There's a lot of research been done regarding DCA lately, but I've yet to see any research done on possible natural analogs that could mirror or improve on these results. DCA is not a naturally occurring chemical. Chlorine itself does not play a huge role in organic chemistry. Iodine, however, does.
Di-Iodine Acetate (Not the IUPAC name, but I hate trying to figure out naming for iodine compounds) should exhibit much the similar properties as dichloroacetate, but to a different degree. Iodine is already a big player in regulating metabolic processes, and is vital to maintaining good health.
However, if simply increasing our iodine intake resulted in a decrease in cancer, such an effect would have already been noticed... or has it?
Kelp and seaweed are natural concentrators of iodine from seawater. If these ions get bound into an acetate complex through a natural process, its possible to see how DCA is merely a signpost that points us towards a dietary issue we've long been neglecting, which can produce cancer as an end result.
Japan and China both use kelp and seaweed as part of their dietary regime. They also have the lowest cancer rates in the world.
This is just a theory, but if there exists a natural iodine-acetate compound that performs the same function that DCA is currently attempting to fulfill, then testing should be done to see if this compound produces similar results.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to where one might begin testing this hypothesis?