Vitamins C, E Play Role in Reducing Prostate
Cancer and shows that prevention may be the best Prostate Cancer Treatment,
University of Wisconsin Research Team Finds
MADISON, Wis., July 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Medical researchers at the University
of Wisconsin have found that a combination of antioxidant Vitamins C and E can
reduce the effect of male hormones that stimulate prostate cancer cells.
A team led by Dr. George Wilding of the University of Wisconsin's Department
of Medicine reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute:
"Previous studies have suggested that
male hormones (androgens) ... are linked to the development of prostate cancer.
We hypothesized that androgens contribute to prostate carcinogenesis (cancer) by
increasing oxidative stress."
Then, in tests, the five-member team demonstrated that Vitamin C plus Vitamin
E blocked cellular activities that can lead to prostate cancer, showing that
prevention may be the best prostate cancer treatment.
Androgens, or male hormones such as testosterone, are necessary for normal
growth and development of the prostate, the researchers said, but noted that the
same androgens are also suspected of playing a role in prostate cancer.
"Whether they act as initiators ... or as promoters is debatable,"
the team reported. Most investigators agree that male hormones play a role,
however, in either the development of prostate cancer or its progression.
Believing that oxidative stress causes the male hormones to contribute to
age-associated increase in prostate cancer and subsequent prostate cancer
treatment, the researchers turned to two
antioxidant vitamins known to inhibit oxidative stress, Vitamins C and E.
Noting that previous studies of antioxidants had provided encouraging data on
prostate cancer treatment prevention, the University of Wisconsin team turned to a
combination of the two vitamins to test whether they could influence the adverse
effects of androgens, and found that the androgen activity was "diminished
by Vitamins C and E."
The earlier studies included reports that long-term intake of Vitamin E in
supplement form reduced prostate cancer incidence by 32 percent and reduced
prostate cancer deaths by 41 percent in cigarette smokers.
The new findings, showing that the combined Vitamins C and E reduced the
effects of the androgens to stimulate prostate cancer cells, merit further
study, the researchers said.
"Defining the pathways involving androgens, oxidative stress and
prostate carcinogenesis and determining the capacity of antioxidants to
favorably intervene appear to be topics worthy of further pursuit," the
research team concluded.
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