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Continued from cover — The Healthy Youth Programeducational programs may improvestudents’ food choices at least in theshort term and possibly in the long term.However, as one might expect,implementing nutrition educationprograms in schools presents severalchallenges. Barriers noted by teachersincluded competing academicexpectations (52% of surveyrespondents), a lack of available time(48% of respondents), and a lackof suitable curricula (36% ofrespondents). Also, about half of theseteachers thought that getting parentsinvolved would be one key toestablishing an effective program.Not surprisingly, teachers also notedthat unless the food environment inschool cafeterias reflects what is beingtaught, nutrition education will havea limited impact on students’ foodchoices. Following up on this, we senta second survey to Oregon elementaryschool foodservice personnel, also onthe topic of nutriton education. All ofthose who responded thought thatnutrition education in elementaryschools is at least somewhat important,and most thought that school cafeteriasshould be involved for program success.Three-quarters of school foodservicepersonnel were interested in nutritioneducation training, but, similar toteachers, they noted barriers forincorporating nutrition educationprograms into the school cafeteria.These included cost, time, and thestaff available to take on these roles.To learn more about theHealthy Youth Program at theLinus Pauling Institute, visit:lpi.oregonstate.edu/healthyyouthor send us an email athyp@oregonstate.eduAs an established partner withCorvallis schools, the LPI’s HealthyYouth Program has found that childrenare much more likely to eat healthfullywhen they are involved in growingand preparing the food. To this end,nutrition messages presented in ourprograms are woven into cookingand garden-based activities wherechildren, as active learners, becometruly invested in the outcome of ameal or rewards of a harvest. Ourlong-term goal is to set the stage forfuture generations to make lasting,healthy food choices; we accomplishthis by involving children in allaspects of food preparation, from soilto seed to plate.Reinforcing nutrition messagesprovided during the school day,Healthy Youth Program educatorswork with K-12th graders in schoolgardens managed by our staff.Teachers involved in garden activitiesappreciate the inherent links gardenbased education has to academicstandards, and students appreciatethe opportunity to learn outdoors.Harvests are taken directly to theschool kitchens, where the colorfuland fresh fruit and vegetables enlivencafeteria salad bars. Signs posted nearthese offerings boast messages like“Grown by YOU!” or “From your schoolgarden!,” inspiring ownership, andultimately consumption.With constraints on teachers duringschool hours, the Healthy YouthProgram also offers after-schoolcooking courses that combinecooking/food preparation, kitchensafety, tasting, and food/nutritionknowledge. Fresh Grown Cooking forKids and Master Chefs are two of ourcourses designed for elementary andmiddle school students, respectively,offered regardless of family income4level. Both courses meet once perweek for two hours and include anutrition lesson followed by 60 to90 minutes of hands-on cooking insmall teams of three-to-fourparticipants. Each team makes twoor three healthy recipes each week,and importantly, time is spentsharing the meal and talking aboutthe experience.Ingredients emphasize wholegrains, minimally added sugars, andabundant fresh fruit and vegetablesthat are often harvested on-sitefrom the school gardens. During theoff-season, you can find Master Chefsparticipants starting microgreenseeds in the HYP-managed schoolgreenhouse in week one of theirsession. The kids harvest these greensto use in a cooking competition, amuch-anticipated activity in the finalclass of this six-week program.The goals of the cooking classes areto teach participants how to preparea variety of healthy, complete meals;expose participants to new andfamiliar healthy foods; teachparticipants basic kitchen safety skillsand nutrition knowledge; and, overall,to promote healthy food choices forchildren and their families by boostingchildren’s confidence in the kitchento make scratch cooking fun, tasty, andrewarding. A preliminary evaluationof both courses indicate that thesecourse goals are being achieved.The changes go beyond our data,as we are witnessing changes in thefood behaviors of children; it is notuncommon to hear a child shout,“I love kale!” at the end of a lesson.The Centers for Disease Control andPrevention (2014) cdc.gov/healthyschoolsPerera et al. J Educ Pract. 6 (2015)Perera et al. J Health Edu Res Dev. 3 (2015)

Join the Linus Pauling Institute for theDiet and Optimum HealthConference 2017September13–16ORJoin the Linus PaulingInstitute forCorvallis,theDiet and Optimum HealthConference 2017FeaturingSeptember 13–16 Corvallis, OR A Tribute to Balz Frei DietaryComponentsFeaturingand the Microbiome UpdateVitaminE AonTributeto Balz Frei Dietary Components Bioactivesandand theMicrobiomeCancerPrevention Updateon Vitamin E Bioactives and All-daySymposiumCancerPreventionon IV VitaminCAll-day Symposiumon IV Vitamin CSession A Free PublicA Free PublicSession ononSat., September16th16thSat., Septemberlpi.oregonstate.edu/DOH5

STEPHEN LAWSON40 years of service and an entire career dedicated to the Linus Pauling InstituteStephen Lawson“Working at theLinus Pauling Institute ofScience and Medicine andthe Linus Pauling Instituteat Oregon State Universityhas been an extraordinaryexperience.”— STEPHEN LAWSON, 2017It is with mixed feelings that weannounce that Stephen Lawsonhas retired from the Linus PaulingInstitute. Many who contacted theInstitute over the last few decadesknew something of Steve: He workedat LPI for many years longer thananyone else and was an integral partof its success over its history.A graduate of Stanford University,Steve joined the Linus Pauling Instituteof Science and Medicine (LPISM) inCalifornia in 1977. Initially, his work atthe Institute with Linus Pauling focusedon several projects with vitamin C,including the role of vitamin C in theprevention of skin cancer and potentialinteractions between vitamin C andcancer chemotherapeutic drugs.Later, as a co-director of theLaboratory for Research in GeneRegulation in the late 1980s, Stevedeveloped a technique for usingtwo-dimensional gel electrophoresisto profile proteins involved in cancermetastasis. He also studied the effectsof phytic acid, a substance found ingrain and plant seeds, on blood lipidsand tumor growth in rats, resultingin a patent for its use in inhibitingcancer growth.From 1988 to 1991, Steve served asexecutive assistant to the president,Emile Zuckerkandl — who developedthe concept of molecular evolutionwith Pauling — and, in 1991, asexecutive officer.In 1993 he was appointed chiefexecutive officer and grappled withfinancial, legal, zoning, and othercritical issues facing the Institute,and successfully negotiated severalremunerative research andcorporate contracts.6In 1996 he organized the moveof the Institute to Oregon StateUniversity. “Dr. Pauling was awareand supportive of our discussionsto move LPI to Oregon StateUniversity and continue the missionof orthomolecular medicine,” saysLawson. “He would certainly bepleased to know that importantresearch in metabolomics — a field heand colleagues pioneered in the late1960s — and on essential minerals likezinc; phytochemicals; and vitamins C,D, and E has been conducted at LPI.”At the new Linus Pauling Institute,Steve served as our administrativeofficer and editor of the ResearchNewsletter, helping to preserveinstitutional memory. Steve alsoassisted in recruiting Balz Frei as thenew director of the LPI and served asthe director’s advisor until they bothretired in 2016.Steve was critically involved inLPI’s fundraising and strategic, longterm planning. He also served on thesteering and art committees for OSU’sLinus Pauling Science Center, thecurrent home of the Institute, and, formany years, on the Campus PlanningCommittee and the Student HealthAdvisory Board.Over the years he has authoredor co-authored many papers,including those published in theJournal of Virology, Carcinogenesis,Gynecologic Oncology, the Journalof Orthomolecular Medicine, theProceedings of the National Academyof Sciences, Nutrition Research,the Journal of Applied Nutrition, theAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition,and the Journal of Anesthesia History,among others.

Yet, all of these accomplishmentsonly barely touch on Steve’s life atthe Institute. He often speaks of manyhappy afternoons in the LPISM spentidentifying mineral specimens andcrystals with Dr. Pauling and ZelekHerman, Pauling’s collaborator intheoretical chemistry. Or the occasionswhen Pauling would ask him to takeon special assignments, like writinga review of Vitamin C and Cancer:Medicine or Politics? by EvelleenRichards for a journal publication.“Once,” he recollects, “Dr. Paulingstopped by my office to tell methat he had an idea about a newmethod to fabricate superconductivematerial incredibly thin fibrils ofconductive metal, such as tin, clad innonconductive glass.” Pauling askedSteve to help set up a small lab tosee if they could make this material,hoping the licensing of a patent mightprovide a high revenue stream to fundresearch in orthomolecular medicineat the Institute.Steve and Zelek bought a furnace,blowtorch, and supplies and startedworking away, melting and pulling thetin and glass in the method outlined byDr. Pauling. “He joined us occasionallyin the lab and wielded the blowtorch,”Lawson recalls, “When we finallysucceeded, we rushed excitedly tohis apartment and showed him thematerial. He was gleeful and gaveus each beautiful pyrite crystals inappreciation.”Most people are unaware that Steveset up the Institute’s first cell culturelaboratory. His recollections of theseexperiences provide a fascinatingwindow into the LPISM, and howinnovation triumphed in the days beforemodern cell culture was the norm.Steve’s commitment to theInstitute and the memory of LinusPauling, as well as his advocacy fororthomolecular medicine, is present inStephen Lawson (left) with Linus Pauling(right)everything he has accomplished overthe years. He participated in manyfilm projects about Linus Pauling andorthomolecular medicine, includingthe 2011 production “Linus Pauling”by Oregon Public Broadcasting forthe Oregon Experience program.Steve also served on the SelectAdvisory Committee for the LinusPauling Exhibition, an exhibit honoringPauling’s positive, long-term influenceon society, visited by millions ofpeople worldwide. Moreover, Stevehas been an integral member of OSU’sPauling Heritage Committee, a grouporganized to recognize the wide impactof Pauling’s life and work and howit is reflected on the Oregon StateUniversity campus.Steve annotated and added anafterword to the 20th anniversaryedition of Linus Pauling’s bestsellerHow to Live Longer and Feel Better,published in 2006. He recentlycontributed a preface discussinganticancer mechanisms to the new21st-Century Edition of Cancer andVitamin C by Ewan Cameron and LinusPauling, as well as an appendix that7summarizes recent research onintravenous vitamin C as adjunctivetherapy for cancer, to be published soon.Steve often gave lectures onorthomolecular medicine or LinusPauling to graduate students innutrition or medicine; undergraduatestudents in the School of History,Philosophy, and Religion; otherstudent, professional, and civicgroups; and at scientific or medicalconferences. In late April, he wasinducted into the OrthomolecularMedicine Hall of Fame, joiningscientists and physicians like LinusPauling, Ewan Cameron, Bruce Ames,Roger Williams, and Abram Hoffer.To conclude in Steve’s own words:“I feel particularly fortunate to havebeen so closely associated withLinus Pauling and LPI for so longand cherish the time I spent learningabout the critical contributions ofscience to society and how sciencecan be the source of so much fun andsatisfaction.”Stephen Lawson currently holds acourtesy appointment at Oregon StateUniversity and can still be reachedthrough the Linus Pauling Institute.

INTRAVENOUSVITAMIN CAND CANCERAfter nearly 40 years, where doesthe science stand on this therapy?Linus Pauling was very interestedin the value of vitamin C in treatingcancer. Clinical research with hiscolleague Ewan Cameron in the 70sdemonstrated that large doses oforal and intravenous (IV) vitamin Cwere helpful in increasing the survivaltime and improving the quality of lifeof terminal cancer patients. Whenfollow-up studies by the Mayo Clinicusing only oral vitamin C did not showany benefit, many cancer researchersdoubted the value of vitamin C therapy,and the research slipped out of themainstream.About 10 years ago, studies at the NIHwith Dr. Mark Levine revitalized cancerresearch with vitamin C. His groupconfirmed that high concentrations ofvitamin C do indeed kill cancer cellsin culture. Studies in animals showthat vitamin C infusions can slowtumor growth. A number of studiesare now underway to characterizethe molecular anticancermechanisms of vitamin C andoptimal protocols for administration.However, there is plenty of workto be done before vitamin C can beaccepted as a mainstream therapyfor cancer.Yet, as clinical researchers try tounderstand why and how muchvitamin C can help fight againstcancer, thousands of peopleworldwide are using it as a primarytreatment or adjunctive therapy.Therefore, we believe a review of the8current state of intravenous vitamin Cas a cancer therapy may be useful forthose who wish to know where thescience stands on this treatment:It is generally safe: Results fromcontrolled clinical trials indicate thatIV vitamin C is generally safe and welltolerated in most prescreened cancerpatients. In fact, there are very fewcontraindications for vitamin C inintravenous form. However, there isstill the potential for side effects: thosewith existing kidney disease, historyof kidney stones, or glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficienciesshould take particular caution.It is not the same as taking asupplement: The therapeutic effect ofvitamin C in cancer patients has mainly

been demonstrated through IVadministration or direct infusion, notby taking supplements. Concentrationsof vitamin C in the blood are the key:formulations of oral vitamin C —even those that claim to boostbioavailability — do not increase bloodvitamin C levels to a point that wouldproduce the same anticancer effect. IVadministration allows concentrationsof vitamin C in the blood to reach atleast 100 times higher than takingoral supplements.Hydrogen peroxide is likelyimportant: Researchers have foundthat high concentrations of vitamin Ccan produce hydrogen peroxide in thevicinity of a cancer cell. The hydrogenperoxide interferes with functions inmany cancer cells, leading to theirdeath. Cancer cell death cannot beachieved by directly administeringhydrogen peroxide because enzymesin the blood would remove anyhydrogen peroxide formed beforeit could reach tissues. Also, takinglarge amounts of hydrogen peroxideby mouth is not safe and would nottarget cancer cells.The working hypothesis is that highlevels of vitamin C may reach thespaces where removal enzymes areabsent, allowing a reaction withoxygen, production of hydrogenperoxide, and its transport into cells.This causes a cascade of reactions thatultimately can kill cancer cells. Othermechanisms have also been proposedregarding how vitamin C might slowtumor growth and cause cell deaththat do not involve hydrogenperoxide, so it is possible that multiplemechanisms are at play.It can be combined with somecancer therapies; not with others:Studies have found that intravenousvitamin C treatments can alleviatefatigue or decrease other side effectsof some chemotherapeutic drugs,thereby improving the quality of lifeof cancer patients. Some drugs havebeen shown to work better incombination with vitamin C. On theother hand, vitamin C may interactwith other drugs to limit how wellthey work or even exacerbate sideeffects. Thus, it is extremely importantto talk to a physician beforecombining IV vitamin C with anydrug. Of course, any administrationof an injection or infusion of vitamin Cshould only be performed underthe direct supervision of a qualifiedhealth professional.IV vitamin C is not a miracle agentfor all cancers: Research has shownthat some cancers are not affectedby the use of IV vitamin C, especiallycancer cells that are resistant tohydrogen peroxide. Researchers aretrying to find ways of overcomingthose barriers, but progress in thisarea is slow and needs more fundingto continue.Bottom-line: Overall, vitamin Cinfusions are a promising approachto fighting some types of cancer,but much more work still needs tobe done to determine how and whenthey should be used. It is still tooearly for the Linus Pauling Instituteto make general recommendationsabout IV vitamin C to cancer patients.Clinical trials are currently underwayat centers around the world to provideanswers to important questions aboutthis therapy.Chen et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci. USA 102 (2005)Ma et al. Sci Transl Med. 6 (2014)Schoenfeld et al. Cancer Cell. 31 (2017)For those who want to know moreabout the subject, we recommendthe new edition of Cancer andVitamin C by Cameron and Paulingthat discusses anticancermechanisms and summarizes therecent clinical research. Contact theInstitute for more details.9

GETTINGENOUGHVITAMIN E?Studying metabolic syndrome maylead to new recommendations forvitamin EVitamin E, a fat-soluble antioxidant,plays a supporting role in immunefunction, wound healing, vision, andneurologic function. Estimates arethat 90% of Americans do not eatenough vitamin E-rich foods to meetpublished requirements. Despiteits importance, people who don’tconsume enough vitamin E still seemto be healthy. Are the requirementswrong?Maret Traber, Ph.D., Ava HelenPauling Professor at the Linus PaulingInstitute, believes that people are notgetting enough vitamin E and are, infact, not as healthy as they think.The extent of the problem, especiallyin people with underlying healthconditions, may be worse than hasbeen appreciated by most nutritionprofessionals. Research from herlaboratory has demonstrated thatmeasuring the amount of vitamin Eyou consume, or even the amountin your blood stream, might not giveyou a complete picture of vitamin Estatus. Her new studies show theremight be a better way to tell if youare eating enough vitamin E.First, some background on howvitamin E moves through the body:After you eat something containingvitamin E — be it a handful ofalmonds, some vegetable oil, a fewcups of spinach, or a supplement —the vitamin E, along with the fat inyour meal, gets absorbed and sentthrough the blood stream to the liver.The liver is the guardian, picking outthose molecules needed for life andsending those back into the bloodstream. It also sorts out and removesthe things you don’t need in yourbody. Thus, the liver works as asorting facility, keeping the good andexcreting the useless or potentiallytoxic.Here, one form of vitamin E namedalpha-tocopherol is special: A transferprotein found in the liver rescuesalpha-tocopherol and sends it — alongwith dietary fats — back into the bloodstream for delivery to tissues. Otherforms of vitamin E, like tocotrienols,don’t get this special treatment.10Because of this distributionsystem, measuring alpha-tocopherollevels in the blood gives doctors andresearchers a good understanding ifsomeone is deficient. Under normalcircumstances, if vitamin E levels inthe blood are low, the person is notconsuming enough. If levels are high,it probably means enough vitamin Eis reaching the tissues where it neededthe most.However, this is not always thecase. A problem arises when fat isnot taken up into tissues normally.This occurs in hyperlipidemia orhypercholesterolemia, wheretriglycerides and cholesterol particlescirculate in the blood at abnormallyhigh levels. Where the fats go, thevitamin E follows. “It’s a micronutrientthat’s going along for the ride,” saysDr. Traber.To study this in more detail, Dr.Traber, along with her collaboratorsat The Ohio State University, decidedto look at persons with metabolicsyndrome (see sidebar). Althoughblood levels of vitamin E in theseindividuals are apparently normal,

Dr. Traber and her colleagues wereconcerned. This syndrome isassociated with high levels ofinflammation and increased oxidativestress — could these problemsincrease the amount of vitamin Ethey need?The scientists gave volunteersspecially tagged alpha-tocopherolto eat so that the vitamin E could befollowed in the circulation. Thismolecular tag let them follow thevitamin E they provided and also thefate of that vitamin, such as vitamin Ecatabolites that are excreted inthe urine.In participants with metabolicsyndrome compared with healthyindividuals, the tagged vitamin E wasnot only poorly absorbed but alsodisappeared from the blood streammore slowly. Upon analysis, this oddbehavior gave clues that somethingpeculiar was happening to this taggedvitamin E in the body.Traber explains: “In metabolicsyndrome, tissues are rejecting fatbecause they already have enough.In the process, they also rejectvitamin E. So even though the tissuesare facing serious oxidative stress,the delivery of vitamin E to them isbeing impaired. Our research showsthat people with metabolic syndromeneed about 30-50 percent morevitamin E than those who aregenerally healthy.”When vitamin E intake is higherthan the body needs, the extra iseliminated. This is a catabolic processthat starts by step-wise removal ofthe carbons on the long tail found ona tocopherol molecule. The product ofthis elimination process is a moleculecal

Newsletter, corresponding with friends of the LPI, introducing LPI research and outreach activities to the public, assisting with the design of the new Linus Pauling Science Center and, at long last, seeing its completion in 2011. But discussing his many activities over The Biological Models and Translational