Laron’s Syndrome, The Secret Behind The Village Without Cancer

Cancer today is without a doubt one of our biggest concerns as a society. Science and medicine have tried to clarify its mechanisms, not just to try to prevent it from happening, but also to give patients more treatment options. In this article we will talk about Laron’s syndrome and the secret behind the village without cancer.

If we could tell that there is a population, or rather a particular “type” of person, for whom the word cancer poses no threat, you probably would not believe where it is.

Nevertheless, that’s how it is, and in today’s article we want you to join us to learn about this beautiful and special place: Vilcabamba Valley in Loja, Ecuador, a village without cancer.

The village without cancer

To understand a little more about this incredible place, it is necessary to tell you about a particular genetic disease: Laron’s syndrome.

Laron’s syndrome is a rare, inherited disease that causes a lack of growth. In addition, this genetic trait creates 100% immunity to cancer and diabetes.

Let us examine further.

Laron’s syndrome: 350 people worldwide

Laron’s syndrome was first discovered in the early 1950s by Zvi Laron, a physician from Israel. He became interested in a group of patients who lived in a small village in the countryside, and were very small in size.

Their physical condition went hand in hand with excellent general health. They could eat what they wanted and never suffer from diabetes, and none of them or their ancestors had ever had cancer.

After more than 30 years of research in 2001, he published his findings on the mechanisms of this curious syndrome. Roughly speaking, these are the most important things he found:

• Laron’s syndrome affects 350 people around the world. Most of them live in the valley of Vilcabamba in Loja, Ecuador. The rest live in Israel and some Mediterranean countries.
• Humans who have this genetic condition have very small bodily proportions: they are rarely more than 90 centimeters tall.
• In addition to their small size, they share certain pysigonomic features.
• The origin of this syndrome is a deficiency in growth hormones.

Although the growth hormone is produced at a normal level, a deficiency of another hormone, IGF-1, which is closely related to insulin, prevents it from being metabolized evenly throughout the body.

• This syndrome can only be transmitted when both mother and father carry the gene.

Laron’s syndrome – no cancer or diabetes

People with this genetic condition have a normal life. Apart from their small size, they do not experience any diseases or other physical problems.

The effect is so strong that many doctors are surprised when even though many of them may have a poor diet, eat high fat, fried and sugary foods, they have never developed diabetes or cancer.

Ever since Laron’s syndrome was discovered, not a single person has been diagnosed with any of these diseases. The reasons may be the following:

• The key to everything lies in the liver, and the hormone that slows down the release of the growth hormone.
• IGF-1 is essential not only for children to grow, but also when you reach adulthood, it continues to promote cellular division. Potentially promoting the spread of cancer.

• People with Laron’s syndrome are more sensitive to insulin, which allows them to delay the onset of diabetes and other metabolic problems.
• The biggest problem for these people arises in childhood because they do not develop as they should.
• When they reach adulthood, deficits in the production of IGF hormone act as an excellent protection against two of the most common diseases in our society today. Cancer and diabetes.

A challenge to science and hope for those with Laron syndrome

Although they will never develop cancer or diabetes, the lives of people with Laron’s syndrome are not exactly filled with happiness.

Historians believe they may be descendants of Spanish Sephardic Jews who converted to Christianity and moved to South America in the sixteenth century.

No matter what , they have always been subject to ridicule and the social stigma of being “different”.

Today, science is trying to elucidate the mechanism of this hormone to mimic it and create a revolutionary medicine to slow the progression of cancer.

So far , experiments are performed only in the laboratory.

Meanwhile, there is now hope for those with Laron’s syndrome. Once a child is diagnosed, they have the opportunity to receive a synthetic form of the IGF-1 hormone. The problem is the cost: about $20,000 a year.

This is something that few can expect to have to pay. Hopefully there is a bright future for people in this cancer-free village, and a cure for cancer in the near future.