tissue, including the brain! Could this have something to do with Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson's Disease? It has been found that remission and recovery from MS can be achieved by removing meat and milk products from the diet. (See the book; “The MS Recovery Diet” by Sawyer)

Cancer: There is a clear correlation between cancer and eating milk and meat. Dr. Varki has found high concentrations of type B sialic acids and antibodies in various tumor types. The biology is still being studied to find out what is happening, at the molecular level. Studies have shown that inflammation increases carcinogenesis. Whether the immune system attack on tissues with high concentrations of B type sialic acids and the resulting inflammation is promoting cancer, or if cellular, genetic damage and mutation is caused by the immune attack, or both, or whether the B type sialic acids promote carcinogenesis in some other way, is still under study.

Conclusion:
Now that this most important piece of the “Human Biology” puzzle is falling into place, great progress can be made in understanding and curing some of the worst diseases afflicting mankind. Dr. Varki found that the more ancestral classes of creatures, the fish and birds, don't have the B type sialic acids. Nor do plant foods. Changing one's diet can have immediate and long term beneficial effects on one's health!
This new understanding will bring many important changes to the general practices of people when they shop for food. The demand for meat and dairy products will diminish, perhaps rapidly. Worldwide, this could have a beneficial effect on many of the planetary ecosystems, as the livestock industry causes such widespread ecological damage. It could also improve the health and lower the food costs for many of the people living on this Planet, as presently so much of the world's farmland is devoted to producing livestock feed and expensive meat and milk. I predict that as people change their diets, their health will improve, health care costs will diminish, and personal and societal productivity will improve, resulting an an improvement in the quality of life for most of the people on this Planet.