Tea
Looks Promising As Cancer Fighter
Antioxidant
Found In Grapes Has Limited Effect
Green and black tea
can slow down the spread of prostate cancer, while a highly
touted antioxidant found in red wine, grapes, and peanuts does
not perform well as a cancer preventive, two new studies have
found.
In Dr. Henning's study
was presented at the Experimental Biology 2004
meeting in Washington, D.C.
For the tea study,
Dr. Susanne Henning, an associate researcher at the Center for
Human Nutrition at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, assigned
20 men, all scheduled for prostate removal due to cancer, to
drink either black tea, green tea, or soda - five cups
a day for five days before surgery.
Prostate
Cancer Growth Slowed By Tea
The aim was to see
if substances called polyphenols found in tea might slow prostate
cancer cell growth. Other researchers have found these polyphenols
induce death in cancer cells.
In Dr. Henning's study,
tissue from each man's prostate was removed during the
surgery and given to a pathologist, who then turned it over
to the researchers for evaluation.
When they looked at
the proliferation of prostate cancer cells in the sample of
tissue removed, there was a decrease in how fast new cancer
cells appeared for men who had consumed either black or green
tea. The same was not found in those who drank the soda.
"This is the first
human study to show that EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate, a polyphenol
in the tea) shows up in the prostate after drinking tea," says
Dr. Henning, "Black tea is a bit better. This strengthens the
idea that green tea and black tea help prevent prostate cancer."
For several years,
researchers have focused on tea and its potential to prevent
cancer, partly because in parts of the world where tea is consumed,
the incidence of some cancers is lower.
Grape
Substance Less Promising
The other study, presented
at the same meeting, looked at the cancer-fighting ability of
resveratrol, a dietary polyphenol, and did not produce the same
promising results.
For several years,
resveratrol has been discussed as a natural way to protect against
both cancer and heart disease. But it is not known if dietary
resveratrol will actually reach the proposed sites of action,
said study author Dr. Thomas Walle, a professor of pharmacology
at the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston.
Oral dietary supplements
of resveratrol are not likely to have any effect on breast and
prostate cancer, Dr. Walle concluded after his study. He gave
resveratrol both by mouth and intravenously to six healthy volunteers.
Then they looked for resveratrol in the blood samples drawn
later.
Only trace amounts
reached the bloodstream, Dr. Walle says. "We are not trying
to disclaim anything, but rather to answer a very basic question
that is being asked by the drug industry all the time," he says. "When
they introduce a new drug, they ask, 'Will it get into the circulation?'"
"It has been claimed
that resveratrol may prevent breast or prostate cancer, and
that may not be the case," Dr. Walle says.
Even though the bloodstream
had only trace amounts of resveratrol, Dr. Walle says he has
found in other studies that resveratrol does accumulate in ephithelial
cells along the digestive tract, "So it could prevent cancer
in those cells."
Dr. Henning says her
findings are too premature to recommend that men drink black
or green tea in hopes of preventing prostate cancer.
Dr. Herman Kattlove,
a spokesman for the American Cancer Society,
agrees. "It's a long distance from this data to any possible
clinical effect," he says.
Instead of focusing
on single supplements or substances, Dr. Kattlove suggests boosting
fruit and vegetable intake.
"Eating more fresh
fruits and vegetables is protective from cancer," he says, adding
it is highly unlikely a single substance in the foods provides
the effect.
Always consult your
physician for more information. |
June 2004
Tea
Looks Promising As Cancer Fighter
Prostate
Cancer Growth Slowed By Tea
Grape
Substance Less Promising
What
Is Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Online
Resources
What Is
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
The term complementary
and alternative medicine (CAM) encompasses nonconventional approaches
to healing, beyond traditional medicine.
Complementary medicine
is any form of therapy used in combination with other alternative
treatments or standard/conventional medicine.
Complementary therapy
usually serves to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.
Alternative medicine
is used alone, without recommended standard treatment.
Some people use complementary
treatments to relieve symptoms or side effects while undergoing
standard/conventional treatment (such as pain relief during
cancer treatment).
Standard/conventional
medicine refers to medical treatments that have been scientifically
tested and found to be safe and effective.
The standard or conventional
treatments have been approved by the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA).
Other people may decide
to pursue either complementary or alternative therapy.
It is highly recommended
that you consult your physician before beginning any treatment
regime, as these treatments are not scientifically tested or
proven.
Always consult your
physician for more information.
Online
Resources
(Our Organization
is not responsible for the content of Internet sites.)
American
Cancer Society
Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
National
Cancer Institute
National
Institutes of Health (NIH)
National
Library of Medicine
US
Department of Heath and Human Services
US
Food and Drug Administration |
