Beauty Health for Life

Also see Curry Spice Component May Help Slow Prostate Tumor Growth

Powdered turmeric has been used for centuries to treat osteoarthritis and other illnesses. Its active ingredient, curcumin, inhibits inflammatory reactions. A new study led by a research team at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) in Munich now shows that it can also inhibit formation of metastases.

Prostate cancer is one of the most prevalent malignancies in the Western world, and is often diagnosed only after metastatic tumors have formed in other organs. In three percent of cases, these metastases are lethal. A research team led by PD Dr. Beatrice Bachmeier at LMU Munich has been studying the mode of action of a natural product that inhibits the formation of metastases. The compound is found in turmeric, a plant that has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years, and is a major ingredient of curry.

Bachmeiers research centers on curcumin, the polyphenol responsible for the characteristic color of curry. Curcumin is well tolerated and is theore, in principle, suitable both for prophylactic use (primary prevention) and also for the suppression of metastases in cases where an established tumor is already present (secondary prevention). In a previous study Bachmeier and her colleagues had demonstrated that the substance reduces statistically significantly the formation of lung metastases in an animal model of advanced breast cancer.

Mitigating metastasis The new study was designed to investigate the efficacy of curcumin in the prevention of prostate cancer metastases, and to determine the agents mechanism of action. The researchers first examined the molecular processes that are abnormally regulated in prostate carcinoma cells. Breast and prostate cancers are often associated with latent or chronic inflammatory reactions, and in both cases, the tumor cells were found to produce pro-inflammatory immunomodulators including the cytokines CXCL1 und CXCL2.

The researchers went on to show that curcumin specifically decreases the expression of these two proteins, and in a mouse model, this effect correlated with a decline in the incidence of metastases. "Due to the action of curcumin, the tumor cells synthesize smaller amounts of cytokines that promote metastasis," says Bachmeier. "As a consequence, the frequency of metastasis formation in the lungs is significantly reduced, in animals with breast cancer, as we showed previously, or carcinoma of the prostate, as demonstrated in our new study."

Curcumin and chemoprevention

Bachmeier theore believes that curcumin may be useful in the prevention of breast and prostate cancers -- which are both linked to inflammation -- and in reducing their metastatic potential. "This does not mean that the compound should be seen as a replacement for conventional therapies. However, it could play a positive role in primary prevention -- before a full-blown tumor arises -- or help to avert formation of metastases. In this context the fact that the substance is well tolerated is very important, because one can safely recommend it to individuals who have an increased tumor risk."

A daily intake of up to 8g of curcumin is regarded as safe, and its anti-inflammatory properties have long been exploited in traditional oriental medicine. Men with benign hyperplasia of the prostate (BHP) are one possible target group for prophylaxis, as are women who have a family history of breast cancer. The agent might also be valuable as a supplement to certain cancer therapies. At all events, curcumins beneficial effects must first be confirmed in controlled clinical tests. Bachmeier is now planning such a trial in patients who suffer from therapy-resistant carcinoma of the prostate.

Dietary supplements accounted for more than half the Class 1 drugs recalled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from 2004-12, meaning they contained substances that could cause serious health problems or even death, a new study from St. Michaels Hospital has found.

The majority of those recalled supplements were bodybuilding, weight loss or sexual enhancement products that contain unapproved medicinal ingredients, including steroids, said the studys lead author, Dr. Ziv Harel.

Almost one-quarter of the substances are manufactured outside of the United States, he said in the study published online in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine.

Unlike pharmaceutical products, dietary supplements do not require FDA approval before they can be sold. The FDA defines a dietary supplement as a product taken by mouth that contains a "dietary ingredient" such as vitamins, minerals, herbs, other botanicals, amino acids or substances such as metabolites. There are about 65,000 dietary supplements on the market consumed by more than 150 million Americans.

Of the 465 drugs subject to a Class 1 recall in the U.S. between Jan. 1, 2004, and Dec. 19, 2012, 237 or 51 per cent were dietary supplements. The majority of recalls occurred after 2008 for reasons unknown, the researchers said.

Supplements marketed as sexual enhancement products were the most commonly recalled dietary supplements (95, or 40 per cent).

Dr. Harel, a nephrologist whose research focus is patient safety, said that when the FDA learns of an adulterated dietary supplement, it is required to contact the manufacturer to trace the source of the product and initiate a recall. However, a recent investigation by the Office of the Inspector general determined that the FDA does not possess accurate contact information for 20 per cent of supplement manufacturers.

The FDA has recently introduced a number of initiatives aimed at mitigating the impact of the most common adulterated supplements, including the creation of multinational enforcement groups and widespread media campaigns focusing on improving awareness.

"Despite these initiatives, products subject to Class I recalls continue to be readily available for sale, which may be due to an increasingly complex distribution network associated with these products, as well as ineffective communication by the FDA to consumers," Dr. Harel said.

"We also found a number of recalled products to be manufactured outside of the U.S. where manufacturing practices may not be subject to the same oversight and regulation required of domestic companies."

Dr. Harel said increased efforts are needed to regulate this industry. "Keeping the status quo may taint the dietary supplement industry as a whole."

This one fails to support the benefit of cinnamon for blood glucose management.

The study appeared in Septembers issue of Diabetes Care:

Effect of Cinnamon on Glucose and Lipid Levels in Non–Insulin-Dependent Type 2 Diabetes

It was a small study - 43 adults with type 2 diabetes. The intervention group took 2, 500 mg capsules of cinnamon daily. (One gram ground cinnamon is about 3/4 teaspoon.) The placebo group took capsules filled with wheat flour.

After three months, the cinnamon users failed to show improvements in blood glucose, insulin, or cholesterol levels.

One sticking point, participants in the current study were taking diabetes medications. Participants in the promising Pakistani study were not.

The jury is still out on cinnamon use.
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