Saturday 30 May 2015

Green Tea Catechins May Help Reduce Prostate Cancer and Lower PSA in Men at High Risk


Green Tea Catechins May Help Reduce Prostate Cancer and Lower PSA in Men at High Risk

Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer in men and is predicted to result in an estimated 220,00 cases in the United States in 2015. In recent years, an emphasis has been placed on chemoprevention – the use of agents to prevent the development or progression of prostate cancer. A team of researchers led by Nagi B. Kumar, Ph.D., R.D., F.A.D.A. at Moffitt Cancer Center recently published results of a randomized trial that assessed the safety and effectiveness of the active components in green tea to prevent prostate cancer development in men who have premalignant lesions. The results will be presented at the 2015 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.

Twenty percent of green tea is consumed in Asian countries where prostate cancer death rates are among the lowest in the world and the risk of prostate cancer appears to be increased among Asian men who abandon their original dietary habits upon migrating to the U.S.

Laboratory studies have shown that substances in green tea called, “catechins” inhibit cancer cell growth, motility and invasion, and stimulate cancer cell death.  Green tea catechins also prevent and reduce tumor growth in animal models. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) is the most abundant and potent catechin found in green tea responsible for these cancer prevention effects.

The goal of this trial was to evaluate if a one-year intervention with green tea catechins could suppress prostate cancer development in men who had high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) or atypical small acinar proliferation (ASAP).  The researchers used decaffeinated green tea capsules called Polyphenon E that contained a mixture of catechins that predominantly contained EGCG at a dose of 200 mgs twice a day.  

The researchers compared Polyphenon E in 49 men to placebo tablets in 48 men over a 1 year treatment period.  Overall, the difference in the number of prostate cancer cases at the end of 1 year between the two treatment groups was not statistically significant. However, in men who only had HGPIN at the beginning of the trial, they observed a lower combined rate of ASAP and prostate cancer development with Polyophenon E.  ASAP is an entity that reflects a broad group of lesions in the prostate with insufficient changes in the cells to be definitively diagnosed as prostate cancer.  Additionally, men on Polyphenon E had a significant decrease in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. PSA is a biomarker that in combination with other risk factors is used to screen patients for prostate cancer, and high levels signify a higher risk of prostate cancer.
The Moffitt researchers observed a significant increase in the levels of EGCG in the blood plasma of men on Polyphenon E, and the capsules at this dose were tolerated in this group of men.


The ASCO poster session will take place Monday, June 1, 1:15-4:45 p.m. in S Hall A. The study was published in the April 14 issue of the journal Cancer Prevention Research.  Funding support was received from the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute (R01 CA12060-01A1).

Thursday 28 May 2015

Green tea consumption found to reduce deaths in both men and women

Green tea consumption found to reduce deaths due to cardiovascular disease and other causes in both men and women

A prospective study initiated in 1994 in Japan involving 40,530 adults, aged 40-79 years. The subjects did not have stroke, coronary heart disease, or cancer at baseline. They were followed for 11 years for deaths due to all causes and for seven years for cause-specific mortality. Researchers observed an inverse relationship between green tea consumption and deaths due to cardiovascular disease and other causes in both men and women. However, no such association was found for decrease in the number of deaths due to cancer.

Although the sample size of the study is large, the number of cardiovascular disease and cancer cases was small therefore, the statistical power may not be sufficient. Other limitations of the study include patients lost to follow-up and obtaining data from self-administered questionnaires that may not be accurate. Therefore, well-designed clinical trials are needed to confirm the protective effects of green tea.


Kuriyama S, Shimazu T, Ohmori K, et al. Green tea consumption and mortality due to cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all causes in Japan: the Ohsaki study. JAMA. 2006;296(10):1255-65.

Saturday 23 May 2015

Drinking chamomile decreases risk of death in older Mexican American women

Drinking chamomile decreases risk of death in older Mexican American women
May 20, 2015
Researchers from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have found that drinking chamomile tea was associated with a decreased risk of death from all causes in Mexican-American American women over 65. The findings were recently published online in The Gerontologist.

Chamomile is one of the oldest, most-widely used and well-documented medicinal plants in the world and has been recommended for a variety of healing applications. It is currently widely used as an herbal remedy in Mexico and among Mexican-Americans.

The study examined a seven-year period during which researchers tracked the effects of chamomile and the cause of death in older Mexican- Americans. The researchers analyzed data from 1,677 women and men from the Hispanic Established Populations for Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly, a population-based study of Mexican-Americans aged 65 and older from five Southwestern states, including Texas. Fourteen percent of the people in the study drank chamomile tea.

The data showed that consuming chamomile was associated with a 29 percent decreased risk of death from all causes among women compared with nonusers, even after adjusting for demographics, health conditions and health behaviors. This effect was not present in men.

“The reason for a difference in our reported findings between Hispanic women and men is not clear, although women were shown to be more frequent users of chamomile than men,” said Bret Howrey, assistant professor in the UTMB department of family medicine. “This difference may be due to traditional gender roles whereby women manage the day-to-day activities of the household, including family health, and may also reflect greater reliance on folk remedies such as herbs.”

It is unclear how chamomile use is associated with decreased mortality. Recent studies of chamomile have shown potential benefits in treating hyperglycemia, upset stomach, diabetic complications and anxiety disorder. Chamomile has also been touted for its cholesterol-lowering, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anti-platelet effects. The exact pathway for the reduction in mortality represents an important area for future research.


The UTMB Newsroom

The University of Texas Medical Branch


Other authors include UTMB’s M. Kristen Peek, Juliet McKee, Mukaila Raji, Kenneth Ottenbacher and Kyriakos Markides.

Thursday 21 May 2015

Increased dietary and supplement magnesium intake is associated with improved diabetes-related health outcomes

Increased dietary and supplement magnesium intake is associated with improved diabetes-related health outcomes

Dietary magnesium may help to lower elevated glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), elevated systolic blood pressure, and elevated C-reactive protein

Magnesium is a mineral with a major role in the metabolism of glucose, the production of cellular energy, and the manufacture of protein.   A research team led by Yanni Papanikolaou (France), and colleagues assessed data collected on subjects, ages 20 years and older, enrolled in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2001-2010.  The team determined magnesium intake from foods alone, and from foods plus dietary supplements using the methods from the National Cancer Institute.

Adults with adequate intake of magnesium from food had significantly different HOMA-IR – a measure of insulin resistance, systolic blood pressure, and HDL-cholesterol, as compared to subjects with inadequate intake of magnesium from food. Adequate intake of magnesium from food plus dietary supplement had significant differences in waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, and HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol.  The team observed that a higher dietary intake of magnesium from all sources associated with “significantly reduced odds ratios for elevated glycohemoglobin, metabolic syndrome, obesity, overweight or obesity, elevated waist circumference, elevated systolic blood pressure, reduced HDL and elevated C-reactive protein. The study authors submit that: “there is a beneficial relationship between dietary magnesium intake and diabetes-related physiological outcomes.”


Papanikolaou Y, Brooks J, Reider C, Fulgoni VL (2014) Dietary Magnesium Usual Intake is Associated with Favorable Diabetes-Related Physiological Outcomes and Reduced Risk of Metabolic Syndrome: An NHANES 2001-2010 Analysis. J Hum Nutr Food Sci 2(4): 1044.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-03/pn-sid032715.php

Wednesday 6 May 2015

Vitamin C how much do we need?

Vitamin C, How much do we need?


Unlike our animal friends who can manufacture this vitamin in their bodies, we humans rely totally on our diet as the only source of this vitamin to give us what we need for good health. Good health of course is not just the absence of disease but a feeling of wellbeing and vitality.

Our bodies to help in the manufacture of collagen and the hormones cortisone and adrenalin use Vitamin C. It is also important for maintaining the integrity of our blood vessels and as an immune enhancer and antiviral agent to name but a few. Around 250 years ago it was found that by eating citrus fruit sailors could prevent scurvy, a disease caused by a deficiency of vitamin C. It was not until 1930 that vitamin C was isolated and from that date the attributes of this vitamin have been the subject of many trials and studies.

Many claims have been made over the years about vitamin C's ability to prevent colds and cure cancer. In the 1970's Professor Linus Pauling was one of the first researchers to bring this vitamin to world attention. Linus Pauling published many books and clinical papers about the attributes of this vitamin in clinical medicine.

He stated that by taking vitamin C one could live twenty five years longer, reduce the incidence and severity of the common cold and help prevent cancer. This of course is a claim that is difficult to prove, however, the author of this statement is now well into his 90's and must be taken as living proof of how this longevity can be achieved.
There is no doubt that we all need vitamin C as part of our daily diet, but the burning question is just how much of this important nutrient is needed for optimum health. To help us determine the amount required, we need to examine the vitamin C content of the primitive diet. Pauling estimated that modern man needs a diet with an average of 2,300mg of vitamin C daily to equal the amount of this vitamin found in the average diet of primitive man.
Double blind clinical trials on vitamin C have shown that supplementing the diet with 2,000mg of vitamin C daily can dramatically reduce the symptoms of the common cold. It is probable that vitamin C assists the immune system and acts against disease, especially bacteria and viruses, in an action that is not dependent on the T-cells.

Vitamin C is also a potent anti-cancer agent, for without adequate amounts of vitamin C in the diet, nitrosamines, a carcinogenic (cancer causing) agent would not be neutralised or destroyed.
Further evidence of vitamin C's action against cancer is that leucocyte blood levels are raised when 2,000mg or more of vitamin C or more is taken daily.

Leucocytes (white blood cells) are one of the body's vital components in the immune system and play an important role in the body's ability to fight disease. Particular leucocytes known as lymphocytes are important for immune response to cancer, but these important cancer-killing cells only function effectively if the levels of vitamin C in the body are high.
Studies have also shown that vitamin C can help detoxify the liver by reducing fat accumulation following alcohol consumption, it also helps clear alcohol from the system. This action could be beneficial in the prevention of liver damage in people who consume alcohol. The mechanism of this detoxification seems to rely on vitamin C's ability to promote oxidation of alcohol within the body.

Further benefits of vitamin C were noted following an epidemiological study of 11,348 adults conducted by the University of California which found that men who consumed the most vitamin C had a 42 percent lower death rate from all causes compared to men in the lower vitamin c intake group. This study also found that the more vitamin C taken the better those taking the higher amounts could expect to live 6-7 years longer.

Hardening of the arteries, a major cause of heart attacks and death from heart disease nearly stopped in those patients who supplemented with the antioxidants beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E. Dr. Ishwarlal Jialal, an associate professor at the University of Texas South-Western Medical Centre said, "The results might mean the more vitamins the better.


With all this positive information about vitamin C there is no doubt that we all need to include foods in our diet that are rich in this super nutrient. Eating fresh fruit and vegetables every day will help us maintain good health, however because of the poor nutrient quality of off the tree ripened fruit and the destruction of vitamin C by storing or cooking vegetables and by pollution and cigarette smoke, supplementing the diet with up to 2,000mg of vitamin C daily I feel makes good sense.