What people use when they have cancer and want to get well with alternative treatment

Natural Aromatase Inhibitors are Best Prevention of Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Women

One of the answers to breast cancer prevention has been right under our noses all along. When diets high in natural foods that inhibit the aromatase enzyme are eaten, breast cancers in postmenopausal women don’t get a chance to start, according to research from the University of Munster in Germany. Scientists there have found that aromatase inhibitors are what keep normal cells from developing to the point where they can be classified as Grade 1 cancer.

Estrogen receptors (ER) alpha and beta are proteins found inside certain healthy cells of breast tissue. Estrogen binds with these receptors to stimulate tissue growth in young women during normal breast development. As women age these receptors play an important role in the development of breast cancer because they can continue to bind with excessive estrogen produced in breast tissue through the aromatization process, even after the ovaries no longer produce much estrogen. This can lead to the rapid growth and proliferation of mutated breast cells. If the process of aromatization is inhibited, excess estrogen will not be present in breast tissue to stimulate the growth of a cancer.

In a study designed to determine the effectiveness of aromatase inhibitors compared with anti-estrogen drugs, the German scientists analyzed 21 human breast cancer tissue samples for a change in the ER alpha /ER beta ratio during the malignant progression of breast cancers. They found that the transition from normal breast cells to grade 1 tumors was characterized by the down-regulation of ER beta, while the transition from grade 1 to grade 3 tumors was associated with the decrease in ER alpha expression. In stimulation assays they found that anti-estrogen drugs such as tamoxifen increased ER alpha expression and left ER beta unchanged. In contrast, aromatase inhibitors up regulated ER beta, and by doing so, blocked the initiation of cancer. (Anticancer Research, June)

Nature has provided an abundance of aromatase inhibitors

You don’t have to take drugs to inhibit aromatase. Nature has provided plants that will get the job done without harmful side effects. In April, Natural News ran an article about the powerful aromatase inhibiting ability of chrysin, a flavonoid from the passion flower plant. Research showed that chrysin worked as well to inhibit the aromatase enzyme as a drug designed for that purpose. Chrysin is normally taken as a supplement along with piperine which greatly enhances its bioavailability.

For those who would rather get their aromatase inhibiting flavonoids from whole foods, there are several good tasting choices. Beneficial compounds gotten from food have the added benefits of the perfect synergy found in a whole food as well as the other nutrients and compounds it contains.

Quercetin, naringenin, resveratrol, apigenin, genistein, and oleuropein are all powerful flavonoids from whole foods that inhibit aromatase while at the same time offering a treasure chest of other health benefits. When these foods are organically grown, they are higher in these flavonoids than produce grown conventionally.

Quercetin is the main reason an apple a day keeps the doctor away. It is a major antioxidant with important anti-aging benefits. It fights inflammation and reduces the cellular damage inflammation causes. By fighting inflammation, it also helps decrease swelling and pain, and keeps the circulatory system healthy. Quercetin helps prevent fatigue by helping to decrease damage from heavy exercise, and increase endurance. It is an anti-viral, and an immune system supporter and liver protector. Research has suggested that quercetin has other anti-cancer benefits aside from inhibiting aromatase in breasts and prostates. Cabbage, onions and garlic are other good sources of this powerful flavonoid.

Apigenin is a non-mutigenic flavonoid that has significant chemoprotective action against UV radiation. Research has shown apigenin reduces oxidative damage of DNA, inhibits the growth and induces differentiation in human leukemia cells, inhibits cancer cell transduction, and induces appropriate cell death. Like quercetin, apigenin acts as an anti-inflammatory and as an antispasmodic. Apigenin is found in good supply in celery, parsley, artichokes, basil, and chamomile.

Naringenin, is an antioxidant, free radical scavenger, anti-inflammatory, and immune system modulator. It has been shown to promote proper metabolism of carbohydrates. It was shown to reduce hepatitis C virus production by infected liver cells in cell culture and to inhibit the secretion of very low density lipoprotein by cells. As a cancer fighter, it reduces oxidative damage to DNA. Naringenin is found in all citrus and may be the reason that diets high in citrus are negatively correlated with heart disease. However, naringenin should not be obtained from grapefruit or grapefruit juice, which has an inhibitory effect on the human cytochrome P450 isofrom, another enzyme in the same complex as the aromatase enzyme. This enzyme is involved in breaking down and metabolizing sex hormones and preventing their excess accumulation in the body, so inhibiting it is not a good idea.

Resveratrol is a flavonoid gaining wide respect for its multitude of health benefits. Several recent research studies have revealed that resveratrol is highly effective against breast cancer by inhibiting ER positive and negative cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and primary breast tumor growth. Resveratrol is protective of the liver even against alcohol. It also keeps the central nervous system strong by protecting neurons from oxidative stress. Resveratrol is found to some degree in the skin and seeds of red grapes. Muscadine grapes have the largest content and are often used to make red wine. Although supplements of resveratrol are popular and widely available, getting resveratrol from red wine allows you to get the entire grape polyphenol group of nutrients, a group that has been shown to work much better synergistically. Breast tumor growth and metastasis to bone and liver were shown to be better inhibited by the complete grape polyphenol complex.

Oleuropein gives olive oil its distinctive flavor and is found in abundance in the leaves of the olive tree. It is one of the reasons olive leaf is such a powerful tool for wellness. Oleuropein helps the body fight off viruses, bacteria, and fungi. It is contained in every part of the olive tree and is the basis of its defense from insects. Oleuropein has been shown to boost the immune defense of people too, as well as fostering a healthy balance between friendly bacteria in the intestinal tract. In animal research, oleuropein was shown to enhance nitric oxide production. It is also a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.

All these foods are prominent features of the Mediterranean diet

Fresh fruits, vegetables, olive oil and red wine are components of the Mediterranean diet, the one and only diet that has consistently correlated with lower death rates from all causes. Flavonoids from each of these foods inhibit aromatase activity to reduce incidence of breast cancer. And when you chose a diet that features these foods on a regular basis, what you are really getting is the best all around prevention plan on earth.

By: Barbara Minton, Natural Health Editor

Resveratrol and breast cancer
Estrogen is the driving force behind many cases of breast cancer, and one study has found that resveratrol may put the brakes on its action. In a University of Nebraska study, investigators found that resveratrol reduced the ability of estrogen to transform into the substances that interact with DNA in breast cells and trigger the development of tumors. In this way, resveratrol may prevent the initial step that occurs when estrogen begins the process that results in the development of breast cancer cells.

In a March 2009 article in Experimental and Molecular Medicine, scientists reported that resveratrol was effective against the proliferation of human breast and pancreatic cancer cells. A June 2008 study noted that resveratrol inhibited the invasion and migration of breast cancer cells. This was an important finding because metastasis (the spread of cancer beyond its starting point) is a main cause of death from breast cancer.

Resveratrol and other cancers
In the fight against prostate cancer, resveratrol was impressive in a study published in June 2008 in Carcinogenesis. Investigators found that the polyphenol helped prohibit the growth and proliferation of human prostate cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. In an earlier study scientists had the same finding, and also reported that resveratrol promoted prostate cancer cell death.

Several studies published in 2008 reported on the value of resveratrol in colon cancer. In a University of Barcelona study, resveratrol prevented cell proliferation and promoted the death of colon cancer cells. These findings are similar to those documented by investigators at the Medical University of Vienna.

NaturalNews
http://www.lef.org/abstracts/codex/…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naringenin
http://www.naturalnews.com/025931_w…
http://www.health-science-report.co…
http://www.naturalnews.com/023346_m…

A study demonstrated that there are ten natural flavonoids that act as natural aromatase inhibitors; chrysin being the strongest.

Natural aromatase inhibitors not only help boost testosterone but also provide the body with essential nutrients from plant-based sources. Here a very good small article on Chrysin.

Chrysin is Natural Alternative to Toxic Breast Cancer Drugs

Women receiving the standard of care for breast cancer are often prescribed one of the aromatase inhibiting drugs as follow-up treatment. Patients are told the drug will prevent a recurrence of their disease. Aromatase inhibiting drugs are usually prescribed for the long term, with some women taking them for up to ten years. There are long lists of frightening side effects associated with these drugs, and eventually they stop working. Unfortunately, women are not told by their oncologists that nature has provided highly effective natural compounds that will also prevent disease recurrence. These compounds have no such side effects and can be used for as long as a woman desires to use them. Many research studies have demonstrated that chyrsin is the most effective of these compounds.

Aromatase inhibitors work by reducing levels of unbalanced estrogen in the body

Aromatase inhibitors are prescribed as follow-up treatment for hormone sensitive cancers of the breast, ovaries or uterus. These kinds of cancers are dependant on unbalanced estrogen in the body to fuel their growth. Aromatase inhibitors reduce levels of unbalanced estrogen in the body.

Excess unbalanced estrogen can be a problem for women of any age. While declining levels of estrogen are generally thought to be the hallmark of menopause, it is actually common for women to experience surges of abnormally high estrogen that is not balanced by progesterone and testosterone during any stage of adult life. For many women, estrogen dominance develops later in life, sometimes as a result of poor diet, liver impairment, lack of exercise, environmental factors, or as the result of menstrual cycles during which ovulation does not occur. When there is no ovulation, less progesterone is produced which can result in estrogen imbalance.

Women with estrogen dominance frequently exhibit unexplained weight gain, fibrocystic breast disease, PMS, migraines, irregular and heavy bleeding, endometriosis, fibroids, and ovarian cysts. Petroleum products, air pollution, plastics, and chemicals in food can make matters worse by acting as xenoestrogens, meaning they are estrogens foreign to the body. Xenoestrogens act like estrogens produced by the female body and can boost unbalanced estrogen levels.

Aromatase is an enzyme produced in the body that is needed for the final step in the production of estrogen as part of the hormonal cascade during which hormones are made from other hormones in a series of conversions. Without the aromatase enzyme, excessive production of estrogen stalls. This process is what makes aromatase inhibitors effective against hormone sensitive tumor growth.

Aromatase inhibitors can be prescribed for a variety of reasons such as the maintenance of healthy breast tissue, as a means of keeping estrogen at a proper level, to promote the development of lean muscle mass, or to counteract uterine fibroids. However, most prescriptions for aromatase inhibitors are written for women as part of breast cancer treatment.

Aromatase inhibiting drugs are toxic to the body

The main problem with aromatase inhibiting drugs is the fact that they are drugs. All drugs have unpleasant side effects and aromatase inhibitors are no exception. One of the most popular, Arimidex, has a list of side effects that includes hot flashes, nausea, weakness or fatigue, headaches, arthritis, general pain, joint pain, sore throat, bone pain, back pain, cough, difficulty breathing, osteoporosis, vomiting, broken bones, insomnia, swelling or water retention in the arms or legs, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, high cholesterol, infections, weight gain, breast pain, dizziness, urinary tract infections, and loss of appetite. Some of these side effects such as bone pain and arthritis may not go away even when use of the drug is discontinued.

Drugs are foreign substances that do not occur in nature. As such the body must detoxify them through the liver, placing a huge strain on the liver’s detoxifying function. Livers that are stressed from prolonged drug use can become enlarged and even cancerous. And because drugs are foreign substances they are identified by the immune system as invaders of the body, and the immune system mounts a defense against them. Since another dose of the drug is ingested each day, the immune system is continuously overworked and not available to do the job for which it was intended, which is keeping the body healthy and well.

Because aromatase inhibitors are drugs, they do not work indefinitely. Eventually the immune system is able to render them ineffective. Women who have relied on aromatase inhibitors to keep them safe from a recurrence of breast cancer are then left unprotected and uneducated as to what to do to protect themselves.

There is still one more unfortunate effect of aromatase drugs. They take the focus off the real issue which is why a breast cancer developed in the first place. Since cancer is an obvious wake up call that something is radically wrong in the body, this something needs to be addressed. Aromatise inhibitors may keep breast cancer away for awhile, but how about the rest of the body? If the conditions that promoted the breast cancer have not been addressed, there is danger of cancer to other organs and tissues as well as chance for other degenerative disease to get started because this is a body that has already exhibited a willingness to promote disease.

Chrysin found as effective as aromatase inhibiting drug

Chrysin is a flavonoid from Passiflora incarnate, commonly called passion flower. In a study at the University of Minnesota, published in 1993, chrysin and several other flavonoids were compared to an aromatase inhibiting drug used to treat hormone sensitive cancers. Chyrsin was found to be the most effective of all the flavonoids tested, and was found to be equal in potency to the drug.

Chrysin provides several other cancer fighting benefits not found in drugs

Chrysin has additional benefits that aromatase inhibiting drugs do not have. It a potent antioxidant that possesses vitamin-like activity in the body. It is an effective anti-inflammatory through the inhibition of the Cox 2 pathway.

Chrysin has recently been found to block the suppression of natural killer (NK) cells that are seen during surgery. NK cells are part of the immune system. They go after cancer cells and destroy them. During surgery the production of NK cells is suppressed by the body because of the traumatic nature of the event. However, during cancer surgery is the time when NK cells are needed most, so they can go after and kill any cancer cells escaping into the bloodstream that may seed new cancer growths elsewhere in the body. Additionally, chrysin is a potent inhibitor of breast cancer resistance protein, keeping patients who have chosen traditional drug treatments from developing multi-drug resistance.

Since the landmark study published in the September, 1993 Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, many other studies have confirmed the conclusion that chrysin is nature’s most effective aromatase inhibitor. A study reported in the May, 2006 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry studied the effects of several polyphenols on aromatase activity. Again, chrysin was found to be the most capable at inhibiting estrogen production. This study showed red wine, green tea, and black tea also significantly impacting aromatase activity, though to a lesser degree than chrysin.

The ability of chrysin to inhibit aromatization has not been lost on drug companies. Studies have been conducted to determine the effectiveness of altered forms of chyrsin that could qualify to be patented. Because natural substances cannot be patented, drug companies must alter them in some in order to stake a proprietary claim on them. The most recent of these in late 2007 studied methylated forms of chrysin for their effectiveness.

Chrysin should be taken with Piperine for enhanced bioavailability

Piperine is an alkaloid from black pepper that has been shown repeatedly to substantially increase the bioavailability of nutrients from supplements and foods. It has been found to significantly boost the bioavailability of chrysin according to the Life Extension Foundation.

Diet and lifestyle have a lot to do with aromatase

One’s chosen diet and lifestyle are large factors in determining the amount of the aromatase enzyme in the body. Although chrysin is found in flowers, many flavonoids with lesser aromatase inhibiting abilities are found in common fruits and vegetables. Apples, cabbage, onions and garlic are good sources of quercetin, a powerful flavonoid. The flavonoid apigenin is found in parsley, celery and chamomile. Genistein and diadzein are isoflavones found in fermented soy. Red wine is still another source of healing flavonoids. Although alcohol may increase aromatase activity, the flavonoid components of red wine more than make up for it. Chrysin and other flavonoids from flowers are found in significant amounts in bee propolis and bee pollen. Any woman with signs of estrogen dominance may benefit from adding these flavonoid containing foods to her diet.

The aromatase enzyme resides in fat cells. This is why overweight and obesity are linked with breast and other hormone sensitive cancers. With fewer fat cells in the body, less unbalanced estrogen is produced. High levels of insulin, a big factor in weight gain and fat mass accumulation, promote production of the aromatase enzyme. Keeping insulin levels under control by avoiding processed and chemicalized foods will result in lower levels of aromatase and as a consequence, lower levels of unbalanced estrogen in the body. Maintaining adequate zinc levels also helps inhibit production of aromatase.

Grapefruit is a special case

A compound found in grapefruit and grapefruit juice produces an amazing effect according to research from the University of Hawaii. This compound, known as cytochrome p450, inhibits an enzyme group in the same complex as the aromatase enzyme. This enzyme inhibited by grapefruit is involved in breaking down and metabolizing sex hormones. If estrogens are not metabolized, excessive levels can accumulate in the body.

This prospective study, reported in the British Journal of Cancer, July 10, 2007, was based on data collected for the Multiethnic Cohort Study that involved 50,000 postmenopausal women spanning five ethnic groups. It found that grapefruit intake was significantly associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. The increased risk was comparable to the increased risk seen in women taking hormone substitution drugs as part of traditional HRT.

NaturalNews
http://www.annieappleseedproject.or…
http://www.naturalnews.com/024829.html

DM Beaumont et al, The Effects of Chrysin, a Passiflora Incarnata Extract on Natural Killer Cell Activity in Male Sprague-Dawley Rats Undergoing Abdominal Surgery. AANA Journal, April, 2008.

B Ebert et al, Phytochemicals Induce Breast Cancer Resistance Protein in Caco-2 Cells and Enhance Transport of Benzo [a] Pyrene-3 Sulfate, Toxicology Science, April, 2007.