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Phytosterols
Winning
the war against Cancer
Current statistics
indicate that one in four people will contract cancer
sometime in their lives.
One in nine women
will develop breast cancer while for men those who
will be diagnosed with prostate cancer is slightly over
11%.
Clearly, despite all
the advances that modern medicine has made we are not
winning the battle against cancer.
Perhaps we need to
look elsewhere in order to find viable solutions to
this deathly puzzle.
This is where sterols
and sterolins may once again prove to be the godsend
that modern science has so eagerly sought to discover.
It has become evident
that those individuals who consume a predominantly plant
based diet have a lower incidence of all cancers. What
we are now beginning to realise is that the probable
reason for this is the high presence of sterols and
sterolins in this type of diet.
Epidemiological studies
which examine trends amongst population groups show
that in Asian countries the incidence of colon, prostate
and breast cancer is low.
Interestingly when
Asian migrants relocate to the west and start to consume
animal-based diets the rates of these cancers rises
quite significantly.
A number of studies
have been carried out in recent times demonstrating
the way in which sterols and sterolins may not only
prevent cancer but may even offer new possibilities
for treating cancer.
One of the leading
researchers in this area is Professor Atif Awad from
the department of physical therapy, exercise and nutrition
science at the state university of New York, Buffalo.
Professor Awad has found that feeding phytosterols to
rats reduces the levels of two principal enzymes thought
to be associated with the development of prostate cancer.
One of these enzymes
called "5 Alpha Reductase" was reduced by
41%.
This is the enzyme
which is responsible for the conversion of testosterone
to the more powerful androgen dihydrotestosterone.
Some experts are of
the opinion that it is the build-up of dihydrotestosterone
which may lead to prostate cancer.
For all those men interested
in maintaining a reasonable head of hair it is also
the accumulation of dihydrotestosterone which is thought
to lead to baldness.
The other enzyme which
was reduced by a substantial 55% was the enzyme called
aromatase.
This is the enzyme
that converts testosterone to oestrogen and their are
those who claim that an increase in oestrogen may be
the guilty party in the initiation of prostate cancer.
Either way by ensuring that sterols and sterolins are
present in sufficient amounts these vital nutrients
offer a viable means for preventing prostate cancer.
Professor Awad has
examined the effects of beta-sitosterol on prostate
cancer cells in the laboratory situation. He has discovered
that after seven days those cells treated with sterols
experienced a reduction in growth by 24%.
He was even able to
uncover the mechanism for the action of beta-sitosterol
indicating that this nutrient enhances the function
of an intracellular signaling system which instructs
cells not to divide.
Professor Awad and
his co-workers have isolated the presence of a cell
signaling pathway called the sphingomyelin cycle which
they have identified as being the one of the inhibitors
of excessive cell growth.
They have found that
the same process operates for breast and colon cancer.
In similar experiments colon cancer cells were inhibited
by 55% after five days while breast cancer cells diminished
to the tune of 66% after the same period.
This work has also
been duplicated on laboratory animals showing that beta-sitosterol
significantly reduces the level of prostate cancer cells.
Colon cancer is the
second most common form of cancer in the USA. During
this first year of the new millennium more than 55,000
Americans will succumb to this disease. It is thought
that dietary cholesterol generated from a high consumption
of animal fats leads to an increase in metabolites which
promote colon cancer.
A diet rich in phytosterols
reduces these promoters and decreases the risk for the
development of colon cancer. Phytosterols
are thought to abort the development of bowel cancer
in the early stages.
Although we still have
a lot to learn about the prevention
and treatment of cancer sterols and sterolins present
an exciting option in the never ending war against this
devastating disease.
Phytosterols
| The
new immune system |
Boosting athletes immune systems
Overcoming
prostate enlargment |
Winning
the war against cancer
The
new hope for; | Reducing
the risk of heart disease
Solving
the dilemma of Auto immune disease
Summary
of main points | Bibliography
Bondi
Family Health Centre
Phone 02 9365 1333
Int: 612 9365 1333
260a Bondi Road
Bondi NSW 2066
AUSTRALIA
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