Ellagic Acid

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Berry Good Health

By Susan Thorpe-Vargas Ph.D.

 

Multiple studies have discovered that phytonutrients found in raspberries

can protect us from cancer and can even shrink some types of cancer tumors.

These substances can also act as an antibacterial and as an antiviral agent.

Does this sound too good to be true? One particular substance found in this

natural " medicine chest " , is a series of compounds called ellagitannins. The

highest levels are found in raspberries, but the ellagitannins are also in

certain types of grapes, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and some

nuts too. Recent work (2001), published by Dr. Gary Stoner at Ohio State

University, showed that components in the seeds and berry, but particularly

ellagitannins, inhibited the initiation and promotion/progression stages of

esophageal cancer. This is an extremely important finding, considering the

potential benefits.

 

We do not as yet know all of the functions of the ellagitannins in terms of

cancer. A study at Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South

Carolina has shown one of the ways they work is to " turn on " a normal

cellular process called apoptosis. Apoptosis is " science speak " for

something called programmed cell death. This natural cell death is just one

of several ways our body protects us from cancer. As we age, cellular

replication mistakes can occur. Cancer cells somehow become immune to the

signals that cause cells to self-destruct, so they become virtually immortal

and reproduce indefinitely.

 

The disease with a thousand faces

 

Cancer is not just one disease but is the general name for more than 200

different types of malignancies. Cancers are classified by the tissue type

from which they arise:

* osteosarcoma-bone cancer

* melanoma-skin cancer

* lymphoma-cancer of lymph nodes

* leukemia - blood cancer

 

Every cellular type has its own form of cancer. The one thing all cancers

share in common is uncontrolled growth. Cancer occurs when cells lose

control over critical checkpoints during the process of one cell splitting

and becoming two cells. This control over cellular replication is in the

hands of several specific types of genes.

 

Two classes of genes are suspected of being associated with the occurrence

of cancer. A mutation in a tumor suppressor gene is like having faulty

brakes in your car. Just as their name implies, tumor suppressor genes

function by making sure there are no mistakes in the genes that are

replicated prior to one cell becoming two. In this " quality control "

process, if errors are detected, the cell is instructed not to divide.

Thus, tumor suppressor genes put the brakes on cellular division. The other

class of genes thought to be involved with preventing cancer is called

proto-oncogenes. Researchers have found that these genes " code " for proteins

involved in mechanisms that regulate the social behavior of cells. Signals

from those cells in the immediate environment induce their neighbors to

divide, differentiate and even undergo apoptosis. So, this type of gene is

involved in promoting the normal growth and division of cells and could be

likened to your car's accelerator. A change in the genetic message - a

mutation, can turn the proto-oncogene into an oncogene and cause your

accelerator to become stuck, thus initiating " runaway " cellular replication.

Nevertheless, there seem to be no pattern to these mutations. What is so

frustrating for both researchers and clinicians alike is that different

combinations of mutations are found in different types of cancer and even in

cancers of supposedly the same type in different patients. What is most

important to remember is that cancer begins as a single abnormal cell that

begins to multiply out of control.

 

So, what causes most mutations?

 

We live in a polluted environment. For instance, the outgassing from asphalt

on a hot summer day produces the deadly carcinogen benzo{a}pyrene, the same

chemical found on meat that has been charcoal broiled. This is just but one

example. Exposure to such chemicals in the environment can cause the

mutations in our genetic material that lead to cancer. Even normal metabolic

processes like breathing and exercise produce free radicals that can wreak

havoc on our cellular DNA. We can protect ourselves from mutations caused

by environmental toxins and free radicals by taking antioxidants. Guess

what? Ellagitannins are also very good antioxidants and chemoprotective

agents. Researchers at Wayne State University have a theory about how

ellagitannins might work. The liver produces enzymes that rid the body of

toxins. These enzymes break down or chemically change toxic substances we

ingest or inhale so that they can be excreted. During this detox process,

the breakdown products, called metabolites, are frequently more damaging

then the original substance. It appears that ellagitannins are able to

safeguard the liver from damage caused by these breakdown products. Another

theory held by some investigators is that ellagitannins are able to protect

our genetic material from certain types of chemical reactions that lead to

misreading of damaged DNA.

 

Why does chemotherapy and radiation eventually stop working?

 

It is becoming clear that normal therapeutic cancer treatment works by

turning on apoptosis. We used to think that chemotherapy and radiation

killed rapidly dividing cells, which is why these procedures were able to

shrink tumors. However, at some point these treatments begin to lose their

effectiveness. Why is that? Scott Lowe, a research scientist at Cold Spring

Harbor Laboratory may have found the answer. Instead of killing these cells,

chemotherapy and radiation damage their cellular DNA. This alerts the cell

watchdogs that control the cell cycle that something is wrong and tells the

cell to stop dividing or to commit suicide. Therefore, chemotherapy and

radiation act somewhat like a " vaccination " that works by helping the body

help itself. The evidence for Dr. Lowe's theory is pretty convincing,

because when these treatments start to fail, researchers have found that the

genes that control apoptosis are no longer functioning.

 

Why don't ellagitannins induce normal cells to commit suicide?

 

As we know, cancer cells become immortal, this means that they are able to

replicate themselves after something called the Hayflick limit has been

reached. The Hayflick limit is the number of " allowed " cellular

replications. Each cell type has its own limit. Human cancer studies show

that mutations in the tumor suppressor gene called p53 account for many of

the tumors found. One of the functions of this gene is that it normally

prevents cells with damaged DNA from proceeding through the cell cycle. The

presence of the protein product encoded by p53 turns on the waf-1 gene. The

waf-1 gene produces a protein that normally inhibits the activity of several

similar cellular proteins called kinases. These proteins are involved in

stopping cell cycle progression. A mutation in either the p53 or waf-1 gene

can cause the loss of that " emergency brake " function and allow uncontrolled

growth. However, only " damaged " cells are induced to commit suicide and so

normal cells are not effected.

 

An Antibacterial and an Antiviral agent

 

Ellagitannins can act as antibacterial agents and as antiviral agents too,

and now we know how. Think of the genetic material of bacteria as a rubber

band that is all twisted up. In order to replicate, the DNA must untwist

itself through a process requiring the enzyme gyrase. Ellagitannins inhibits

gyrase activity so replication of the bacterial DNA is restricted.

Importantly, bacteria cannot easily become resistant to this type of

antibacterial action. Resistance to antibiotics has become a real concern

to the international medical community. A federal government task force

noted that antibiotic resistance was " a growing menace to all people " but

children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are especially

at risk.

Besides its antibacterial action, ellagitannins have antiviral activity

also. Viruses do not have the ability to replicate themselves. Instead they

must " hijack " the host cell and insert their own DNA into the host cell

genome. This requires an enzyme called integrase and the ellagitannins

inhibit this enzyme also.

 

Citizen: Heal Thyself. (With apologies to Mr. Hippocrates)

 

People are turning to alternative forms of medical treatment and prevention.

Not only is the medical delivery system failing but, our costs for health

services are rising at an astronomical rate. What this means for the medical

consumer is that we need to be more responsible for our own health. We need

to look at prevention instead of always looking to health care providers to

" fix " what exposure to a toxic environment and/or years of unhealthy

lifestyle practices have wrought. The quality of medical care is uneven at

best. Too often, our insurance providers do not cover necessary tests and

procedures, especially those of a preventative nature. However, we can

become involved in our own health care. A diet rich in fresh fruits and

vegetables is a good start towards preventing disease. Unfortunately,

current tests show that our soil is severely lacking in many minerals or

electrolytes and other components that are essential for proper nutrition.

It is necessary to sometimes take supplements as it may not be physically or

economically possible to eat enough food to get the proper nutrition. In

addition, the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables can be prohibitive. For

instance, unless you grow your own raspberries, the cost of the American

Cancer Institute's recommended daily bowl of the whole berries could run as

high as $300 a month. Not only that, but research has shown that the

ellagitannin content is much higher in the seeds then in the fruit. So

nutraceutical supplements may be the answer. Raspberry seeds contain many

more times the ellagic acid than the fruit at one-tenth the cost. It's your

choice, whatever form you may decide to use- the take home message is: " Eat

your ellagitannins. "

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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