Herbal Medicine
Natural Compounds From Spices May Protect Breast Health, According To New Study
Compounds found in spices may reduce the risk of breast cancer formation by stopping the growth of the stem cells that spawn the tumours, says a new study.
Researchers from the University of Michigan report that curcumin found in turmeric, and piperine found in black peppers, decreased the number of stem cells while having no effect on normal differentiated cells.
The researchers used doses equivalent to 20 times to potency of what could be consumed through the diet. These higher potencies are possible from dietary supplements, noted the researchers. "If we can limit the number of stem cells, we can limit the number of cells with potential to form tumors," they explained. The results of the study, said to be the first to suggest these dietary compounds could reduce the risk of cancer by targeting stem cells, are published in Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.
According to the American Cancer Society, almost 195,000 new cases of breast cancer will be diagnosed in the US this year, and over 40,000 will die from the disease.
Furthermore, the researchers found that normal, non-cancerous stem cells were unaffected by the compounds, which appeared to selectively target the cancer stem cells.
"This shows that these compounds are not toxic to normal breast tissue; Women at high risk of breast cancer can now choose to take the drugs tamoxifen or raloxifene for prevention, but most women don't take these drugs because there is too much toxicity. The concept that dietary compounds can help is attractive, and curcumin and piperine are known have very low toxicity."
Spice-Derived Natual Compounds
Curcumin is a natural pigment that gives the spice turmeric its yellow colour. Recent studies have investigated its potential to lower cholesterol levels, improve cardiovascular health, reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and diabetes as well as cancer-fighting properties.
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
Source: Breast Cancer Research and Treatment Published online "Targeting breast stem cells with the cancer preventive compounds curcumin and piperine"
Milk Thistle Herb Protects Cancer Patients From Liver Toxicity Associated With Chemotherapy
A new study finds that the herb milk thistle may help treat liver inflammation in cancer patients who receive chemotherapy. Published online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed Journal of The American Cancer Society, the study indicates that the herb could allow patients to take potent doses of chemotherapy without damaging their liver.
Chemotherapy drugs frequently cause inflammation in the liver, and when they do, doctors must often lower patients' doses or stop administering the therapies altogether. Clinical studies have investigated using milk thistle to treat liver damage from cirrhosis (from alcohol) or toxins (such as mushroom poisoning). Despite limited study data, the herb is often used for the treatment of chemotherapy associated liver problems.
To test whether milk thistle could help treat chemotherapy associated liver problems, doctors from the New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center's Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center in New York City conducted a randomized, controlled, double blind study in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), who commonly experience this side effect.
Fifty children with ALL were enrolled in the study and were randomized to receive milk thistle or placebo for 28 days. At the start of the study, all of the children had evidence of liver inflammation as measured by elevations in blood levels of the liver enzymes, aspartate amino transferase (AST) and amino alanine transferase (ALT). When the investigators performed liver function tests on the children at day 56 (28 days after receiving the herb or placebo), children receiving milk thistle had improvements in their liver enzymes compared with children receiving a placebo. Specifically, the group that took milk thistle had significantly lower levels of AST and a trend towards significantly lower levels of ALT. Taking milk thistle also seemed to help keep fewer patients from having to lower the dose of their medications: chemotherapy doses were reduced in 61 percent of the group receiving milk thistle, compared with 72 percent of the placebo group. In addition, milk thistle appeared to be safe for consumption.
The researchers also studied the effects of combining milk thistle with chemotherapy on leukemia cells grown in the laboratory. They found that milk thistle does not interfere with the cancer-fighting properties of chemotherapy.
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