Green tea components may help prevent prostate cancer development in at-risk men

In continuation from my update on epigallocatechin

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.

Green tea components may help prevent prostate cancer development in at-risk men

New herbal tea to treat malaria in Africa

Malaria is a critical health problem in West Africa, where traditional medicine is commonly used alongside modern healthcare practices. An herbal remedy derived from the roots of a weed, which was traditionally used to alleviate malarial symptoms, was combined with leaves and aerial portions from two other plants with antimalarial activity, formulated as a tea, and eventually licensed and sold as an antimalarial phytomedicine. The fascinating story and challenges behind the development of this plant-based treatment are presented in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicinewebsite until May 14, 2015.

Dr. Merlin Willcox (University of Oxford, U.K.), Dr. Zéphirin Dakuyo (Phytofla, Banfora, Burkina Faso), and coauthors discuss the antimalarial and pharmacological properties of the herbal medication derived from Cochlospermum planchonii 

(a shrubby weed known as N'Dribala), Phyllanthus amarus,  

and Cassia alata. 

The authors provide a unique historical perspective in describing the early evaluation, development, and production of this phytomedicine. They present the ongoing research and challenges in scaling up cultivation and harvesting of the plants and in production of the final product. The article also describes other traditional uses of the medication, such as to treat hepatitis.

Ref : http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/acm.2014.0147

New herbal tea to treat malaria in Africa

Green tea could reduce pancreatic cancer risk: Study explains how

A study recently published online by the journal, Metabolomics, offers an explanation that researchers say could open a new area of cancer-fighting research. The study reports that EGCG, the active biologic constituent in green tea, changed the metabolism of pancreatic cancer cells by suppressing the expression of an enzyme associated with cancer, LDHA.

The researchers also found an enzyme inhibitor, oxamate, which is known to reduce LDHA activity, operated in the same manner: It also disrupted the pancreatic cancer cells metabolic system.

"Scientists had believed they needed a molecular mechanism to treat cancer, but this study shows that they can change the metabolic system and have an impact on cancer," said Wai-Nang Lee, MD, corresponding author of the study and a Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed) lead researcher. "By explaining how green tea's active component could prevent cancer, this study will open the door to a whole new area of cancer research and help us understand how other foods can prevent cancer or slow the growth of cancerous
cells."

Using sophisticated metabolic profiling methods, the researchers found EGCG disrupted the balance of "flux" throughout the cellular metabolic network. Flux is the rate of turnover of molecules through a metabolic pathway. The researchers found the EGCG disrupted this balance in the same manner that oxamate, a known LDHA inhibitor, did.

Based on this finding, they concluded that both EGCG and oxamate reduced the risk of cancer by suppressing the activity of LDHA, a critical enzyme in cancer metabolism, thereby disrupting the balance in the cancer cells metabolic functions.

Green teacould reduce pancreatic cancer risk: Study explains how  

New role for milk: Delivering polyphenols with anti-cancer activity

Polyphenols found in tea manifest anti-cancer effects but their use is limited by poor bioavailability and disagreeable taste. A new study in the Journal of Dairy Science^® finds that when epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the major extractable polyphenol in green tea and the most biologically active, when diluted in skim milk or other milk complexes remains bioactive and continues to reduce colon cancer cell proliferation in culture at concentrations higher than 0.03 mg of EGCG/mL.

Ref : http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002203021300859X

New role for milk: Delivering polyphenols with anti-cancer activity

Scientists ID compounds that target amyloid fibrils in Alzheimer's, other brain diseases

The UCLA researchers, led by David Eisenberg, director of the UCLA-Department of Energy Institute of Genomics and Proteomics and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, report the first application of this technique in the search for molecular compounds that bind to and inhibit the activity of the amyloid-beta protein responsible for forming dangerous plaques in the brain of patients with Alzheimer's and other degenerative diseases.

o identify natural and synthetic compounds that might prevent the aggregation and toxicity of amyloid fibrils. Such studies have revealed that polyphenols, naturally occurring compounds found in green tea and in the spice turmeric, can inhibit the formation of amyloid fibrils. In addition, several dyes have been found to reduce amyloid's toxic effects, although significant side effects prevent them from being used as drugs. 

Armed with a precise knowledge of the atomic structure of the amyloid-beta protein, Jiang, Eisenberg and colleagues conducted a computational screening of 18,000 compounds in search of those most likely to bind tightly and effectively to the protein.

Those compounds that showed the strongest potential for binding were then tested for their efficacy in blocking the aggregation of amyloid-beta and for their ability to protect mammalian cells grown in culture from the protein's toxic effects, which in the past has proved very difficult. Ultimately, the researchers identified eight compounds and three compound derivatives that had a significant effect.

While these compounds did not reduce the amount of protein aggregates, they were found to reduce the protein's toxicity and to increase the stability of amyloid fibrils  a finding that lends further evidence to the theory that smaller assemblies of amyloid-beta known as oligomers, and not the fibrils themselves, are the toxic agents responsible for Alzheimer's symptoms.

The researchers hypothesize that by binding snugly to the protein, the compounds they identified may be preventing these smaller oligomers from breaking free of the amyloid-beta fibrils, thus keeping toxicity in check...

Ref : http://elife.elifesciences.org/content/2/e00857

Scientists ID compounds that target amyloid fibrils in Alzheimer's, other brain diseases

Can Green Tea, Coffee Reduce Stroke Risk? - Drugs.com MedNews

In continuation of my update on green tea...

This study of about 83,000 people suggests that drinking green tea or coffee daily might lower stroke risk by about 20 percent, with even more protection against a specific type of stroke.

"The regular action of daily drinking [of] green tea and coffee is a benefit in preventing stroke," said lead researcher Dr. Yoshihiro Kokubo, chief doctor in the department of preventive cardiology at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, in Osaka.

"If you cannot readily improve your lifestyle, try to prevent stroke by drinking green tea every day," he said.

Although it isn't certain why coffee and tea may have this effect, Kokubo thinks it might be due to certain properties in these drinks that keep blood from clotting.

In addition, green tea contains catechins, which have an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory effect. Some chemicals in coffee, such as chlorogenic acid, may cut the risk of stroke by lowering the chances of developing type 2 diabetes, he explained.

Coffee also contains caffeine, which may have an impact on cholesterol levels and blood pressure, and may cause changes in insulin sensitivity, which affects blood sugar, he added.

One expert, Dr. Ralph Sacco, past president of the American Heart Association, cautioned that this type of study cannot say for sure that the lower risk of stroke is really the result of drinking coffee or tea.

"Such association studies are still limited in [the] ability to tell whether it is some ingredients in the coffee or tea or some other behavior common to coffee and tea drinkers that is driving the protective effects," said Sacco, chairman of neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Can Green Tea, Coffee Reduce Stroke Risk? - Drugs.com MedNews

Potential role of green tea catechins in various disease therapies: Progress and promise Mak 2012 Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology Wiley Online Library

Potential role of green tea catechins in various disease therapies: Progress and promise Mak 2012 Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology Wiley Online Library

Drinking green tea with starchy food may help lower blood sugar spikes

In continuation on my update on green tea

Mice fed an antioxidant found in green tea  epigallocatechin-3-gallate, or EGCG  and corn starch had a significant reduction in increase in their blood sugar  blood glucose  levels compared to mice that were not fed the compound, according to Joshua Lambert, assistant professor of food science in agricultural sciences.

The dose of EGCG fed to the mice was equivalent to about one and a half cups of green tea for a human. Lambert, who worked with Sarah C. Forester, postdoctoral fellow, and Yeyi Gu, graduate student, both in food science, said EGCG was most effective when the compound was fed to the mice simultaneously with corn starch. For humans, this may mean that green tea could help them control the typical blood sugar increases that are brought on when they eat starchy foods, like breads and bagels that are often a part of typical breakfasts.

"The spike in blood glucose level is about 50 percent lower than the increase in the blood glucose level of mice that were not fed EGCG," Lambert said. 

Green tea found to reduce rate of some GI cancers

In continuation of my update on green tea.

We know that, Tea contains polyphenols or natural chemicals that include catechins like EGCG and ECG. Catechins have antioxidant properties and may inhibit cancer by reducing DNA damage and blocking tumor cell growth and invasion.

Now researchers have found that regular tea consumption, defined as  tea  consumption  at  least three times a week for more than six months, was  associated  with  a  17 percent reduced risk of all digestive cancers combined. A  further  reduction  in  risk  was  found to be  associated  with  a increased level of tea drinking. Specifically, those who consumed about two to three cups per day (at least 150 grams of tea per month) had a 21 percent reduced risk of digestive system cancers.

For all digestive system cancers combined, the risk was reduced by 27 percent among women who had been drinking tea regularly for at least 20 years," said Nechuta. "For colorectal cancer, risk was reduced by 29 percent among the long-term tea drinkers. These results suggest long-term cumulative exposure may be particularly important."

Ref : http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/96/5/1056

Green tea found to reduce rate of some GI cancers

GEN | News Highlights:Green Tea and Gold Nanoparticles Destroy Prostate Tumors

In continuation of my update on green tea

Scientists report on the development of a radioactive gold nanoparticle for prostate cancer therapy that they claim is far less toxic to normal tissues than traditional radiation therapy and results in massive reduction in tumor volume and increased survival in experimental mice after just one dose. The nanoparticles, derived from the Au-198 isotope, incorporate an extract from green tea known as epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCg), which effectively latches the nanoparticles onto the prostate tumor cells and facilitates their internalization.

GEN | News Highlights:Green Tea and Gold Nanoparticles Destroy Prostate Tumors

Beehive Extract Shows Potential as Prostate Cancer Treatment

 Caffeic acid phenethyl ester, or CAPE (see below structure), is a compound isolated from honeybee hive propolis, the resin used by bees to patch up holes in hives. Propolis has been used for centuries as a natural remedy for conditions ranging from sore throats and allergies to burns and cancer. But the compound has not gained acceptance in the clinic due to scientific questions about its effect on cells. 

In a paper published in Cancer Prevention Research, researchers combined traditional cancer research methods with cutting-edge proteomics to find that CAPE arrests early-stage prostate cancer by shutting down the tumor cells' system for detecting sources of nutrition.

"If you feed CAPE to mice daily, their tumors will stop growing. After several weeks, if you stop the treatment, the tumors will begin to grow again at their original pace," said Richard B. Jones, PhD, assistant professor in the Ben May Department for Cancer Research and Institute for Genomics and Systems Biology and senior author of the study. "So it doesn't kill the cancer, but it basically will indefinitely stop prostate cancer proliferation." 

Natural remedies isolated from plant and animal products are often marketed as cure-alls for a variety of maladies, usually based on vague antioxidant and anti-inflammatory claims. While substances such as ginseng or green tea have been occasionally tested in laboratories for their medicinal properties, scientific evidence is commonly lacking on the full biological effects of these over-the-counter compounds.

"It's only recently that people have examined the mechanism by which some of these herbal remedies work," Jones said. "Our knowledge about what these things are actually doing is a bit of a disconnected hodge-podge of tests and labs and conditions. In the end, you're left with a broad, disconnected story about what exactly these things are doing and whether or not they would be useful for treating disease."

To study the purported anti-cancer properties of CAPE, first author Chih-Pin Chuu (now at the National Health Research Institutes in Taiwan) tested the compound on a series of cancer cell lines. Even at the low concentrations expected after oral administration, CAPE successfully slowed the proliferation of cultured cells isolated from human prostate tumors.

CAPE was also effective at slowing the growth of human prostate tumors grafted into mice. Six weeks of treatment with the compound decreased tumor volume growth rate by half, but when CAPE treatment was stopped, tumor growth resumed its prior rate. The results suggested that CAPE stopped cell division rather than killing cancerous cells.

To determine the cellular changes that mediated this effect, the researchers then used an innovative proteomics technique invented by Jones and colleagues called the "micro-western array." Western blots are a common laboratory tool used to measure the changes in protein levels and activity under different conditions. But whereas only one or a few proteins at a time can be monitored with Western blots, micro-western arrays allow researchers to survey hundreds of proteins at once from many samples.

Chuu, Jones and their colleagues ran micro-western arrays to assess the impact of CAPE treatment on the proteins of cellular pathways involved in cell growth -- experiments that would have been prohibitively expensive without the new technique.

"What this allowed us to do is screen about a hundred different proteins across a broad spectrum of signaling pathways that are associated with all sorts of different outcomes. You can pick up all the pathways that are affected and get a global landscape view, and that's never been possible before," Jones said. "It would have taken hundreds of Westerns, hundreds of technicians, and a very large amount of money for antibodies."

The micro-western array results allowed researchers to quickly build a new model of CAPE's cellular effects, significantly expanding on previous work that studied the compound's mechanisms. Treatment with CAPE at the concentrations that arrested cancer cell growth suppressed the activity of proteins in the p70S6 kinase and Akt pathways, which are important sensors of sufficient nutrition that can trigger cell proliferation.

"It appears that CAPE basically stops the ability of prostate cancer cells to sense that there's nutrition available," Jones said. "They stop all of the molecular signatures that would suggest that nutrition exists, and the cells no longer have that proliferative response to nutrition."

The ability of CAPE to freeze cancer cell proliferation could make it a promising co-treatment alongside chemotherapies intended to kill tumor cells. Jones cautioned that clinical trials would be necessary before CAPE could be proven effective and safe for this purpose in humans. But the CAPE experiments offer a precedent to unlock the biological mechanisms of other natural remedies as well, perhaps allowing these compounds to cross over to the clinic.

"A typical problem in bringing some of these herbal remedies into the clinic is that nobody knows how they act, nobody knows the mechanism, and therefore researchers are typically very hesitant to add them to any pharmaceutical treatment strategy," Jones said. "Now we'll actually be able to systematically demonstrate the parts of cell physiology that are affected by these compounds."

Ref : http://cancerpreventionresearch.aacrjournals.org/content/5/5/788

Berries, Tea May Cut Men’s Odds for Parkinson’s Disease..

In continuation of my update on Flavonoids...

Regularly consumption of food and drink rich in substances called flavonoids, such as berries, apples, tea and red wine, can lower a man’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease by 40 percent, new research suggests.

  “For total flavonoids, the beneficial result was only in men. But, berries are protective in both men and women,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Xiang Gao, a research scientist at the Harvard School of Public Health and an associate epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

“Berries could be a neuroprotective agent. People can include berries in their regular diet. There are no harmful effects from berry consumption, and they lower the risk of hypertension too,” Gao added.

For the study, the researchers reviewed nutrition and health data from almost 50,000 men enrolled in the Health Professional Follow-Up Study and more than 80,000 women participating in the Nurses’ Health Study.

The researchers looked at dietary intake of five major flavonoid sources: tea, berries, apples, orange juice and red wine.

Over 20 to 22 years of follow-up, 805 people developed Parkinson’s disease — 438 men and 367 women.

When researchers compared those who ate the most flavonoids with those who ate the least, they found that only men saw a statistically significant benefit, lowering their risk of Parkinson’s by 40 percent.

Gao said it wasn’t clear why only men benefited from the extra flavonoid intake, but he noted that other studies have also found differences between men and women. Gao said it’s not clear if there’s a biological mechanism causing these differences, or another factor.

But, when the researchers looked at the dietary compounds individually, it was clear that berries could benefit both men and women, lowering the risk of Parkinson’s disease by about 25 percent for those who had at least two servings of berries a week.

Gao said that anthocyanins protect the cells from oxidative damage and they also have an anti-inflammatory effect, which may be how berries help to reduce Parkinson’s risk.

The study findings should be interpreted cautiously because the participants were mostly white professionals, and the results might not apply to other ethnic groups. Also, recollections of dietary intake may be faulty, and it’s possible that other properties of fruits and vegetables might have influenced the results, the authors said.

But, he added, it’s important for people to realize that this research isn’t applicable to people who already have the disease.

He also said it will be important to confirm these findings in other studies and learn the mechanism of how berries and other flavonoids appear to offer some protection against Parkinson’s disease.

Ref : http://www.neurology.org/content/78/15/1138.abstract?sid=2d716606-4430-41cb-a06e-de20203cfb5b

Berries, Tea May Cut Men's Odds for Parkinson's: Study

In continuation of my update on the benefits of   berries, apple, tea...

Berries, Tea May Cut Men's Odds for Parkinson's: Study:  - Regularly consumption of food and drink rich in substances called flavonoids, such as berries, apples, tea and red wine, can lower a man's risk of developing Parkinson's disease by 40 percent, new research suggests.

Tea could help lower high blood pressure: Study

In continuation of my update on tea and its effect....

A new study suggests that taking tea daily could help in lowering blood pressure.The study shows that people who drank three cups of black tea a day were able to lower their blood pressure. This was seen when compared to those who drank a placebo similar in taste and caffeine content. Those who drank the tea saw a slight drop in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure over six months.

Experts however warned that drinking tea is not a substitute for blood pressure-lowering medication, but researchers said the findings show tea could still provide a benefit.

Researchers note that although the study cannot identify specific components of the tea that might lead to a drop in blood pressure, past studies have shown flavonoids, compounds found in many plants such as tea, are good for heart health.

“The message really isn't for an individual to go out and drink a lot of tea,” said Jonathan Hodgson,

More...

Coffee may protect against womb cancer: Study

 In continuation of my update on the benefits of coffee

A new study shows that regular intake of coffee may significantly lower risk for endometrial or womb cancer.

For the study the researchers looked at coffee consumption and endometrial cancer risk in more than 67,000 women aged between 34 and 59 enrolled in the long-running Nurses' Health Study. The researchers found that women who took more than four cups of coffee a day over a 26-year period were 25 percent less likely to get the cancer. Women who drank two to three cups a day were 7 percent less likely to get it. Drinking less than four cups a day was not associated with reduced risk. Furthermore drinking tea did not reduce the risk. Additionally drinking more than two cups of decaffeinated coffee a day was tied to a 22 percent reduced risk for endometrial cancer.

The benefit wasn't a complete surprise, since coffee has been shown to lower estrogen and insulin levels, and higher levels of these hormones have been associated with an increased risk of endometrial cancer. But the new findings do help to clarify how obesity, estrogen and coffee might interact in triggering tumors.

“It would be premature to make a recommendation that women drink coffee to lower their endometrial cancer risk,” study author Dr. Edward Giovannucci, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health...

Ref : http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2011/10/03/1055-9965.EPI-11-0766.abstract?sid=d8d229ed-e4b4-4b7a-bc6a-f3f86cba4c0e

Green tea shows promise against two types of tumors, HHS

In continuation of my update on green tea

Researchers lead by  Dr. Thomas Smith at The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and his colleagues at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, have found that a compound found in green tea shows great promise for the development of drugs to treat two types of tumors and a deadly congenital disease. 

Dr. Smith and his colleagues discovered that two compounds found naturally in green tea are able to compensate for this genetic disorder by turning off GDH in isolated and when the green tea compounds were administered orally. The Smith lab also used X-ray crystallography to determine the atomic structure of these green tea compounds bound to the enzyme. With this atomic information, they hope to be able to modify these natural compounds to design and develop better drugs. 

Interestingly, two other research groups have validated and extended these findings to demonstrate that blocking GDH with green tea is very effective at killing two different kinds of tumors; glioblastomas, an aggressive type of brain tumor, and tuberous sclerosis complex disorder, a genetic disease that causes non-malignant tumors to grow on a number of organs. 

More...  

Protective properties of green tea uncovered

In continuation of my up date on the benefits of green tea...

Protective properties of green tea uncovered

Ref : doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2010.11.004

Bioactive Compounds (anthocyanins) in Berries Can Reduce High Blood Pressure

We have already seen the benefits of anthocyanins, and also how useful the blue berries are. Now the researchers from University of East Anglia (UEA) and Harvard University, have further substantiated the usefulness of blue berries. As per the claim by the researchers eating blueberries can guard against high blood pressure.

The new findings show that bioactive compounds in blueberries called anthocyanins offer protection against hypertension. Compared with those who do not eat blueberries, those eating at least one serving a week reduce their risk of developing the condition by 10 per cent.

Anthocyanins (see structure) belong to the bioactive family of compounds called flavonoids and are found in high amounts in blackcurrants, raspberries, aubergines, blood orange juice and blueberries. Other flavonoids are found in many fruits, vegetables, grains and herbs. The flavonoids present in tea, fruit juice, red wine and dark chocolate are already known to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

During the study, 35,000 participants developed hypertension. Dietary information identified tea as the main contributor of flavonoids, with apples, orange juice, blueberries, red wine, and strawberries also providing important amounts. When the researchers looked at the relation between individual subclasses of flavonoids and hypertension, they found that participants consuming the highest amounts of anthocyanins (found mainly in blueberries and strawberries in this US-based population) were eight per cent less likely to be diagnosed with hypertension than those consuming the lowest amounts. The effect was even stronger in participants under 60.

The effect was stronger for blueberry rather than strawberry consumption. Compared to people who ate no blueberries, those eating at least one serving of blueberries per week were 10 per cent less likely to become hypertensive.

"Our findings are exciting and suggest that an achievable dietary intake of anthocyanins may contribute to the prevention of hypertension," said lead author Prof Aedin Cassidy of the Department of Nutrition at UEA's Medical School".......

Ref: http://www.uea.ac.uk/mac/comm/media/press/2011/January/berries .

Endothelial Function Improvement With Dietary (Cocoa) Flavanols in Patients With Coronary Artery Disease....

A new study by UCSF cardiologists and researchers lead by Dr. Yerem Yeghiazarians found that high concentrations of cocoa flavanols decrease blood pressure, improve the health of blood vessels and increase the number of circulating blood-vessel-forming cells in patients with heart disease. The findings indicate that foods rich in flavanols  such as cocoa products, tea, wine, and various fruits and vegetables have a cardio-protective benefit for heart disease patients.

Flavanols are phytonutrient compounds that are found naturally in apples, grapes, tea, cocoa and cherries, which account for the antioxidant effect provided by red wine and green tea. The study found a protective effect from a cocoa drink with 375 mg of flavanols, but according to researchers, a standard or recommended dosage has not yet been defined to achieve optimal health benefit.

The UCSF team has shown for the first time that one of the possible mechanisms of flavanol's benefit is an increase in the circulation of so-called angiogenic cells in the blood. These cells, also known as early endothelial progenitor cells, are critical for the repair process after vascular injury, and perform function and maintenance roles in the endothelium. Endothelium is the thin layer of cells that line the interior wall of blood vessels.

In the current study, the benefit seen from the two-fold increase in circulating angiogenic cells was similar to that achieved by therapy with statins and with lifestyle changes such as exercise and smoking cessation. The benefit demonstrated with cocoa flavanol therapy occurred in addition to the medical regimen already being taken by study participants.

"Our data support the concept that dietary flavanols at the levels provided -- in tandem with current medical therapy -- are safe, improve cardiovascular function, and increase circulating angiogenic cells, which have previously been shown to correlate positively with long-term cardiovascular outcomes" said Yeghiazarians.

Though long-term trials examining the effects of high-flavanol diets on cardiovascular health and function are warranted, but these early findings help us understand how these compounds impact the function of damaged blood vessels...

Ref : Yerem Yeghiazarians et.al., J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., July 13, 2010; 56: A20. 

ProstaCaid (33-ingredient comprehensive polyherbal preparation) against prostate cancer......

We have seen  many benefits of natural products rich in  Quercetin,   Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and many other polyphenol antioxidant from natural products like green tea, broccoli peaches and plums. Interestingly, now researchers from  Columbia University have come up with an interesting finding, i.e., ProstaCaid is a 33-ingredient comprehensive polyherbal preparation with supplements of vitamin C, vitamin D3, zinc, selenium, quercitin, 3,3′-diinodolymethane (DIM), and lycopene was able to stop abnormal cell growth and induce apoptosis (programmed cell death) in both hormone sensitive and hormone resistant prostate cancer cell lines at unusually low concentrations, which makes the findings more significant...

Herbal extracts include the extracts from turmeric root, saw palmetto berry, grape skin, pomegranate, pumpkin seed, pygeum bark, sarsaparilla root, green tea, and Japanese knotweed. Hence, it is rich in natural polyphenols, including quercetin, resveratrol, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and ellagic acid, which have previously demonstrated anticancer potential. The unique formula contains 3 medicinal mushrooms grown on an herbal-enhanced medium. The mushrooms included are Phellinus linteus, Ganoderma lucidum, and Coriolus versicolor, each with known anticancer properties.

Researchers claim that, ProstaCaid was designed based on constituents that exhibit antiprolifetaive, antioxidant, and apoptotic activities; however, its efficacy and the mechanisms of action are yet to be examined. Researchers looked at the effectiveness of the preparation in suppressing several types of prostate cancer cell lines in culture and attempt to delineate the mechanism of action for justification in pursuing animal to determine efficicacy invivo.

Researchers conclude that, the anticancer activity of ProstaCaid may be ascribed to its polyphenolic flavonoids and curcuminoids derived from various herbs as well as other supplements, such as DIM. The preparation contains supplements such as quercetin (15%), Curcuma longa root extract complex with enhanced bioavailability (BCM-95; 20%), DIM (3%), and resveratrol (0.2%). Some of these components have shown a strong doseand time-dependent growth inhibition and apoptotic death in prostate cancer cells; 25 mM of quercetin inhibited about 50% PC3 cell growth for 72 hours. At 24 hours, 50 mM and 100 mM quercetin induced G2/M arrest and apoptosis, manifested by the decrease in G2/M-related protiens.

Researchers summarise  that,    ProstaCaid has anti-cancer activities in both AD and AI prostate cancer cells at very low concentrations (25 mg/mL). It also suggests that ProstaCaid inhibits cell growth and survival, at least through the inhibition of AKT and MAPK signaling. The effect on AI cell lines is especially of importance as there is presently no curative therapy for hormone refractory prostate cancer.

Researchers postulate that ProstaCaid may affect activity of Cdc2/cyclin B1 kinase by reducing this complex formation. Cdc2 could be dephosphorylated by Cdc25C and become inactive or be phosphorylated by protein kinase, such as Wee1, and then converted into an inactive form. They also suggest that more studies are needed in the future to test it and to define its upstream events in PC3 cells.

Ref : Jun Yan and Aaron E. Katz, Integr Cancer Ther 2010 9: 186