Subject: Cancer: A Role for Nutritional Supplements

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Fri, 24 Jun 2005 10:41:21 -0700 (PDT)

JoAnn Guest <angelprincessjo

Cancer: A Role for Nutritional Supplements

 

Cancer: A Role for Nutritional Supplements JoAnn

Guest Jun 24, 2005

10:39 PDT

http://www.willner.com/article.aspx?artid=105

 

Cancer

by Kim Schoenhals

 

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in

America, second only to

heart disease. There were approximately 553,400 cancer

deaths in

2001--more than 1,500 people per day--according to the

American Cancer

Society (ACS) (www.cancer.org).

 

ACS also estimated the total number of newly diagnosed

U.S. cancer

cases

in 2001 was 1,268,000, excluding basal and squamous

cell skin

cancers--of which more than 1 million cases were

diagnosed on 2001--and in situ (noninvasive cancer)

carcinomas, except

urinary bladder. Lung cancer is the leading cause of

cancer death in

the

United States (there were 157,400 lung cancer deaths

in 2001), followed

by colorectal cancer (56,700), breast cancer (40,600)

and prostate

cancer (31,500).

 

The single most important risk factor for cancer is

age, according to

the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Aside from

age, smoking status

and alcohol intake are telling signs of cancer risk.

 

Approximately 172,000 cancer deaths were caused by

tobacco use in 2001,

and about 19,000 cancer deaths may have been related

to excessive

alcohol use, according to ACS.

 

Obesity also increases the risk of certain cancers.

The relative risk of breast cancer increases by 50

percent in obese

women, and the risk of colon cancer increases 40

percent in obese men.

 

For those Americans who do not use tobacco, dietary

choices and

physical

activity become the most important modifiable

determinants of cancer

risk.

 

More than a dozen food-derived agents are currently

being studied

for their application in cancer prevention, according

to James Crowell,

Ph.D., who--with his colleagues at the National Cancer

Institute

(NCI)--presented a symposium as part of the

Experimental Biology

meeting

in Washington, D.C., April 17 to 21, 1999, on the

progress of cancer

chemoprevention and the development of diet-derived

chemopreventive

agents.1

 

Some compounds for which NCI is funding academic

research

include green and black tea polyphenols, soy

isoflavones, vitamin D,

vitamin E, selenium, calcium and indole-3-carbinol.

 

" Many pharmacologically active compounds will come out

of foods, "

Crowell said. " Because the food industry has not

typically had

experience in doing this type of research, I think the

government has a

good part to play. ... It's important that some of

these [food-derived

agents] be investigated in a thorough and systematic

scientific way, as

you would for a drug. "

 

Because a poor diet is a significant risk factor for

cancer

development,

vitamin and mineral intake is also closely correlated

with reducing the

risk of cancer.

 

Aside from vitamin and mineral supplements, various

carotenoids,

botanicals and essential fatty acids may have roles in

the prevention

of

cancer.

 

Vitamins and Minerals

 

Vitamins and minerals are among the most often studied

supplements on

the market and the most popular with consumers.

Cancer patients are more likely than the general

population to turn to

alternative remedies for adjuvant support.

 

According to the Natural Marketing Institute's Health

& Wellness Trends

Database--three years of trended data including more

than 2,000

consumer

household respondents--71.1 percent of consumers who

have cancer use multivitamin and multimineral

supplements compared to

66.8 percent of the general population.

 

In addition, cancer patients are more likely to

believe in the benefits

of multivitamin and mineral supplements than the

general population.

 

While 33 percent of the general population " agrees

completely " that

vitamins and minerals are beneficial in the prevention

of certain

health

conditions, 38.9 percent of cancer patients say the

same, according to

NMI.

 

One of the most well known bunch of vitamins and

minerals are

antioxidants.

 

With their free radical fighting skills, antioxidants

protect the body from oxidative damage, which is

considered a major

factor in cancer development.

 

One antioxidant all-star is vitamin E. According to

NMI, 58.4 percent

of

consumers who have cancer supplement

their diet with vitamin E as compared to 45.7 percent

of the general

population.

 

Vitamin E supplements usually contain

alpha-tocopherol,

although there are eight potentially beneficial

isomers of vitamin E:

alpha-, beta-, delta- and gamma-tocopherol, as well as

alpha-, beta-,

delta- and gamma-tocotrienol.

 

Researchers from NCI evaluated data from the

Alpha-Tocopherol,

Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study and discovered

that daily

supplementation with alpha-tocopherol reduced prostate

cancer risk in a

large, randomized cohort.2 Additional research

conducted by scientists

from the University of Rochester determined the

mechanism of action

behind alpha-tocopherol's anti-carcinogenic properties

could be its

suppression of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a

marker for the

progression of prostate cancer, as well as its

inhibition of the growth

of prostate cancer cells in vitro.3

 

Vitamin E has also been suggested to prevent gastric

cancer, according

to researchers at Jagiellonian University in Cracow,

Poland.

 

In reviewing 180 colorectal cancer and 80 gastric

cancer cases,

researchers concluded there was an inverse correlation

between vitamin

E

and gastric cancer.4

 

One researcher from the Wake Forest University School

of Medicine in

Winston-Salem, N.C., conducted a research review and

concluded the

modest protection from breast cancer associated with

dietary vitamin E

may be due to the effects of the other tocopherols and

tocotrienols in

the diet, not just alpha-tocopherol.

 

The researcher cited several studies in which vitamin

E supplements

protected against breast cancer.

 

Specifically, alpha-, gamma- and delta-tocotrienol, as

well as

delta-tocopherol, reduced the growth and enhanced the

death of cancer

cells, which may reduce the risk of breast cancer.5

 

The tocotrienol mixture from palm oil was also

determined to inhibit

several lines of breast cancer cells, according to in

vitro research

conducted at the Palm Oil Research Institute of

Malaysia in Kuala

Lumpur.6

 

Another antioxidant vitamin, vitamin C, is commonly

studied for its

effects in cancer prevention. NMI noted that while

45.4 percent of the

general population uses vitamin C supplements, 55.7

percent of cancer

patients take them.

 

Vitamin C has been linked with reducing the risk of

gastric and

esophageal cancer by joint research out of Yale

University's

School of Medicine, NCI and other institutions.

 

Their research was a three-region, case-controlled

study involving

1,095 Americans diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus

or stomach and

687 healthy controls.

 

Vitamin C use was defined as taking a supplement at

least once a week

for a minimum period of six months.7

 

" Our study suggests that taking a vitamin C supplement

on a regular

basis may protect against certain types of stomach

cancer, " said Susan

T. Mayne, an associate professor at Yale University

School of Medicine

and lead investigator of the study,

in a press release from the Dietary Supplement

Information Bureau™ and

IMAGINutrition Inc. " We found vitamin C supplement

users to have a 40

percent lower risk of cancer in the middle and lower

parts of the

stomach. "

 

 

Another compound with antioxidant properties is

coenzyme Q10

 

(CoQ10), which is essential to cellular energy

production. According to

research out of Purdue University in West Lafayette,

Ind., CoQ10

deficiency is commonly found in cancer cases.8

 

Researchers from the Medical School of Osmangazi

University in

Eskisehir, Turkey, found similar results.

 

A group of 21 breast cancer patients who had undergone

radical

mastectomy exhibited significantly decreased CoQ10

concentrations in

tumor tissues as compared to the surrounding normal

tissues.

Researchers

concluded that supplementation with CoQ10 might induce

protective

effects on breast tissue.9

 

 

In addition to antioxidant vitamins, the B vitamins

are purportedly

useful against cancer.

 

Compared to 24 percent of the general population, 27.8

percent of those

fighting cancer take a B complex, according to NMI. In

addition, NMI

noted that 19.1 percent of cancer patients take

folic acid, compared to 14.6 percent of the general

population.

 

Folic acid is especially protective during pregnancy,

according to

research out of the Cancer Foundation of Western

Australia in West

Perth.

Women who took folate supplements during pregnancy

gave birth to

children with reduced risk of developing acute

lymphoblastic

leukemia.10

 

 

 

Folic acid may also have protective effects against

gastric cancer, as

demonstrated by animal research conducted at the

Shanghai Second

Medical

University in China. They fed 16 male dogs a chemical

carcinogen for 15

months. Half of the dogs also received 20 mg/d of

folic acid. All

animals in the control group and only three of eight

animals in the

folate group developed cancer.11

 

Human research conducted at the Albert Einstein

College of Medicine in

Bronx, N.Y., indicated that folic acid intake may

reduce the risk of

colorectal cancer.

 

Researchers reviewed a total of 56,837 female cases

from the Canadian

National Breast Screening Study, of which 389 cases of

 

colorectal cancer were diagnosed during follow-up. A

subcohort of 5,681

women was randomly selected at baseline.

 

The final analysis, which was based on 295 cases and

5,334 controls,

indicated that the women with the highest intakes of

folic acid were

the

least likely to develop colorectal cancer.12

 

Research out of Tufts University in Boston

demonstrated that in

addition

to folic acid, vitamins B2, B6 and B12 are involved in

cancer

prevention

 

because they are the source of coenzymes that

participate in one carbon

metabolism, a metabolic process that affects DNA.

 

According to

researchers, cancer may be partially explained by

inadequate intake of

these vitamins.13

 

Vitamin B6 may also offer specific protection against

cancer, as

indicated by recent animal research out of Hiroshima

University in

Japan. Researchers fed mice one of four diets (1

mg/kg, 7 mg/kg, 14

mg/kg or 35 mg/kg of vitamin B6) for 22 weeks, and the

mice were given

a

 

weekly injection of azoxymethane to induce cancer. The

7 mg/kg, 14

mg/kg

 

and 35 mg/kg diets significantly suppressed the

incidence and number of

colon tumors, leading the researchers to conclude that

vitamin B6

suppresses colon cancer by reducing cell

proliferation.14

 

Vitamin D is another vitamin that may have some clout

in the fight

against cancer. Specifically, it is believed to

protect against colon

cancer, according to animal research conducted by

David J. Mangelsdorf,

Ph.D., and investigators from the Howard Hughes

Medical Institute,

based

 

in Chevy Chase, Md., who were studying the mechanism

of action behind

vitamin D's protective effects. Vitamin D helps the

body detoxify

lithocholic acid, a secondary bile acid created in the

intestine during

the digestion of fat, which has been shown to cause

colon cancer in lab

animals. However, when the lab animals were given

concurrent high doses

of vitamin D, they did not develop colon cancer.15

" Vitamin D is not a

therapy for colon cancer, " Mangelsdorf said. " It

prevents it. That's

why

 

it's important to already have in your diet an

adequate supply of

vitamin D. ... But you have to be careful because

vitamin D is toxic at

high concentrations. "

 

In addition to vitamins, minerals are a hot topic in

the realm of

cancer

 

prevention. Selenium has been on the forefront of

current research,

especially in regard to prostate cancer. NCI is at

present conducting a

10-year trial to determine the efficacy of vitamin E

and selenium for

preventing cancer of the prostate. Independently, low

plasma levels of

selenium have been associated with a four- to

five-fold increase in the

risk of prostate cancer, according to researchers from

the Stanford

University Medical Center in Stanford, Calif.16

Selenium (as

SelenoExcell®, manufactured by Fresno, Calif.-based

Cypress Systems) is

being studied in several other NCI-funded clinical

trials at Tucson's

University of Arizona Cancer Center to determine the

mineral's role in

reducing the risk of prostate cancer.

 

Low serum selenium levels are also indicated in the

risk of developing

esophageal and gastric cancers, according NCI

research. Investigators

based a new study on a previous nutritional

intervention

trial--conducted in Linxian, China, where gastric and

esophageal

cancers

 

are at epidemic rates--that determined supplementation

with selenium,

as

 

well as beta-carotene and vitamin E, significantly

lowered cancer

mortality rates. Researchers measured serum selenium

levels in 590

subjects with esophageal cancer, 402 with gastric

cardia cancer and 87

with gastric non-cardia cancer, as well as 1,062

control subjects.

Researchers found a highly significant inverse

association between

serum

 

selenium levels with the incidence of esophageal and

gastric cardia

cancers, and concluded selenium levels affect the

incidence of certain

cancers.17

 

Another study conducted in Japan determined that

selenium, as well as

zinc, may protect against gastric carcinoma.

Researchers from the

Hirosaki University School of Medicine investigated

the link between

ingestion of trace elements and gastric carcinogenesis

because

mortality

 

from gastric cancer in Japan is among the highest in

the world. Their

findings demonstrated a protective effect from

selenium and zinc

against

 

the development of gastric cancer.18

 

Low serum concentrations of zinc, chromium and iron

may be indicators

for cancer risk, according to animal research

conducted at Colorado

State University in Fort Collins. Researchers compared

102 canine

cancer

 

cases with control animals and discovered the ailing

animals exhibited

mineral abnormalities--specifically, low

concentrations of zinc,

chromium and iron.19

 

Calcium is another mineral that has been indicated in

cancer nutrition

and is popular among consumers. According to NMI, 50.6

percent of the

general population takes calcium supplements, while

59.6 percent of

cancer patients supplement their diet with the

mineral. Higher calcium

intake may reduce the risk of colon cancer, according

to researchers at

the Harvard School of Public Health. Their

study--involving 87,998

female cases from the Nurse's Health Study and 47,344

male cases from

the Health Professionals Follow-up Study--demonstrated

that consuming

700 mg/d to 1,250 mg/d of calcium may reduce the risk

of developing

distal colon cancer in both men and women.20

 

In opposition to these findings, a different group of

researchers from

the Harvard School of Public Health concluded that men

with diets high

in dairy calcium may be at an increased risk for

developing prostate

cancer. Researchers investigated the association

between dairy

products,

 

calcium intake and prostate cancer risk as part of the

Physician's

Health Study, a cohort of 20,885 male physicians.

Compared with men

consuming 0.5 daily servings of dairy products (150

mg/d), those

consuming greater than 2.5 servings (more than 600

mg/d) had a

32-percent higher risk of prostate cancer.21

 

Mushrooms, Soy and Carotenoids

 

In addition to vitamin and mineral supplements,

extracts taken from

foods--such as medicinal mushrooms and vegetables--may

also be

effective

 

in the fight to prevent cancer. Beta glucan, a

polysaccharide of the

Maitake mushroom, has been the topic of recent cancer

trials.

Researchers from New York Medical College in Valhalla

explored the

anti-carcinogenic potential of beta glucan using human

prostate cancer

cells in vitro. Researchers noted 95 percent cell

death within 24 hours

when treated with beta glucan (as Grifron-D®,

manufactured by Paramus,

N.J.-based Maitake Products).22

 

Aside from Maitake, Agaricus blazei (Himematsutake) is

another variety

of mushroom purported to have anti-carcinogenic

potential. Research

conducted with Agaricus blazei extract (provided by

Los Angeles-based

Atlas World USA) indicated that it can topically and

orally prevent

lesions associated with skin cancer, as well as

inhibit the growth of

various human tumor cell lines in vitro. Research out

of the

Universidade Estadual de Londrina in Brazil indicated

that in addition

to possessing anti-carcinogenic potential, an extract

of Agaricus

blazei

 

exhibited antimutagenic effects in vitro. Researchers

evaluated the

effects of the extract on Chinese hamster V79 cells

under three

temperatures and concluded that the mushroom was not

mutagenic itself,

and it was an efficient antimutagen in all

concentrations and

preparations tested.23

 

The active components of Agaricus blazei are believed

to be its

polysaccharides, beta 1,3-glucan and beta 1,6-glucan.

These beta

glucans

 

are thought to stimulate immune activity, specifically

the T-cell

subsets, thereby inhibiting tumor formation.24

 

Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum or Mannentake) is another

medicinal mushroom

believed to have application in the realm of cancer

prevention.

Researchers from Hiroshima University studied the

modifying effects of

a

 

water-soluble extract from Reishi on the development

of aberrations in

the colons of male rats. They found that Reishi both

inhibited cell

proliferation in vitro, as well as inhibited

anchorage-independent

growth of several colon carcinoma cell lines.

Scientists concluded that

Reishi could act as a preventive agent for colon

cancer.25

 

A derivation of medicinal mushrooms, AHCC (Active

Hexose Correlated

Compound), has also been studied in anti-carcinogenic

applications.

(Editor's note: Amino Up Chemical Co. in Sopporo,

Japan, owns the

trademark for AHCC and Purchase, N.Y.-based Maypro

Industries

distributes the raw material.) AHCC, a hybridization

of several species

of medicinal mushrooms, may have synergistic effects

with aglycone

isoflavones, or genistein combined polysaccharide

(GCP), against

prostate and other cancers, according to a poster

presentation given by

Amino Up Chemical researchers at the American

Association for Cancer

Research conference in New Orleans on March 26 and 27.

Researchers

conducted in vitro research on six human cancer cell

lines and two

mouse

 

cancer cell lines, with four derived from the

prostate, and one each

from the bladder, bone, lung and colon. Both GCP and

GCP plus AHCC

treatments inhibited the growth of all cell lines in a

dose-dependent

manner, while AHCC did not show obvious inhibiting

effects except on

the

 

colon cancer cell line.

 

To further study these compounds and their

anti-carcinogenic potential,

researchers induced cancer in control mice, as well as

those treated

with GCP, AHCC or a combination of the two. Tumor

growth was inhibited

by treatment with GCP and AHCC singly, although

combined treatment was

more effective at inhibiting tumor growth and inducing

apoptosis.26

 

While the soy isoflavone genistein was shown to have

anti-carcinogenic

potential in combination with AHCC, soy and its

components may also

have

 

protective effects against cancer individually. Soy

supplements are

popular with consumers who are treating cancer, as

well. NMI noted that

while 7.1 percent of the general population takes soy

supplements, 10.9

percent of cancer patients take them.

 

Researchers from the Northern California Cancer Center

in Union City

conducted a population-based, case-control study of

thyroid cancer in

the San Francisco Bay Area. They interviewed 608 cases

and 558 controls

and assessed phytoestrogen consumption via a

food-frequency

questionnaire. Consumption of traditional and

nontraditional soy-based

foods and alfalfa sprouts was associated with reduced

risk of thyroid

cancer. Researchers noted that of the seven

phytoestrogenic compounds

examined, daidzein and genistein, as well as the

lignan,

secoisolariciresinol, were most strongly associated

with risk

reduction.27

 

Researchers at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer

Institute in Detroit

determined that the mechanism of action behind the

anti-carcinogenic

effects of genistein and daidzein is the isoflavones'

ability to

prevent

 

oxidative damage. Researchers measured levels of

oxidative damage in

the

 

blood of six women taking 50 mg/d of isoflavones and

six men taking 50

mg of isoflavones twice daily. Supplementation with

soy (as Novasoy®,

manufactured by ADM Health in Decatur, Ill.) was found

to reduce the

levels of oxidative DNA damage in all subjects.28

 

Animal research conducted at the University of

California, Berkeley,

indicated soy may also protect against skin cancer.

Investigators

conducted a 19-week study on mice--those given the soy

protein,

lunasin,

 

showed significantly lower rates of skin cancer than

the control group.

Mice in the high-dose group (125 mcg twice a week) had

a 70-percent

reduction of malignant tumors.29

 

One negative aspect to soy supplementation is the

ongoing concern that

phytoestrogen intake may adversely affect breast

cancer patients. In

fact, recent NIH-funded animal research out of the

University of

Illinois at Urbana-Champaign indicated that genistein

may negate the

effect of tamoxifen, a commonly prescribed

pharmaceutical for women

with

 

estrogen-dependent breast cancer. In a pre-clinical

study, researchers

divided 66 mice (whose ovaries had been removed) into

six groups to

monitor the effects of estrogen and various amounts of

tamoxifen and

genistein. Before genistein was added to the diet,

tamoxifen had

stopped

 

tumor growth; however, the addition of genistein

resulted in enhanced

growth of estrogen-dependent tumors and increases in

estrogen-responsive

 

gene markers.30

 

On a more positive note, soy is currently being

studied by researchers

at Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

for its protective

effects against prostate cancer in combination with

the carotenoid

lycopene. Lycopene from tomato sauce may reduce the

risk of prostate

cancer, according to researchers in Chicago at the

University of

Illinois, who advised 32 prostate cancer patients to

consume one tomato

sauce-based pasta dish daily for three weeks before

prostatectomy.

Levels of oxidative DNA damage and PSA were

significantly reduced after

the dietary intervention--28 percent and 17.5 percent,

respectively.31

 

While its most popular application is in prostate

cancer, lycopene has

also been shown to reduce the risk of lung cancer.

 

Harvard researchers,

who evaluated more than 124,000 male and female cases

from the Health

Professionals Follow Up Study and the Nurses Health

Study, linked diets

rich in organic tomato-based products to a reduced

risk of lung cancer.

 

The researchers noted that those consuming the highest

dietary amounts

of lycopene, in addition to mixed carotenoids--

 

alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein and

beta-cryptoxanthin--had a 20

percent to 25 percent reduced risk of lung cancer.32

 

Carotenoid intake--beta-carotene, lutein,

alpha-carotene and

beta-cryptoxanthin--has been linked with a reduced

risk of breast

cancer, as well. Researchers from New York University

School of

Medicine

compared 270 cases and 270 controls for serum levels

of carotenoids.

 

The risk of breast cancer almost doubled among

subjects with blood

levels of beta-carotene, lutein and beta-cryptoxanthin

at the lowest

quartile, as compared with those at the highest

quartile.33

 

Of the carotenoids, lutein is especially popular among

cancer patients.

 

According to NMI, 14.7 percent of those taking

supplements for cancer

take a lutein supplement compared to 8.6 percent of

the general

population. Lutein is linked to a reduced risk of

colon cancer,

according to researchers at the University of Utah

Medical School.

 

They collected dietary data from 1,993 case subjects

with colon cancer

and 2,410 population-based control subjects. Lutein

intake from dietary

sources was inversely associated with colon cancer in

both men and

women.34

 

Astaxanthin, a carotenoid extract taken from algae,

has been studied in

conjunction with other carotenoids--beta-carotene and

canthaxanthin--for

 

its protective effects against breast cancer.

 

Researchers at Washington State University in Pullman

fed mice either a

control diet with no

carotenoids or one of six treatment diets containing

0.1 percent or 0.4

percent of beta-carotene, astaxanthin or

canthaxanthin. Researchers

induced cancer in the mice after three weeks.

 

Plasma concentrations of astaxanthin were greater than

beta-carotene or

canthaxanthin, and all

three carotenoids generally decreased mammary tumor

volume. However,

astaxanthin was found to dose-dependently reduce

mammary tumor growth

at

a higher rate than the others.35

 

Astaxanthin exerts anti-tumor activity through

" enhancing " immune

responses, according to researchers at the University

of Minnesota in

Minneapolis.

 

Investigators fed mice an astaxanthin diet starting at

 

zero, one and three weeks before inducing tumor

growth.

 

The astaxanthin-fed mice had significantly reduced

tumor size and

weight

 

than control mice when supplementation was started one

and three weeks

before tumor inducement.36

 

 

Botanicals

 

An extract derived from the aloe plant is also thought

to have

application in chemopreventive medicine.

 

Researchers from the National Institute of Health

Sciences in Tokyo

induced pancreatic cancer in

hamsters through four weekly subcutaneous injections,

and then the

animals were given zero, 1 percent or 5 percent

freeze-dried aloe (Aloe

arborescens) whole-leaf powder for five weeks.

 

At week 54, the

incidences of pancreatic cancers were significantly

decreased in both

the 1 percent and 5 percent aloe groups as compared to

the control

group.

 

In addition, total lesions were significantly lower in

the 5

percent aloe group than the control group. Researchers

concluded that

pretreatment with aloe prevented pancreatic cancer.37

 

Similar results were garnered by researchers at Fujita

Health

University

in Hisai, Japan. They examined the effect of

whole-leaf Aloe

arborescens

 

(Miller var. natalensis Berger) on induced colorectal

cancer in rats.

Rats who were fed 1 percent and 5 percent diets of

aloe for nine weeks

exhibited fewer colorectal aberrations compared to the

control animals.

 

 

Researchers concluded that aloe may be effective for

chemoprevention in

colon cancer, at least in the initiation stage.38

 

Another plant-based compound, the extract from French

maritime pine

bark, has shown anticarcinogenic potential in recent

research.

Investigators at Loma Linda University School of

Medicine in California

conducted in vitro research comparing the response of

human breast

cancer cells and normal human mammary cells to

apoptosis in the

presence

 

of French maritime pine bark extract (as Pycnogenol®,

distributed by

Hillside, N.J.-based Natural Health Sciences).

 

Researchers discovered that cell death was

significantly higher in the

cancer cells treated with the extract than the

untreated cells, and the

extract did not

increase the number of normal cell deaths. Researchers

concluded that

the extract selectively induced cell death in human

mammary cancer

cells

and not in healthy mammary cells.39

 

An extract from the berries of the saw palmetto plant

has been studied

for its potential role in cancer--specifically,

prostate cancer.

 

Saw palmetto, which is best known for its efficacy at

reducing the

symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), may

also be a potential

anti-carcinogen.

 

While research is conflicting, NMI data indicates that

 

9.4 percent of consumers who have cancer use saw

palmetto as compared

to

6.7 percent of the general population.

 

Researchers from Boston BioProducts Inc. in Ashland,

Mass., conducted

in

vitro research on prostatic cell lines, which were

treated with a saw

palmetto berry extract.

 

Proliferation of these prostatic cell lines was

inhibited to different

degrees when dosed for three days with saw

palmetto. Researchers found that the saw palmetto

treatment reduced

Cox-2 expression, which is associated with an

increased incidence of

prostate cancer.40

 

While in vitro research is promising, human research

has not thus far

indicated that saw palmetto would be helpful against

prostate cancer. A

clinical trial conducted at the University of

California, Los Angeles,

involving 44 men demonstrated that the supplement did

not affect PSA or

prostate volume, although it was seen to be a safe,

highly desirable

option for men with moderately symptomatic BPH.41

 

 

 

Grape seed extract, which contains antioxidant

compounds called

proanthocyanidins, may also inhibit cancer cell

growth.

 

Researchers from Creighton University School of

Pharmacy & Allied

Health

Professionals in Omaha, Neb., compared the antioxidant

capabilities of

a

novel IH636 grape seed proanthocyanidin extract both

in vitro and in

vivo to vitamins C, E and beta-carotene.

 

Researchers said the grape seed proanthocyanidin

extract was highly

bioavailable and provided superior free radical

protection.

 

In addition, the extract demonstrated

cytotoxicity toward human breast, lung and gastric

cancer cells while

enhancing the growth and viability of normal human

gastric mucosal

cells.42

 

Researchers from the University of Nebraska Medical

Center in Omaha

conducted in vitro research, comparing the destructive

effects of

chemotherapy on Chang liver cells treated with grape

seed

proanthocyanidins with untreated cells.

 

The extract decreased the number of cell deaths

induced by

chemotherapy, leading researchers to conclude

proanthocyanidin is a potential candidate for

lessening the toxic

effects associated with chemotherapeutic agents used

to treat cancer.43

 

Similar to proanthocyanidins from grape seeds, dietary

 

indoles--including indole-3-carbinol (I3C),

diindolylmethane,

ascorbigen

and gramine--can be extracted from cruciferous

vegetables and some

forms

of grain.

 

Of the dietary indoles present in nature, I3C and

diindolylmethane are purportedly useful in inhibiting

cancer growth,

according to David Parish, chief executive officer of

Orem, Utah-based

Designed Nutritional Products, who gave a VendorWorks

presentation on

this topic at SupplySide East 2002 in Secaucus, N.J.

 

I3C has been shown to inhibit uterine and breast

cancers, as well as

chemical carcinogens, according to Parish. I3C reduces

the damage of

many chemical carcinogens by inhibiting damage to DNA

and enhancing the

breakdown and excretion of the chemicals, as well as

slowing enzyme

activation. I3C has also been shown to inhibit tumor

formation in

animals, according to Parish, although it may promote

tumor growth if

the tumor is present at the onset of supplementation.

 

Additional animal research has shown that I3C may

improve the body's

response to chemotherapy.

 

Diindolylmethane is another dietary indole that is

thought to be

anti-carcinogenic.

 

Specifically, it has been shown to promote in vitro

apoptosis of breast cancer cells, according to Parish.

 

 

 

Essential fatty acids (EFAs), a group of naturally

occurring

unsaturated

fats, may also have application in cancer prevention.

Conjugated

linoleic acid (CLA) has potential for reducing the

risk of colorectal

and prostate cancer, according to researchers from

Harvard Medical

School. They conducted in vitro research to study the

antiproliferative

effects of CLA (as CLA One™, manufactured by

PharmaNutrients in Lake

Bluff, Ill.) against the growth of human colorectal

and prostate

carcinoma cells. Researchers concluded that novel CLA

may prove

effective as a chemopreventive supplement for

individuals at risk or

diagnosed with colorectal or prostate cancer.44

 

 

 

Research involving additional EFAs--docosahexaenoic

acid (DHA),

eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and arachidonic acid

(AA)--indicated that

DHA and EPA effectively reduced the risk of skin

cancer while AA may

not.

 

Researchers from the University of Minnesota in Austin

found that

ingesting omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) had a

protective effect,

while ingesting the omega-6 fatty acid (AA) did not

reduce risk of skin

cancer.

 

Authors concluded that the ratio of omega-3s to

omega-6s in the

diet is an important factor for health.45

 

A healthy intake is suggested at an approximate ratio

of 3-to-1

omega-3s

to omega-6s.

 

There are dozens of diet-derived compounds and

botanical options that

have been studied in regard to cancer prevention,

although many of them

await human clinical trials.

 

However, the in vitro and animal research

is promising. The future will tell if there are

diet-derived or

botanical ingredients that are indisputable cancer

prevention tools.

Until then, manufacturers and consumers alike will

continue to read the

latest research and buy supplements backed by sound

science.

 

A healthy diet accompanied by a consistent exercise

regimen is the

surest way to protect against cancer.

 

But because today's world is fast-paced, replete

with fast-food alternatives to healthy eating and rife

with

environmental toxins, supplements have become popular

for fortifying

the

 

immune system and fighting the free radical damage

that may cause

cancer.

 

" Reprinted with Permission from the Natural Products

Industry Insider.

For more information visit

www.naturalproductsinsider.com or call

480-990-1101 ex 1157. "

 

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" Reprinted with Permission from the Natural Products

Industry Insider.

For more information visit

www.naturalproductsinsider.com or call

480-990-1101 ex 1157. "

_________________

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mrsjo-

DietaryTi-

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AIM Barleygreen

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