In the fight against prostate cancer, call in the mighty tocotrienols

There’s one thing on the mind of every single man I know over 50. (No…not that. That’s on their minds from about age 13 on.)

It’s their prostate…and the fear of prostate cancer.

Because, men, it’s an indisputable fact: Once you reach a certain age, then simply because of your age, you’re at higher risk of developing prostate cancer.

Here to help

Even when prostate cancer is successfully treated, the cancer returns in about 70 percent of cases. Needless to say, that rate of recurrence is unacceptable.

So what’s behind this incredibly high recurrence rate?

Recent research reveals that prostate cancer stem cells initiate the disease in the first place. Unfortunately, this sub-group of cells is resistant to conventional treatment with chemotherapy.

This appears to be the key behind the relapses. Chemo often controls the bulk of prostate cancer cells, but it doesn’t kill the stem cells. So these surviving stem cells can start up the cancer growth again.

Enter gamma-tocotrienol–one of the eight forms of vitamin E.

New studies from Australia show that gamma-tocotrienol appears to do two very important things:
1) It prevents growth of cancer from prostate cancer stem cells
2) When prostate cancer is detected, gamma-tocotrienol kills normal cancer cells and induces stem cells to self destruct, sharply reducing the likelihood the cancer will return

Now, there is a caveat…

So far, only a mouse study and a lab study support this chain of events. But given that gamma-tocotrienol is a known cancer-fighter, does no harm, and does a lot of good for the heart, this is a course of treatment every prostate cancer patient (or anyone concerned about his prostate) should consider adding to his routine.

Cake & frosting

More than 12 years ago, HSI members first learned about the cancer-fighting qualities of tocotrienol vitamin E.

Back then, we were excited about the effects of the four forms of tocotrienols on breast cancer cells. Like the new prostate cancer study, research showed that tocotrienols helped induce breast cancer cells to self destruct.

More recently, tocotrienol research has shown that these vitamin E forms may also offer significant protection from the DNA damage that promotes cancer growth.

In a 2007 study, 65 healthy adults received either a supplement that contained all four tocotrienols or a placebo. After six months, researchers found that significantly less DNA damage was apparent in the white blood cells of those in the tocotrienol group, compared to the placebo group.

Tocotrienol cancer research still has a long way to go. But in the meantime, it’s hard to go wrong including tocotrienols in your diet (sources include palm oil, cereal grains, rice bran oil, and wheat germ oil) or your supplement regimen.

As Dr. Spreen pointed out in an earlier e-Alert, tocotrienols are “icing on the cake” in delivering cardiovascular benefits. The “cake” in this case is the full spectrum of tocopherols–the other four vitamin E forms.

Dr. Spreen: “There has been considerable peer-review research concerning the benefit of tocotrienols in even more than just cardiovascular disease, to include aging, Alzheimer’s disease, breast disease and others.”

As we keep an eye on the cutting edge of alternative medicine research, I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of tocotrienols. And if you have a prostate, you should be seeing a lot more of them even sooner.

Sources:
“Gamma-tocotrienol as an effective agent in targeting prostate cancer stem cell-like population” International  Journal of Cancer, Published online ahead of print, 7/8/10,  onlinelibrary.wiley.com