Natural Products for Cancer Prevention/Management (10)

Carotenoids

Carotenoids are organic pigments found in many plants and they are also found in some fungi and bacteria.  There are more than 600 known carotenoids.  Carotenoids play two key roles in plants and algae: (1) they absorb light energy for use in photosynthesis, and (2) they protect chlorophyll from light damage.

Some carotenoids (α-carotene, β-carotene, and β-cryptoxanthin) in the human body can be converted to retinal (one form of vitamin A) and some carotenoids can function as antioxidants. Some carotenoids in the eye (lutein, astaxanthin, and zeaxanthin) can absorb blue and near UV light and protect the retina. 

A number of carotenoids were proven to have anti-carcinogenic activity and may be useful in cancer prevention.  These include α-carotene, β-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene, beta-cryptoxanthin, fucoxanthin, astaxanthin, capsanthin, crocetin and phytoene.

It was reported that women with higher circulating levels of α-carotene, β-carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, lycopene, and total carotenoids may be at lower risk of breast cancer.  Some studies suggest that α-carotene, β-carotene, and zeaxanthin may inhibit the growth of prostate, breast and head and neck cancers.

© Jiajiu Shaw, 2016

Disclaimer: This blog is written solely for informational purposes. It does not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing or other medical professional health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All contents posted are extracted from the book I am writing, "IS CANCER IN US", to be published in about two months.

Natural Products for Cancer Prevention/Management (9)

Quercetin

Quercetin is a representative flavonoid found in many plants including citrus fruit, tea, onion, and apples. Quercetin has been made in capsule form as a dietary supplement for quite some time. It has been shown to have several beneficial biological/pharmaceutical effects, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer.

Most of the research on quercetin and cancer has been done in cell culture (in vitro studies) or animal studies (in vivo studies). One must be cautious that these studies are not equivalent to human clinical trials. In vitro studies indicate that quercetin can slow the growth of some cancer cells. Clinical studies indicate its involvement in tyrosine kinase inhibition but there is no solid clinical evidence indicating that quercetin can prevent or treat cancer.

Some studies suggested potential protective value for quercetin in prostatitis (inflamed prostate), heart disease, and cancer. However, it is not clear what role quercetin played in their findings. All these sound exciting; however, further clinical studies are needed before any scientific conclusions can be made. Nevertheless, it is not a bad idea to include foods that contain quercetin as part of a balanced diet with an emphasis on fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.

© Jiajiu Shaw, 2016

Disclaimer: This blog is written solely for informational purposes. It does not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing or other medical professional health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All contents posted are extracted from the book I am writing, "IS CANCER IN US", to be published in about two months.

Status of this blog as of November 13, 2016

As of November 12, 2016, this blog has been viewed for 4,283 times by people around the world. The top three countries are United States (1,680), Israel (1,298), and Germany (528). People in many other areas are also visiting. These include Brazil, Russia, Taiwan, France, Italy, Philippine, Thailand, United Kingdom, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, Chile, Argentina, Puerto Rico, Kenya, Brunel, and more. Thank for viewing my blog and I sincerely hope that you can learn something from my blog.

As to the browsers used, 51% used Chrome, 22% used Firefox, 15% used Explorer, 6% used Safari, 2% used Qt, and the rest by all other browsers. Again, Chrome is still the primary browser.

As to the operating systems used, 65% used Windows, 18% used Macintosh, 5% used Linux, and the rest by other systems. It is clear that Windows is the most popular operating system used.

By the way, my 2^nd book, Side Effects of Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy, was published in October 2016. If you are interested, the book is available at shawcreativeinc.com and at amazon.com.

Please continue to read my blog and recommend it to your loved ones and friends. Thank you for your visiting.

  

Disclaimer: This blog is written solely for informational purposes. It does not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing or other medical professional health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Some of the contents posted are extracted from the two books I published, IS CANCER IN US and SIDE EFFECTS OF CHEMOTHERAPY AND RADIOTHERAPY.

Natural Products for Cancer Prevention/Management (8)

Flavonoids

Flavonoids are a group of polyphenolic compounds found ubiquitously in plants and in the human diet.  High levels of flavonoids are found in onions, parsley, tea, citrus fruits, berries, dark chocolate, red wine, and gingko biloba.

Flavonoids have been shown to have a wide range of biological and pharmacological activities, including immune-medicated diseases and cancer.

Some clinical trials found that people with diets high in flavonoids may have lower risk of breast, lung, pancreatic, and other types of cancer. 

© Jiajiu Shaw, 2016

Disclaimer: This blog is written solely for informational purposes. It does not constitute the practice of any medical, nursing or other medical professional health care advice, diagnosis, or treatment. All contents posted are extracted from the book I am writing, "IS CANCER IN US", to be published in about two months.