Sweet Potato Greens and Prostate Cancer
December 11, 2011 by admin
Filed under Cancer, Cancer Prevention, Nutrition, Robert Wascher, Weekly Health Update, diet, health, lifestyle, polyphenols, prostate cancer
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New research suggests that sweet potato greens may have a role in prostate cancer prevention and treatment.
SWEET POTATO GREENS AND PROSTATE CANCER As I discuss in my bestselling evidence-based book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, even conservative clinical research assessments strongly suggest that at least 50 percent of all new cancer cases are linked to modifiable lifestyle and dietary habits. Polyphenols, a group of powerful dietary antioxidant compounds that I extensively discuss in A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, have been extensively studied in numerous laboratory and clinical research studies as potential cancer prevention nutrients. Now, a newly published study suggests that polyphenol-rich sweet potato greens may have significant anticancer activity against prostate cancer In this new study, which appears in the current issue of the journal Carcinogenesis, an extract of sweet potato greens was first tested in the laboratory with human prostate cancer cells growing in culture. Molecular studies were then performed, which revealed that sweet potato greens extract shut down important cell growth biochemical pathways in human prostate cancer cells, and accelerated cancer cell death through a mechanism known as apoptosis. (Interestingly, and importantly, however, sweet potato greens extract appeared to have no adverse effects on normal human prostate gland cells.) As it is well known that the results of laboratory-based studies often cannot be reproduced in animal or human studies, the authors of this study then implanted human prostate cancer cells into laboratory mice. These same mice were then fed sweet potato greens extract (400 milligrams per kilogram per day), while another group of mice (the “control group”) did not receive any sweet potato greens extract. At the end of the study, the scientists conducting this research discovered that the prostate cancer tumors growing in the mice who received the sweet potato greens extract were, on average, almost 70 percent smaller than the tumors growing in the control group mice! (Once again, there also appeared to be no adverse effects on normal tissues and organs in the mice that received the sweet potato greens extract.) This research study is the first study to identify significant anticancer effects against prostate cancer associated with sweet potato greens in both cancer cell cultures and in mammals. The potent anticancer effects of sweet potato greens extract, as demonstrated in this very elegant study, and combined with the apparent lack of toxicity, suggest that this polyphenol-rich vegetable may have a role in prostate cancer prevention and, perhaps, prostate cancer treatment; although it will be necessary to repeat this laboratory study in humans to determine if sweet potato greens have similar anticancer effects in people. For a groundbreaking overview of cancer risks, and evidence-based strategies to reduce your risk of developing cancer, order your copy of my new book, “A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race,” from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million,Vroman’s Bookstore, and other fine bookstores! On Thanksgiving Day, 2010, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race was ranked #6 among all cancer-related books on the Amazon.com “Top 100 Bestseller’s List” for Kindle e-books! On Christmas Day, 2010, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race was the #1 book on the Amazon.com “Top 100 New Book Releases in Cancer” list! Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physician before making any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, professor of surgery, cancer researcher, oncology consultant, and a widely published author For a different perspective on Dr. Wascher, please click on the following YouTube link: I and the staff of Weekly Health Update would again like to take this opportunity to thank the more than 100,000 health-conscious people, from around the world, who visit this premier global health information website every month. (More than 1.2 million health-conscious people visited Weekly Health Update in 2010!) As always, we enjoy receiving your stimulating feedback and questions, and I will continue to try and personally answer as many of your inquiries as I possibly can.
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Ginger May Prevent Prostate Cancer
September 18, 2011 by admin
Filed under Cancer, Cancer Prevention, Ginger, Nutrition, Weekly Health Update, diet, health, prostate cancer
Welcome to Weekly Health UpdateNew research suggests that ginger root extract may have potent activity against prostate cancer and other types of cancer.
GINGER MAY PREVENT PROSTATE CANCER As I discuss in my book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race, there is a growing body of research evidence demonstrating potent cancer properties associated with certain foods and nutrients. While much of the available research in support of specific dietary and other lifestyle-related approaches to cancer prevention is of low scientific quality, more recent cancer prevention research studies have provided higher levels of scientific and clinical evidence in support of an evidence-based approach to a cancer prevention lifestyle.
A newly published research study, which appears in the current issue of the British Journal of Nutrition, suggests that ginger root may possess clinically important cancer prevention activity. (Previous research studies have also shown that ginger extracts are capable of reducing cancer cell growth in laboratory settings, and are associated with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects as well.) In this particular research study, human prostate cancer cells were transplanted into laboratory mice. In the group of mice that received daily ginger extract dietary supplements (100 milligrams of ginger extract per kilogram of body weight), the growth of these transplanted prostate cancer tumors was reduced by a rather impressive 56 percent when compared to the mice that did not receive ginger extract. When the transplanted prostate cancer tumors were removed from the mice and further studied, the researchers found that the tumors in the mice that had received ginger extract displayed extensive cancer cell death (as compared to the tumors taken from the mice that did not receive ginger extract). Importantly, there was no evidence of side effects noted among the mice that received the ginger extract supplements in this study. The findings of this laboratory research study, when combined with the findings of previous research studies, suggest that ginger may have significant anti-cancer properties. These high-quality laboratory studies have identified multiple biochemical mechanisms whereby ginger appears to significantly impair cancer cell growth and reproduction, and increase cancer cell death through a biological process known as apoptosis. While the findings of this laboratory research study are highly intriguing, I must caution readers that what works in laboratory mice with a genetically engineered faulty immune system does not always turn out to work in humans. Therefore, a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical research trial will be necessary to determine whether or not ginger supplements can actually reduce prostate cancer risk (and the risk of other cancers) in humans, or slow down the progression of cancer in patients who have already been diagnosed with prostate cancer or other cancers. At the same time, ginger has been used for thousands of years, and most research studies indicate no apparent toxicity in humans after consuming doses of ginger far greater than the dose that was utilized in this particular laboratory study. (As always, however, I strongly recommend that readers first check with their personal physician before adding any new supplements to their diet.)
For a comprehensive guide to living an evidence-based cancer prevention lifestyle, order your copy of my new book, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race. For the price of a cheeseburger, fries, and a shake, you can purchase this landmark new book, in both paperback and e-book formats, and begin living an evidence-based cancer prevention lifestyle today! For a groundbreaking overview of cancer risks, and evidence-based strategies to reduce your risk of developing cancer, order your copy of my new book, “A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race,” from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million,Vroman’s Bookstore, and other fine bookstores! On Thanksgiving Day, 2010, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race was ranked #6 among all cancer-related books on the Amazon.com “Top 100 Bestseller’s List” for Kindle e-books! On Christmas Day, 2010, A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race was the #1 book on the Amazon.com “Top 100 New Book Releases in Cancer” list! Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physician before making any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, professor of surgery, cancer researcher, oncology consultant, and a widely published author For a different perspective on Dr. Wascher, please click on the following YouTube link: I and the staff of Weekly Health Update would again like to take this opportunity to thank the more than 100,000 health-conscious people, from around the world, who visit this premier global health information website every month. (More than 1.2 million health-conscious people visited Weekly Health Update in 2010!) As always, we enjoy receiving your stimulating feedback and questions, and I will continue to try and personally answer as many of your inquiries as I possibly can. |
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Acetaminophen (Tylenol) May Prevent Prostate Cancer
July 17, 2011 by admin
Filed under Acetaminophen, Cancer, Cancer Prevention, Tylenol, Weekly Health Update, aspirin, cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease, health, heart disease, prostate cancer
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Statin Drugs Decrease Prostate Cancer Risk
June 21, 2011 by admin
Filed under Cancer, Cancer Prevention, Statin Drugs, Statins, Weekly Health Update, health, prostate cancer
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Prostate Cancer: Watchful Waiting Versus Surgery (Prostatectomy)
May 7, 2011 by admin
Filed under Cancer, Cancer Prevention, Prostatectomy, Watchful Waiting, Weekly Health Update, death, health, prostate cancer
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Cruciferous Vegetables and Prostate Cancer Risk
April 20, 2011 by admin
Filed under Cancer, Cancer Prevention, Nutrition, Weekly Health Update, broccoli, cruciferous vegetables, diet, health, isothiocyanates, prostate cancer, sulforaphane
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Prostate Cancer and High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU)
March 30, 2011 by admin
Filed under Cancer Prevention, Erection, HIFU, High Intensity Focused Ultrasound, Impotence, Incontinence, Weekly Health Update, health, prostate cancer, surgery
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Soy, Curcumin & Prostate Cancer Risk
June 27, 2010 by admin
Filed under Isoflavones, Soy, Weekly Health Update, curcumin, prostate cancer
Welcome to Weekly Health Update“A critical weekly review of important new research findings for health-conscious readers” SOY, CURCUMIN & PROSTATE CANCER RISK Because chronic inflammation within the prostate gland is through to be an important risk factor for prostate cancer, anti-inflammatory dietary supplements and medications may be able to reduce the risk of prostate cancer by reducing inflammation. Isoflavones from soy-based foods are known to act as a weak form of estrogen (the dominant female sex hormone). Based upon this estrogen-like behavior, as well as potential anti-inflammatory properties, soy isoflavones are being studied as possible prevention and treatment agents for prostate cancer, and other types of cancer. Curcumin, which is present in the Indian curry spice turmeric, is also known to have potent anti-inflammatory properties, and has also been the subject of considerable cancer prevention and cancer treatment research. A newly published prospective, randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled research study, published in the current issue of the journal Prostate, suggests that the combination of soy isoflavones and curcumin may have important potential prostate cancer prevention properties. In the first part of this study, human prostate cancer cells were treated with a combination of soy isoflavones and curcumin. Treatment of these human cancer cells with soy isoflavones and curcumin resulted in a significant reduction of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) production by these malignant cells (PSA is a marker of both prostate gland inflammation and prostate gland cancer). As regular readers of this column are already aware, treatments performed in the laboratory that have beneficial effects on cancer cells, or on mice or rats, do not always have the same positive effects on living, breathing human beings. Therefore, the findings of the second part of this study are of particular interest. A total of 85 men with elevated PSA levels, but without prostate cancer (as confirmed by prostate biopsy), were enrolled in the second phase of this intriguing small study. These 85 men were divided into two groups, and one group received daily supplements containing both soy isoflavones and curcumin, while the second (control) group of men received placebo (sugar) pills that were identical in appearance to the supplement pills (neither the 85 men, nor the nurses who dispensed the supplement pills and placebo pills, were aware of which pills each study volunteer was receiving until after the research study had been completed). PSA blood levels were tested at the beginning of the clinical portion of this study, and once again 6 months later. As was observed in the prostate cancer cells during the first part of this study, men with a PSA level of 10, or higher, experienced a significant reduction in their blood PSA levels 6 months after starting daily supplementation with soy isoflavones and curcumin. Although this brief study cannot definitively confirm that soy isoflavone and curcumin supplements reduce the risk of prostate cancer, their ability to reduce elevated PSA levels in men with chronic prostate inflammation, but without evidence of prostate cancer, at least suggests a potential role in the prevention of prostate cancer (presumably through a reduction in prostate gland inflammation). While there are multiple human research studies underway that are evaluating the effectiveness of soy isoflavones as cancer prevention agents, currently, there are no major human studies looking at the effects of curcumin on prostate cancer risk. Based upon the findings of this small, interesting study of soy isoflavones and curcumin, which suggest a potential additive effect on PSA reduction when both of these dietary supplements are taken together, human research trials should be developed to look at the long-term impact, if any, of combined soy isoflavone and curcumin supplementation on prostate cancer risk.
For additional research information on soy isoflavones and curcumin in cancer prevention and cancer treatment, please review the following previous columns: Soy Foods & Stomach Cancer Risk Cruciferous Vegetables, Soy & Breast Cancer Risk Soy Isoflavones & Recurrent Prostate Cancer Soy Isoflavones Decrease Breast Cancer Recurrence Risk Genistein (Soy Isoflavone) & Prostate Cancer Diet, Soy & Breast Cancer Risk To learn more about the role of soy isoflavones and curcumin in the prevention of cancer, look for the publication of my new landmark book, “A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race,” in the summer of this year.
Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physician before making any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, a professor of surgery, a cancer researcher, an oncology consultant, and a widely published author For a different perspective on Dr. Wascher, please click on the following YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-Tdv7XW0qg I and the staff of Weekly Health Update would like to take this opportunity to thank the more than 100,000 new and returning readers who visit our premier global health information website every month. As always, we enjoy receiving your stimulating feedback and questions, and I will continue to try and personally answer as many of your inquiries as I possibly can. |
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Soy & Curcumin Reduce Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA)
May 23, 2010 by admin
Filed under Weekly Health Update
Welcome to Weekly Health Update“A critical weekly review of important new research findings for health-conscious readers”
SOY & CURCUMIN REDUCE PROSTATE-SPECIFIC ANTIGEN (PSA) Regular readers of this column are already aware that the regular consumption of foods containing soy isoflavones may be associated with a reduced risk of developing prostate cancer, and other types of cancer as well. Curcumin, as curry lovers know, is contained within the spice known as turmeric. Curcumin has been extensively studied, and it too may possess anti-cancer properties as well. Both of these dietary compounds are thought to have potent anti-inflammatory effects on the prostate gland, and on other organs of the body. Additionally, soy isoflavones also act weak estrogens (“phytoestrogens”), and may suppress prostate gland activity on this basis too. Prostate cancers, as well as the normal prostate gland cells that give rise to prostate cancer, produce PSA (prostate-specific antigen), which allows doctors to detect new or recurrent prostate cancers by measuring the level of PSA in the blood. A newly published research study, which appears in the current issue of the journal The Prostate, adds further evidence that soy isoflavones and curcumin may have an important role to play in prostate cancer prevention and, possibly, prostate cancer treatment. This study consisted of both a laboratory experiment and a small clinical research trial with human volunteers. In the laboratory portion of this study, human prostate cancer cells were treated with soy isoflavones and curcumin. When these prostate cancer cells were treated with soy isoflavones and curcumin, the production of PSA by these cells was dramatically decreased. Moreover, a receptor for male sex hormones, which prostate cancers use to fuel their growth, was significantly suppressed following treatment of these cells with soy isoflavones and curcumin. In the clinical portion of this research study, men who had undergone prostate gland biopsies due to an elevated PSA blood level, but who were subsequently found not to have prostate cancer, were also evaluated. In this prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 85 men without prostate cancer, but with elevated blood PSA levels, were divided into two groups. The “experimental group” of men received curcumin and soy isoflavones once per day. The “control group” of men received a placebo (“sugar pill”) once per day. Neither group of male volunteers, nor the research assistants who dispensed these pills, knew which men received the placebo pills and which received the soy isoflavone and curcumin pills. PSA levels were tested in all of these male volunteers at the beginning of the study, and 6 months later. Among the men randomized to receive daily supplements of soy isoflavones and curcumin, the level of PSA in their blood dramatically declined following 6 months of supplementation with soy isoflavones and curcumin. While the results of this small and elegant research study do not prove that soy isoflavones and curcumin can actually prevent prostate cancer in humans, these results do suggest, at least, a biological mechanism whereby these dietary compounds might reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer, and might also have anti-cancer effects in patients with prostate cancer. However, only large-sale prospective, randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled human clinical trials will be able to prove that these dietary compounds can actually prevent or effectively treat prostate cancer. At this time, there are multiple ongoing and recently completed prostate cancer prevention and treatment clinical research trials using soy isoflavone supplements. The results of several of these studies will, hopefully, become available within the next 3 to 5 years. While there are multiple cancer prevention and cancer treatment research trials underway that are evaluating curcumin, none of these ongoing curcumin clinical trials are focused on prostate cancer, unfortunately. Based upon the findings of this small and innovative research study of soy isoflavones and curcumin, the next logical step would be a large prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, blinded study that randomizes patient volunteers to placebo, versus soy isoflavones only, versus curcumin only, versus a combination of soy isoflavones and curcumin. A cancer prevention study could look at prostate cancer incidence in men who are already at high risk of developing this common form of cancer. A prostate cancer treatment study, using the same methods, could assess the clinical impact of soy isoflavones and curcumin on the progression or recurrence of prostate cancer in men who have already been diagnosed with this form of cancer.
To learn more about the role of soy isoflavones and curcumin as potential cancer prevention nutrients, look for the publication of my new landmark evidence-based book, “A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race,” in the summer of this year. Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physician before making any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, a professor of surgery, a cancer researcher, an oncology consultant, and a widely published author For a different perspective on Dr. Wascher, please click on the following YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-Tdv7XW0qg I and the staff of Weekly Health Update would like to take this opportunity to thank the nearly 120,000 new and returning readers who visited our premier global health information website last month. As always, we enjoy receiving your stimulating feedback and questions, and I will continue to try and personally answer as many of your inquiries as I possibly can. |
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Avodart (Dutasteride) & Prostate Cancer Prevention
April 4, 2010 by admin
Filed under Weekly Health Update
Welcome to Weekly Health Update“A critical weekly review of important new research findings for health-conscious readers”
AVODART (DUTASTERIDE) & PROSTATE CANCER PREVENTION
Because most prostate cancers, like breast cancer, are fueled by sex hormones, the prevention of prostate cancer through the use of hormone-blocking medications is an attractive potential strategy. Two medications, finasteride (Proscar) and dutasteride (Avodart), are FDA-approved to treat the benign enlargement of the prostate that commonly occurs with increasing age (also known as benign prostatic hypertrophy, or BPH). Both of these medications have recently been evaluated in prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical research trials as potential prostate cancer prevention agents. Finasteride and dutasteride are 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, and function by blocking the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone by this enzyme (dihydrotestosterone is the biologically active male sex hormone within the prostate gland). Finasteride inhibits one of the two known forms of 5-alpha-reductase, while dutasteride (Avodart) inhibits both forms. Finasteride (Proscar) has previously been evaluated in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial, which enrolled nearly 19,000 men (55 years of age and older) who were without any clinical evidence of prostate cancer at the time they entered the study. These men were randomly assigned to receive either finasteride or an identical placebo pill, and the entire cohort of men was then followed for a period of 7 years. After 7 years of follow-up, 18 percent of the men who had been secretly randomized to receive finasteride were diagnosed with prostate cancer, while 24 percent of the men who had received the placebo pill (unknown to them at the time) developed prostate cancer. Thus, taking finasteride for 7 years was associated with a 25 percent reduction in the relative risk of prostate cancer during the relatively brief course of this clinical study. However, a potentially significant downside was also observed in this study, as the men who received finasteride, and who still went on to develop prostate cancer, tended to have more aggressive tumors when compared to the men in the placebo group (37 percent versus 22 percent, respectively). Moreover, and not surprisingly, since finasteride blocks the active metabolite of testosterone, sexual dysfunction and breast enlargement were more common among the men taking finasteride when compared to the men in the placebo group. Following the intriguing results with finasteride (Proscar) in the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial, there has been a great deal of anticipation building for results of the recently completed dutasteride (Avodart) prostate cancer prevention trial. Now, the results of this important cancer prevention study have just been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. This prospective, randomized, blinded, placebo-controlled study lasted for 4 years, and included 6,729 men at high risk of developing prostate cancer. These men, all of whom were between 50 and 75 years of age, were secretly randomized to receive either 0.5 mg of dutasteride (Avodart) per day or an identical placebo pill. As part of this research study’s protocol, all of these men underwent needle biopsies of the prostate gland at 2 years and 4 years after entering the study. By the end of the study, 20 percent of the men who had received dutasteride (Avodart) had developed prostate cancer, while 25 percent of the men in the placebo (control) group were diagnosed with prostate cancer. Thus, there was an observed 25 percent decrease in the relative risk of prostate cancer among the group of men that was randomized to receive dutasteride (Avodart) for 4 years (and a 5 percent absolute reduction in prostate cancer risk with Avodart). As was observed in the finasteride (Proscar) study, however, there was also a higher incidence of more aggressive (i.e., higher grade) tumors observed among the men who took dutasteride (Avodart) when compared to the men in the placebo group, although only a very small number of these high grade tumors were identified in either group of men. Finally, and not surprisingly, the symptoms of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), including difficulties in passing urine, were much improved among the men randomized to take dutasteride (Avodart). Because it is still too soon to determine whether or not finasteride or dutasteride are able to significantly reduce the risk of death due to prostate cancer, there is no consensus at this time, among most prostate cancer experts, regarding the use of these hormone-blocking agents as prostate cancer prevention agents. However, for men with significant prostate cancer risk factors, it may be prudent to consider the use of Proscar or Avodart.
To learn more about the potential role of 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors in cancer risk reduction, look for the publication of my new landmark book, “A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race,” in the spring/summer of this year. Disclaimer: As always, my advice to readers is to seek the advice of your physician before making any significant changes in medications, diet, or level of physical activity Dr. Wascher is an oncologic surgeon, a professor of surgery, a cancer researcher, an oncology consultant, and a widely published author For a different perspective on Dr. Wascher, please click on the following YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-Tdv7XW0qg I and the staff of Weekly Health Update would like to take this opportunity to thank the nearly 120,000 new and returning readers who visited our premier global health information website last month. As always, we enjoy receiving your stimulating feedback and questions, and I will continue to try and personally answer as many of your inquiries as I possibly can. In view of the extreme devastation and human misery brought about in Haiti and Chile by the recent earthquakes, Weekly Health Update asks our tens of thousands of caring readers to give generously to established charities that are currently working in those countries to assist the injured, the ill, and the homeless. There are many such legitimate charities, including the following two: http://www.imcworldwide.org/haiti
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