Researchers: Zinc Fights Pancreatic Cancer:
The mineral zinc may be a new weapon in the battle against pancreatic cancer, according to a report in Cancer Biology & Therapy. Scientists at the University of Maryland found that zinc appears to suppress tumors of the most common form of the deadly cancer.
“The report establishes for the first time, with direct measurements in human pancreatic tissue, that the level of zinc is markedly lower in pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells as compared with normal pancreas cells,” said lead author Leslie Costello, Ph.D. in a press release.
Scientists found a decrease in zinc levels in cells at the beginning stages of the cancer as well as at its advanced stages.
“The fundamental implication is that we now know something about the development of pancreatic cancer that was not previously known,” continues Costello. “It provides a potential approach to treatment, that is, to find a way to get zinc back into the malignant cells, which will kill them,” he said.
In addition, the scientists uncovered an important genetic factor that may eventually play a role in developing an early diagnostic tool. Malignant cells shut down a zinc transporting molecule called ZIP3, which is responsible for guiding zinc through the cell membrane and into the cells. In essence, the researchers have discovered an early genetic/metabolic change in the development of pancreatic cancer. Cancer researchers previously did not know that the ZIP3 gene expression is lost in malignant pancreatic cells, resulting in lower zinc.
According to the National Cancer Institute, pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). There are about 42,000 new cases annually in the United States, and the NCI estimates that 35,000 will die.
Pancreatic cancer is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage because the cancer often spreads before the symptoms develop. Current treatments may extend survival slightly or relieve symptoms in some patients, but they rarely produce a cure.
Pancreatic adenocarcinoma accounts for the vast majority of pancreatic cancer cases. Tumors arise from epithelial cells that line pancreatic ducts.
Costello and Renty Franklin, Ph.D. have collaborated for many years in the study of the relationship of zinc with prostate cancer, which led them to study pancreatic cancer as well. They began studying the link between zinc and pancreatic cancer because substantial evidence had emerged that zinc may be a tumor suppressor in the development and progression of some cancers.
“We wondered why malignant cells show a lost ability to take up zinc,” said Franklin. “Certain levels of zinc are toxic to the malignant cell.” The researchers say their work implies that it may be possible to develop a chemotherapeutic agent for pancreatic cancer that will get zinc back into and kill the malignant cells.
_________________________________________________________
Potatoes Reduce Blood Pressure:
Many dieters put potatoes on the top of their list of foods to avoid, but the potato’s stereotype as a fattening food is getting a makeover. Scientists report that just a couple servings of spuds a day reduces blood pressure almost as much as oatmeal without causing weight gain.
But don’t order French fries for lunch or reach for the catsup, vinegar or mayonnaise. The research was done with potatoes cooked without oil in a microwave oven. Although researchers used purple potatoes, they believe that red-skin potatoes and white potatoes may have similar effects.
“The potato, more than perhaps any other vegetable, has an undeserved bad reputation that has led many health-conscious people to ban them from their diet,” said Joe Vinson, Ph.D., who headed the research. “Mention ‘potato’ and people think ‘fattening, high-carbs, and 'empty calories’. In reality, when prepared without frying and served without butter, margarine, or sour cream, one potato has only 110 calories and dozens of healthful phytochemicals and vitamins. We hope our research helps to remake the potato’s popular nutritional image," he continued in a press release.
The new research studied 18 patients who were overweight or obese and had high blood pressure. Each patient ate six to eight purple potatoes (each about the size of a golf ball) with skins twice daily for a month. Purple potatoes were used in the study because their pigment (the component that gives fruits and vegetables color) is especially rich in beneficial phytochemicals.
Scientists monitored the patients’ blood pressure, both systolic (the higher number in a blood pressure reading like 120/80) and diastolic. The average diastolic blood pressure dropped by 4.3 percent and the systolic pressure decreased by 3.5 percent, said Vinson, who is with the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania and has done extensive research on healthful components in foods. The majority of subjects took medication for high blood pressure and still had a reduction in blood pressure. None of the study participants gained weight.
Vinson said that other studies have identified substances in potatoes with effects in the body similar to those of the well-known ACE-inhibitor medications, a mainstay for treating high blood pressure. Other phytochemicals in potatoes occur in amounts that rival those found in broccoli, spinach, and Brussels sprouts, and also may be involved, Vinson added.
Unfortunately for fans of French fries and potato chips, high cooking temperatures seem to destroy most of the healthy substances in a potato, leaving mainly starch, fat, and minerals. Potatoes in the study were simply microwaved, which Vinson said seems to be the best way to preserve nutrients.
The purple potatoes used in the study are becoming more widely available in supermarkets and especially in specialty food stores and farmers’ markets. Vinson said that he strongly suspects a future study using white potatoes, now in the planning stages, will produce similar results.
No comments:
Post a Comment