National Cancer Institute Funds Milk Thistle Study
Milk Thistle Extract Helps Fight Prostate Cancer
Jan. 14 — Could an herb known to help cleanse the liver, help fight prostate cancer?
Scientists at the Research Triangle Institute are on a mission to find out. The herb is milk thistle.
“”Milk thistle known in German medicine as a protective of the liver, used to protect against mushroom poising, alcohol poisoning, from October fest celebrations.”"
But Dr. David Kroll won’t be testing the weed we find in folk medicine, he’s isolated certain compound called silymarin in the herb that may pack a more powerful prostate cancer fighting punch.
“”So we were recently awarded a 5 year grant by the NCI to investigate these newly isolated compounds from milk thistle to determine whether we have on the herbal medicine shelf a new treatment for prostate cancer by taking the best of those compounds and improving upon them.”"
Dr. Kroll is testing the compounds against prostate cancer cells in the lab. If the milk thistle compounds show their strength in the lab, in animals and later in people, they could be developed into prescription drugs, or be used to boost the strength of current therapies.
The milk thistle compounds aren’t ready for human testing, but there are studies underway testing the supplements as a way to prevent prostate cancer in men.
Rana P. Singh, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center said, “”Along with prostate cancer, lab studies have also shown the herbal compounds can help stop the growth of skin cancer and breast cancer cells.”"
Prostate cancer is the second-most-common cancer killer among men, according to the American Cancer Society. Lung cancer is the no. 1 cause of men’s cancer deaths.
More than 200,000 men in the U.S. are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year; if caught early and removed with surgery and radiation, the disease is highly curable.
Spinach Extract May Prevent Obesity
Spinach Extract Suppresses Appetite, Opposes Obesity June 23, 2006 Swedish researchers have identified a compound found in green leaves that suppresses appetites and boosts weight loss in lab animals, and could one day be used as a functional ingredient to help tackle obesity.
The researchers from Lunds University have identified tylakoids, tiny membranes in the choloroplasts and are source of minerals, proteins and fats, which appear to inhibit the digestion of fat. This means the fat stays in the intestinal tract for longer and sets off satiety signals. The discovery could eventually lead to tylakoid-containing cookies or pies being classed as slimming products. The world market for such products was worth
Carvical Cancer Linked To Birth Control Pills
Cervical Cancer Linked To Birth Control Pills
Tue Apr 15, 2003
Women who use birth control pills for a long time are more likely to develop cervical cancer, according to a new study.
Researchers from the International Agency on Cancer Research in Lyon, France, found that the risk increased by more than 50% after five years of oral contraceptive use, and more than doubled after 10 years. The study was published in The Lancet (Vol. 361, No. 9364: 1159-1167).
Cervical cancer is a relatively uncommon cancer in the United States. It will be diagnosed in about 12,000 American women in 2003, according to American Cancer Society estimates, and it will kill about 4,000 women. Cervical cancer is not among the top 10 cancers in American women, mainly because of early detection through Pap tests.
However, it is the second most common cancer in women in less-developed countries and a major cause of death worldwide. A major risk factor is infection with the human papilloma virus (HPV). The HPV strains that cause cervical cancer are sexually transmitted and very common.
Many Studies Have Found Contraceptive Risk
Another risk factor that has been described by many researchers is the use of birth control pills. The World Health Organization commissioned scientists from the International Agency for Cancer Research and the United Kingdom to review the evidence that birth control pills increase the risk of cervical cancer.
The researchers, led by Jennifer Smith, PhD, re-analyzed 28 published studies of more than 12,000 women with cervical cancer. All these studies looked at the birth control pill use of the women with cervical cancer compared with that of women who didn’t have cervical cancer.
Women who used the pill for less than five years had no increase in their risk of cervical cancer. But women who reported using birth control pills from five to 10 years had a 60% increase in their rate of cancer; women using the pill more than 10 years had a rate over twice that of women who didn’t use the pill.
One key question that remained unanswered was how long a woman had to be off the pill before her risk of cervical cancer dropped. The researchers estimated that the risk fell after a woman was off birth control pills for more than eight years. But they confessed to being uncertain because there haven’t been enough studies.
Weigh Pros And Cons Of Pills
The study did not examine why oral contraceptives might be linked to an increased risk of cervical cancer. Some have suggested that women on birth control pills have a higher risk because they are more likely to be sexually active and more likely to be infected with HPV. But, when the researchers focused only on women who had HPV infection, the risk from birth control pills was still as high.
When they examined women who had other risk factors for cervical cancer, such as smoking, having a high number of sexual partners, or living in less-developed countries, the risk was always higher in women taking birth control pills for a long time.
But women should not be unduly alarmed by the findings, said Debbie Saslow, PhD, director of breast and gynecologic cancer for the American Cancer Society.
Oral contraceptives can also decrease the risk of some other cancers, such as ovarian cancer, she noted, and are considered to be very safe. “”Women should consider that there are lots of pros and cons to every birth control method and choose what they are most comfortable with,”" she said.
And all women, Saslow emphasized, should follow ACS screening recommendations for cervical cancer, regardless of whether they use oral contraceptives. The Society recommends women get a traditional Pap test every year (or a liquid-based Pap test every two years) until age 30. After that, women with three normal Pap tests in a row should get some type of Pap test every two to three years. Or, women over 30 can opt for a Pap test plus a test for HPV every three years.
“”Fortunately, we have excellent screening and can detect and remove or treat the vast majority of changes in the cervix before they become cancerous,”" Saslow said.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids SLow Cognitive Decline
Scientists Discover How Fish Oil Protects the Brain September 10, 2005 Fish and Fish Oils Have Been Called Brain Foods Since the beginning of civilization. Now Louisiana State University scientists say they have discovered how the fatty acids found in fish oil help protect the human brain from the type of cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease.
Their study shows that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid found in coldwater fish such as mackerel, sardines and salmon, reduces levels of a protein known to cause damaging plaques in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. What’s more, the researchers discovered that a derivative of DHA, which they dubbed “”neuroprotectin D1″” (NPD1), is made in the human brain. That natural substance plays a key role, too, in protecting the brain from cell death, the study showed. “”Now what does this tell us from the point of view of the disease? I believe that, obviously, diet is a major issue here,”" said Dr. Nicolas G. Bazan, director of the Neuroscience Center of Excellence at the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. “”DHA is an essential building block for the structure of brain cells,”" he noted. “”And now we are finding that this building block also makes a ‘golden brick’ (NPD1) that helps the life of the neurons to continue.”" Greg M. Cole, associate director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the University of California, Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, said the study “”provides strong evidence”" that NPD1 offers “”several important protective contributions.”" The study was released online Sept. 8, in advance of its Oct. 1 publication in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Bazan, who is currently staying in Philadelphia, had been in Poland to give the opening lecture at a meeting on neurodegenerative diseases when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. So far, he said, he has re-established contact with about half of the roughly 115 people who work at the LSU neuroscience center. Due to the state of emergency in New Orleans, the center won’t resume work until perhaps late November or early December, interrupting what Bazan calls the most exciting period in his scientific career. Indeed, while previous studies have suggested that DHA reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s-related cognitive deficits, scientists haven’t explored how the fatty acid may work its protective magic. Some 4.5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. If no cure is found, as many as 16 million could have the disease by 2050, as the population ages. Bazan and colleagues at LSU and Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston conducted a series of experiments. Some of the testing involved postmortem human brain samples harvested from six patients who had Alzheimer’s disease and an equal number of age-matched “”control”" samples from people who did not have the disease. The researchers also used technology called tandem mass spectrometry to analyze changes within brain cells. Studies show DHA is highly concentrated in the brain and retina of the eye. In earlier research, Bazan’s team discovered that NPD1 is produced in cells that are critical for vision. They wondered whether the brain might do the same. “”And the human brain, sure enough, makes neuroprotectin D1,”" Bazan found. Cole, the UCLA researcher, noted: “”This study also shows that both DHA and its NPD1 product are effective in treating human brain cells and reducing the inflammation and toxicity from a toxin called beta amyloid that is widely believed to cause Alzheimer’s.”" The researchers also examined specific areas of the brains of people with Alzheimer’s, including an area critical to memory formation and cognition. “”And that area shows huge — I mean 20-, 25-fold — decreases in neuroprotectin D1, as compared with other areas in the same human brain,”" Bazan said. Furthermore, in cell studies designed to mimic the effects of aging, the team found that adding DHA reduced the secretion of toxic beta amyloid proteins and, at the same time, spurred production of NPD1. “”We are concluding that neuroprotectin D1 induces a gene expression program that is neuroprotective, meaning that it promotes survival of brain cells,”" Bazan said. And that discovery, he added, could one day lead to the development of a new treatment to slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. For now, though, people should pursue a nutritional approach to warding off Alzheimer’s and diminishing the effects of the disease. Since DHA sources are safe, cheap, available and clinically proven to fight heart disease, the nation’s number one killer, Cole said he would advise families of Alzheimer’s patients to make sure their loved ones get the minimum recommended DHA from their diet or supplements. Experts recommend 200 to 300 milligrams per day, a far greater amount than the 60 to 80 milligrams daily that Americans typically get in their diet, he noted.
DHA Reduces Cholesterol Size In Children
DHA Reduces Cholesterol Particle Size In Children, Shows Study April 4, 2005 Taking DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) supplements could reduce risk of children with high cholesterol developing heart disease in later life, suggests a study carried out at the University of California, San Francisco and published in this month
Gingko Study Extremely Flawed
Question Everything You Read You’d think you could trust research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. I did
Stem Cell Research Update
Would you donate your cellulite to help cure a Parkinson’s patient? Would you give up your love handles if it would help an accident victim walk again? In one of the best examples of a win-win situation ever uncovered, researchers have found that a half pound of human fat can contain as many as 100 million stem cells. These endlessly adaptable cells can, when coaxed with the proper stimuli, turn themselves into a specialized cell. For example, a stem cell could be tweaked to become heart muscle and used to repair damage from a heart attack, or it could be made into a brain cell to provide dopamine for a Parkinson’s patient who is deprived of that chemical. Researchers have long been enthusiastic about the potential of stem cells to cure diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and a host of other conditions. The public’s enthusiasm, however, has been tempered by the fact that the best source of stem cells was tissue from aborted fetuses. This promising and plentiful new source of stem cells could end that controversy. The research breakthrough was published in the April 2001 issue of Tissue Engineering. Scientists from UCLA and the University of Pittsburg collaborated on the study. Dr. Marc Hedreck, a UCLA plastic surgeon involved in the study, said, “”Fat is perhaps the ideal source. There’s plenty of it. It’s easy and inexpensive to obtain. It even has cosmetic benefits.”" The researchers took fat obtained in liposuction procedures, washed and purified it, and treated it with an enzyme to break the cells apart from one another. In laboratory tests, the scientists were able to grow bone, cartilage and muscle tissue. University of Pittsburgh plastic surgeon and study participant Dr. Adam Katz said, “”We don’t yet know the limits for stem cells found in fat. This discovery could potentially obviate the need for using fetal tissue.”" Although fat donors would surely be plentiful, scientists believe it is more likely that stem-cell-yielding fat could be removed from the patient being treated, manipulated into the necessary cellular material, then used to treat that patient’s injury or disease. While it may take up to five years before the research is ready for human trails, the scientific community is thrilled with the timing of this discovery. The Bush administration has threatened to eliminate federal funding for research that uses stem cells obtained from human fetal tissue. If the stem cells available in human fat prove to be as flexible as those found in fetal tissue, scientists can free themselves of the ethical albatross and move forward with their research. Who knows? Yesterday’s chocolate binge may be tomorrow’s cure.
Vitamin D May Reduce Cancer Risk by 50%
Vitamin D Lowers Cancer Risk’ December 27, 2005 High doses of vitamin D can reduce the risk of developing some common cancers by as much as 50%, US scientists claim.
Researchers reviewed 63 old studies and found that the vitamin could reduce the chances of developing breast, ovarian and colon cancer, and others. Experts said more research was needed to draw firm conclusions. Charities cautiously welcomed the University of California study but warned too much vitamin D could harm the kidneys and liver. The “”natural”" form of the vitamin, called D3, is normally produced in the skin after exposure to sunlight, but is also obtained from certain foods such as oily fish, margarine and meat. The easiest and most reliable way of getting the appropriate amount [of Vitamin D] is from food and a daily supplement Professor Cedric Garland The research, done at the University of California in San Diego, looked at the relationship between blood levels of vitamin D and cancer risk. Survival rates for Afro-Caribbean people with breast, colon, prostate and ovarian cancers are worse than for white people, possibly because dark skins are not as good at making vitamin D, the researchers said. The papers reviewed, published worldwide between 1966 and 2004, included 30 investigations of colon cancer, 13 of breast cancer, 26 of prostate cancer and seven of ovarian cancer. Scientists said analysis showed that, for at least some cancers, the vitamin D factor could not be ignored. Taking 1,000 international units (IU) - or 25 micrograms - of the vitamin daily could lower an individual’s cancer risk by 50% in colon cancer, and by 30% in breast and ovarian cancer, they said.
They failed to provide any mechanism for how low levels of vitamin D are actually linked to high incidence of cancer
More than 2,000 IU - 50 micrograms - a day can lead to the body absorbing too much calcium, possibly damaging the liver and kidneys.
Professor Cedric Garland, who led the review study, said: “”A preponderance of evidence, from the best observational studies the medical world has to offer…has led to the conclusion that public health action is needed.”"
In the absence of sunshine, a beneficial level of vitamin D could be obtained from a combination of food sources and supplements, he said. Professor Garland warned that sun exposure had its own concerns. “”Dark-skinned people, however, may need more exposure to produce adequate amounts of vitamin D, and some fair-skinned people shouldn’t try to get any vitamin D from the sun. “”The easiest and most reliable way of getting the appropriate amount is from food and a daily supplement.”" Professor Colin Cooper, of the Institute of Cancer Research, said further research was needed to provide definitive proof of the benefits of vitamin D. But he said: “”If you look at any individual study the evidence is really suggestive, rather than providing absolute proof. “”Also, they failed to provide any mechanism for how low levels of vitamin D are actually linked to high incidence of cancer.”"
The findings have been published in the American Journal of Public Health.
Broccoli Extract Fights Diabetes
Broccoli can reverse diabetic heart damage, say researchers August 5, 2008
A UK study has found consuming broccoli can reverse damage caused to the heart blood vessels of diabetics due to the presence of a sulfur compound. Researchers from the University of Warwick concluded the compound could function as a “dietary activator”, and thereby “prevent biochemical dysfunction and related functional responses of endothelial cells induced by hyperglycemia”. Endothelial cells are those that form a thin layer on the interior of blood vessels. Their dysfunction is a major cause of morbidity and mortality among diabetics and has also been linked to problems such as kidney disease. Hyperglycemia is the condition of having elevated blood sugar levels. Findings Lead researcher Professor Paul Thornalley and his colleagues found the compound
Curcumin: A Cancer Healing Spice
A Cancer Healing Spice: Turmeric SupplementSpot Nutrients, June 2004 <h3Imagine an herb that is so smart it can tell the difference between a cancer cell and a normal cell - and attack the cancer cell, but not the normal cell. And, is also so protective, that it can neutralize common chemicals we are exposed to better than almost anything else.
The herb is curcumin (actually an extract from the herb turmeric) and it is getting close attention from scientists the world over. Dr. Ralph Moss, the well-known cancer expert, recently gave his opinion that the low cancer rate in Sri Lanka (27.5/100,000) compared to the U.S. (173/100,000) could be due in a significant part to their consumption of curry containing significant amounts of curcumin.
Turmeric is a plant (Curcuma longa), native to South India and Indonesia. Its tuberous rhizomes have been used from antiquity as a condiment, as a textile dye, and medically as an aromatic stimulant. Turmeric is a common ingredient in Indian food and yellow mustard.
Curcumin, the substance that gives the spice turmeric its yellow color may help fight cancer, preliminary evidence suggests. Researchers have found in the lab that the active ingredient in turmeric, called curcumin, can enhance the cancer-fighting power of treatment with TRAIL, a naturally occurring molecule that helps kill cancer cells. TRAIL stands for tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand. In an experiment with human prostate cancer cells in a laboratory dish, the combination treatment killed off two to three times more cells than either treatment alone. Curcumin may block the progression of multiple sclerosis.
Turmeric may also help suppress multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, early lab research shows–suggesting yet another health benefit from this long-heralded substance. Adding curcumin to human cells with the blood cancer multiple myeloma, Dr. Bharat B. Aggarwal of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and his colleagues found, stopped the cells from replicating. And the cells that were left died. Although the study did not test the benefits of curcumin in patients, previous research has shown the substance may fight other types of cancers. SupplementSpot has compiled many research papers that can be acessed through its library on the many ways curcumin can stop cancer in the early stages, literally in its tracks:
a. By blocking cancer causing chemicals, curcumin can stop 62% of cancers caused by such chemicals. In test animals, the number of total tumors caused by introduction of these chemicals was reduced by 81%.
b. Curcumin blocks the chemical which allows cancer cells to develop new blood supplies; in other words, it is anti-angiogenic!
c. Curcumin is a great COX-2 inhibitor, a natural enzyme that promotes cancer growth.
d. Curcumin stimulates the p53 gene, a defense mechanism of the body which causes tumor cell death.
e. Curcumin inhibits the epidermal growth factor receptor site which is necessary for cancer cell growth.
Based on these factors, coupled with its relative affordability; it makes very good sense for all cancer patients to consider using curcumin on a regular daily basis. Other Known Benefoits You Can Read About in The SupplementSpot Library Glutathione & Curcumin
Glutathione is an important component of many systems in the body. At our hospitals, it has proven invaluable in the treatment of Parkinson’s patients and others tout its benefits in multiple sclerosis. Glutathione is often reduced by destructive chemicals which enter the body; one of the most common being alcohol. Curcumin protects glutathione from destruction in the presence of destructive chemicals, including alcohol. Liver Protection Think of liver protection and you think of silymarin. Curcumin has proven to be equal to or even superior to silymarin in liver protection and detoxification. Anti-Inflammatory
Well-researched, and almost as well hidden, is the fact that curcumin as an anti-inflammatory is equal to cortisone - without any of the side effects! These anti-inflammatory actions are believed to be due to anti-histamine activity associated with inflammation. Curcumin and Cataracts
A little known, but extremely important, use of curcumin is for the prevention of cataracts or the prevention of the progression of cataracts once they are discovered. The benefits of curcumin in these cases were considered to be due to its sparing action on glutathione, another cataract inhibiting substance. As A Digestive Aid
As mentioned before, curcumin is a liver protector, but it also increases bile secretion which enhances the digestion of fats and helps prevent gall stones from forming. With the high amount of gall bladder surgeries in this country, protection of this kind could be important.
SupplementSpot produces potent, pharmaceutical grade curcumin in affordable amounts designed for long-term use. Given the meny benefits it should be added to the daily regimen of all SupplementSpot clients. Learn more by entering the links below.