Holistic Health Articles and Research Related to Herbal Medicines, Foods and Phytochemicals

Saturday 22 June 2019

Phytochemical Carotenoids Protects the Eyes of Elderly Against Age-Related Macular Degeneration

By Kyle J. Norton

Age-related macular degeneration is a condition caused by the deterioration of the small central portion of the retina, known as the macula

Macular degeneration happened mostly in adults over 60, is one of the major cause of vision loss.

The exact causes of macular degeneration are not identified. As of today, researchers cannot explain why some elderly are susceptible to macular degeneration while others do not.

However, researchers do know that certain risk factors have been found epidemiologically to induce the risk of macular degeneration including aging, the disease has been found most commonly in people over 50, family history and genetics, race, macular degeneration is more common in Caucasians.

Smoking, obesity and medical condition such as cardiovascular disease are also associated with a higher risk of macular degeneration

There are 2 forms of macular degeneration found in the elderly
* The dry form is caused by the presence of yellow deposits, called drusen under the retina, in the macula. However, the elderly with increased was not at a higher risk of macular degeneration.

* The wet form is caused by the growth of abnormal blood vessels from the choroid, the vascular layer of the eye, underneath the retina.

Compared to the loss of vision of 10% of patients induced by the wet form, most patients of macular degeneration have the dry form which has been found to cause loss of some central vision.

Some researchers suggested that macular degeneration may also be caused by an unhealthy diet. Dr. Martha P. Montgomery wrote, "A 97-item Block food frequency questionnaire was used to gather diet information, and overall diet quality was measured using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI) and Alternate Healthy Eating Index (AHEI)".

And, "Participants in the highest quartile of diet quality had significantly reduced odds of AMD according to the AHEI score (0.54, 95% confidence interval 0.30 – 0.99) and non-significantly reduced odds of AMD according to the HEI (0.75, 0.41 – 1.38). Odds of AMD were also 51% lower in the highest quartile of fish intake compared to the lowest quartile (odds ratio = 0.49, 0.26 – 0.90)".

These results strongly suggested the risk of AMD is many folds higher in people who follow the Western diet compared to those who follow the Oriental diet.
Carotenoids is a class of mainly yellow, orange, or red fat-soluble pigments, including lycopene and carotene, found abundantly in ripe tomato, pumpkins, carrots, corn, and daffodils.

On finding a potential ingredient for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), researchers examined the beneficial role for carotenoids in the prevention of AMD.

Epidemiologically, in a case-control study by comparing the risk AMD in subjects with late AMD, exudative AMD, and retinal pigment abnormalities with the presence of drusen, and an equal number of control subjects,

*Administration of lutein and zeaxanthin induced serum concentrations were not associated with the risk of AMD.

* Consumption of food sources of lutein and zeaxanthin (carotenoids) was associated with reducing the risk of macular degeneration.

* People with higher levels of lutein and zeaxanthin in the blood have a lower risk of AMD.

However, the reduced risk of lutein and zeaxanthin for AMD when levels of the carotenoids are elevated in the serum or diet was not consistent.

Based on the findings, researchers wrote, "Until scientifically sound knowledge is available we recommend for patients judged to be at risk for AMD to alter their diet to more dark green leafy vegetables, wear UV protective lenses and a hat when outdoors".

Taken altogether, carotenoids, particularly lutein and zeaxanthin may be considered a remedy for the prevention and treatment of age-related macular degeneration, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of carotenoids in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Sources

Sources
(1) The role of the carotenoids, lutein, and zeaxanthin, in protecting against age-related macular degeneration: A review based on controversial evidence by Maneli Mozaffarieh,1 Stefan Sacu,1 and Andreas Wedrich. (PMC)
(2) Overall diet quality and age-related macular degeneration by Martha P. Montgomery, M.H.S., Freya Kamel, Ph.D., M.P.H., Margaret A. Pericak-Vance, Ph.D., Jonathan L. Haines, Ph.D., Eric A. Postel, M.D., Anita Agarwal, M.D., Marie Richards, Ph.D., William K. Scott, Ph.D.,* and Silke Schmidt, Ph.D. (PMC)

Healthy Food Tomato Protects The Integrity of Neurons Against Neurological Disorders in Vivo

By Kyle J. Norton

Neurological disorders are class of diseases associated with the brain, the spinal cord including the nerves that connect them.

Most common diseases of neurological disorders are dementia, including ALS. PD, Alzheimer's disease, birth defects of the brain and spinal cord, brain injury and tumor.

Back pain associated with the related nerve damage is one of the common complaints in the US that send many patients to seek help from their doctor. Believe it or not, 80% of the US population will experience back pain at some time in their lives.

There is no single cause of neuro-dysfunction. Lifestyle, infections, genetics, and nutrition-related disease, environment, and physical injuries have been found to some major prevalent factors that induce the onset of neurological abnormalities.

Furthermore, neurological disorders have been found to facilitate psychological symptoms such as anxiety and depression and physical symptoms, depending totally on the neurons affected, including partial or complete paralysis muscle weakness seen on post-stroke patients, difficulty reading and writing and poor cognitive abilities such as patients with dementia.

According to the American Addiction Center, if you experience some of the below symptoms persistently, inclduing headaches, blurry vision, persistent fatigue, changes in behavior, numbness in the legs or arms, changes in coordination or balance weakness, slurred speech and tremors, you should seek help from the professionals immediately, as these may be the first signs of neurological disorders.

Tomato is red, edible fruit, genus Solanum, belonging to family Solanaceae, native to South America. Because of its health benefits, the tomato is grown worldwide for the commercial purpose
and often in the greenhouse.

With an aim to find a natural ingredient for the treatment of neurological inflammatory disease, researchers examined phytochemical lycopene isolated from tomatoes against experimental Parkinson's disease (PD).

The study included PD mice induced by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) oral administration of different doses (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg/day).

All doses showed a strong effect in protecting MPTP induced depletion of striatal dopamine (DA) and its metabolites in a dose-dependent manner.

Application of all doses also attenuated MPTP-induced oxidative stress and motor abnormalities in mice treated with MPTP.

Furthermore, according to the western blot assay, lycopene protected the neurons against MPTP induced apoptosis through its antioxidant and antiapoptotic properties.

In other words, lycopene in different doses exerted a PD protective activity by restoring the neurochemicals, neuron apoptosis caused by overexpression of free radicals.

Based on the findings, researchers said, " lycopene reverses neurochemical deficits, oxidative stress, apoptosis and physiological abnormalities in PD mice and offers promise strategy in the treatment of this neurodegenerative disease".

Moreover, in Alzheimer's disease (AD), associated with neuroinflammation characterized by glial activation and release of proinflammatory mediators, researchers examined the efficacy of lycopene against β-Amyloid1-42 (Aβ1-42)-induced learning and memory impairment in an animal model.

In selected induced Aβ1-42 bilaterally followed by treatment with lycopene or rivastigmine for 14 days, lycopene remediated Aβ-induced learning and memory deficits in a dose-dependent manner.

Additionally, lycopene treated group showed to ameliorate the side effects of Aβ1-42-induced mitochondrial dysfunction along with a surge of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, TGF-β, and IL-1β) and protein associated with inflammatory signaling and neuron apoptosis.

Dr. Sachdeva AK, the lead scientist after taking other factors into account, wrote, "The amelioration of Aβ1-42-induced spatial learning and memory impairment by lycopene could be linked, at least in part, to the inhibition of NF-κB activity and the down-regulation of expression of neuroinflammatory cytokines, suggesting that lycopene may be a potential candidate for AD treatment".

Taken altogether, tomatoes processed abundantly bioactive ingredient lycopene may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of angiotensin caused by oxidative stress, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of lycopene in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Sources
(1) Neuroprotective effect of lycopene against MPTP induced experimental Parkinson's disease in mice by Prema A1, Janakiraman U1, Manivasagam T2, Thenmozhi AJ. (PubMed)
(2) Lycopene abrogates Aβ(1-42)-mediated neuroinflammatory cascade in an experimental model of Alzheimer's disease by Sachdeva AK1, Chopra K. (PubMed)
(3) Neurological Problem Symptoms, Causes, and Effects by the American Addiction Center

Turmeric Protects the Digestive Linings Against Peptic Ulcers

By Kyle J. Norton

A peptic ulcer is a sore on either the lining of the stomach or duodenum caused by long-term production of digestive acids.

In other words, peptic ulcer can be caused by Helicobacter pylori infection or long-term injection of drugs that weaken the lining of the stomach or duodenum.

There are 2 types of peptic ulcer, including

* Gastric ulcers that affect the lining of the stomach

* Duodenal ulcers that affect the upper portion of the small intestine.

Most common symptom of peptic ulcer is the burning sensation in the stomach. In severe cases, some patients may also experience symptoms vomiting or vomiting blood, inclduing red or dark stool, nausea or vomiting.

If you have some of the aforementioned symptoms, please check with your doctor to rule out the possibility.

Epidemiological studies suggested that smoking-induced risk of bacterial infection, excessive drinking alcohol drinking and eating spicy food, in the long run, can erode the lining of the stomach and induced overproduction of stomach acid.

Dr. Eastwood GL in the examination of the role of smoking in peptic ulcer disease wrote, "Cigarette smoking appears to be a risk factor for the development, maintenance, and recurrence of peptic ulcer disease. Smoking has an inconsistent effect on gastric acid secretion, but it does have other effects on the upper gastrointestinal function that could contribute to the pathogenesis of peptic ulcer disease".

And, " smokers will benefit immediately by stopping or reducing cigarette consumption".

Conventionally, the most common treatment of peptic ulcer is to prevent further damage by reducing levels of stomach acid so the lining can be healed itself.

In patients with a bacterial infection, antibiotics may be prescribed.

Turmeric is a perennial plant in the genus Curcuma, belonging to the family Zingiberaceae, native to tropical South Asia.

The herb has been used in traditional medicine as anti-oxidant, hypoglycemic, colorant, antiseptic, wound healing agent, and for the treatment of flatulence, bloating, and appetite loss, ulcers, eczema, inflammations, etc.

On finding a natural compound for the treatment of peptic ulcer, researchers examined the efficacy of adjunctive therapy with curcumin on the eradication of Helicobacter pylori infection and severity of dyspepsia in patients with PU.

The randomized double-blind placebo-controlled parallel-group trial, included patients diagnosed with PU assigned to standard H. pylori eradication triple therapy with clarithromycin (500 mg b.i.d.), amoxicillin (1 000 mg b.i.d.) and pantoprazole (40 mg b.i.d.), and randomized to receive either curcumin (500 mg/day) or placebo as adjunct to standard treatment.

Compared to conventional treatment groups, adjunctive therapy including curcumin was associated with greater improvement of dyspepsia symptoms according to the HKDI score.

Furthermore, in the curcumin treatment group, dyspepsia resolved during the course of treatment was significantly higher (27.6 %) compared to placebo (6.7%) group.

According to the UBT test, curcumin exerted a similar effect (73.3%) against H. pylori.

In other words, curcumin protects the gastrointestinal tract against the onset of peptic ulcer.

Based on the findings, researchers said, "Addition of curcumin on top of the standard anti-helicobacter regimen in patients with PU is safe and improves dyspepsia symptoms but has no enhancing effect on the eradication of H. pylori infection".

In order to understand the possible anti-inflammatory mechanisms through which MTrPP delivered antiulcer effects, researchers examined the effect of curcumin on rats triggered with early phase gastric inflammation (LPS) followed by ulcer induction (swim-stress) pretreated with MTrPP (150 mg/kg b.w.) for 14 days.

Where MTrPP is a low molecular weight modified pectin from turmeric.

According to the tested results, MTrPP not only offered up to 91% protection by limiting the production of pro-inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-8, NF-κB) but also inhibited the expression of enzymes and matrix associated with the onset of ulcer.

Furthermore, MTrPP also protected the gastrointestinal linning against the initiation of the ulcer by exhibiting the elicitation of gastro-protective mediators such as mucin, prostaglandin E2, NOx, zinc, IgA and inhibiting the expression oxidative stress.

In other words, MTrPP protects all aspect of the gastrointestinal lining by creating a possible environment by switching from the inflammatory to anti-inflammatory phase.

Taken altogether, turmeric processed abundantly bioactive compound curcumin may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of peptic ulcer, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of turmeric in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You How To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Adjunctive Therapy with Curcumin for Peptic Ulcer: a Randomized Controlled Trial by Khonche A1, Biglarian O1, Panahi Y2, Valizadegan G1, Soflaei SS3, Ghamarchehreh ME1, Majeed M4, Sahebkar A. (PubMed)
(2) A modified pectic polysaccharide from turmeric (Curcuma longa) with antiulcer effects via anti-secretary, mucoprotective and IL-10 mediated anti-inflammatory mechanisms by Rajagopal HM1, Manjegowda SB1, Serkad C1, Dharmesh SM. (PubMed)
(3) The role of smoking in peptic ulcer disease by Eastwood GL. (PubMed)

Bromelain Exerts Anti Inflammatory Effects on Airway Inflammation In Vivo

By Kyle J. Norton

Inflammation is a natural defense of the immune system that tries to protect the body against the insult from the foreign invasion.

Acute inflammation occurs quickly or within the hours and lasts a few days or weeks and the damage tissues are healed themselves after all pathogens are killed off.

However, if the immune system can not completely eradicate all invaders in the acute phase of infection, it will compromise, leading to chronic low-grade inflammation, a major cause of cardiovascular disease, arthritis, and diabetes.

Airway inflammation is a lung inflammatory caused by both allergens and immune mistakenly attacks the respiratory tissues.

Chronic airway disease predominantly asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have been increased at an alarming rate in the US over the past 20 years.

According to the statistics provided by the WHO, globally, approximately 65 million people suffer from the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), causing the death of 3 million each year. and 334 million people suffer from asthma, affecting 14% of all children globally.

In the US, the prevalence of chronic airway disease was found to cause a major financial burden to society, with both direct and indirect costs.

Bromelain, a proteolytic enzyme found in pineapples (Ananas comosus) has been used in traditional medicine as an inflammatory agent and to treat pains, strains, and muscle aches and pains and ease back pain and chronic joint pain, skin diseases, etc.

With an aim to discover a natural compound for the treatment of airway inflammation, researchers examined the benefits of alternative asthma treatments, including the ability of bromelain to inhibit inflammation, accompanied by a lifestyle change.

Preexisting asthma via ovalbumin (OVA)-induced murine model of allergic airway disease (AAD) selected to the investigation were randomly assigned to receive phosphate buffered saline (PBS) only or bromelain in PBS.as an intervention group.

According to the results of the sensitized female C57BL/6J mice with intraperitoneal OVA/alum and then challenged them with OVA aerosolization for 10 consecutive days followed by administering daily doses of PBS to the control group (n = 10) and bromelain (6mg/kg) in PBS to the bromelain (intervention) group (n = 10) on day 4, intervention group demonstrated a significant increase of anti-inflammatory activity observed by the reduced BAL total leukocytes (P < .05), eosinophils (P < .05), and cellular infiltrates via lung pathology (P < .005), compared to the control group.

Interesting, bromelain significantly reduced BAL CD4+ and CD8+ T cells ratio without affecting cell numbers in the spleen or hilar lymph node, an indication of reduced hyper-sensitivity of the immunity.

In other words, bromelain protects the airway inflammation in the asthmatic animals by inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines through its anti-inflammation property.

Based on the findings, researchers wrote, "bromelain has a therapeutic effect in established AAD, which may translate into an effective adjunctive therapy in patients with similar conditions, such as allergic asthma, who have chosen to initiate treatment after the onset of symptoms".

Also, according to the results of another study included ovalbumin (OVA)-induced murine model of allergic airway disease (AAD) assigned to either saline, 2 or 6 mg/kg bromelain, twice daily for four consecutive days., bromelain treatment of AAD mice exerted a similar effect compared to the aforementioned experiment.

Bromelain reduced total BAL leukocytes, eosinophils, CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio, and IL-13, through its anti-inflammatory activity.

Dr. Secor ER Jr, the lead scientist wrote at the final report, "The reduction in AAD outcomes suggests that bromelain may have similar effects in the treatment of human asthma and hypersensitivity disorders".

Taken altogether, bromelain may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of allergic airway inflammation, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of bromelain in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Sources
(1) Bromelain limits airway inflammation in an ovalbumin-induced murine model of established asthma by Secor ER Jr1, Shah SJ, Guernsey LA, Schramm CM, Thrall RS. (PubMed)
(2) Bromelain exerts anti-inflammatory effects in an ovalbumin-induced murine model of allergic airway disease by Secor ER Jr1, Carson WF 4th, Cloutier MM, Guernsey LA, Schramm CM, Wu CA, Thrall RS. (PubMed)

Friday 21 June 2019

Cranberry, the Potential Cure of Urinary Tract Infections In Women, PubMed Medical Literature Suggested

By Kyle J. Norton

Urinary incontinence, a medical, psychological, social, economic, and hygienic problem, is a condition of loss of the bladder to control that can lead to mild or severe form of involuntary leakage of urine.

Involuntary urine leakage or urinary incontinence is frequent among elderly women, adult women, even among adolescent women.

According to the statistics provided by the Phoenix Physical Therapy, approximately 25 million adult Americans are living with some form of urinary incontinence in which 75-80% are women.

Believe it or not, about 17% of women and 16% men over 18 years old have overactive bladder(OAB) and an estimated 12.2 million adults have urge incontinence.

All types of urinary incontinence have been found to have a negative impact on the quality of life and daily activity.

Epidemiologically, symptoms of urinary incontinence depending on the types of conditions, including

* Stress incontinence

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) has a significant impact on the quality of life for many women with symptoms of leakage of urine during physical activity, such as coughing, sneezing, laughing, exercising, due to weakening the sphincter pelvic muscles, supporting the bladder and urethra.

* Urge incontinence
Urge incontinence, also known as overactive bladder, is a condition of involuntary loss of urine and intense urge to urine due to bladder spasms or contractions with no apparent reasons.

Urge incontinence is also called overactive bladder.

* Overflow incontinence
Overflow incontinence is a condition of bladder inability to empty completely and the normal flow of urine is blocked that can lead to constantly urine dribbling.

* Mixed incontinence
Mixed incontinence is a condition of a combination of stress incontinence and urgency incontinence.

* Functional incontinence
Functional incontinence is a condition characterized by functioning difficulty that prevent one from urine normally as a result of mental or physical disabilities.

* Total incontinence
Total incontinence is a condition of a total loss of urine control due to certain conditions such as bladder fistula, injury to the urethra, and ectopic ureter.

Cranberry is an evergreen dwarf shrub, genus Vaccinium, belongings to the family Ericaceae, native to Northern America and Southern Asia. Because of its health benefits, cranberry has been cultivated in some parts of the world for commercial profit.

On finding a potential compound for the treatment of urinary tract infection, researchers examined the effect of the efficacy of a concentrated cranberry liquid blend, UTI-STAT with Proantinox, in female patients with a history of recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTIs).

The study included the oral administration of 15, 30, 45, 60, and 75 mL daily for 12 weeks to 28 women with a history of rUTIs <6 months. Only 23 women completed the study

According to the experimental results,

* The maximally tolerated dose of UTI-STAT was 75 mL/d, compared to the recommended dose of 60 mL/d.

* Only 2 (9.1%) out of 23 women report an rUTI, a markedly better rate than the historical data.

* Furthermore, at 12 weeks, the reduction in worry about rUTIs and increased QOL was a significant increase in the tested subjects measured by the Medical Outcomes Study short-form 36-item questionnaire.

* Moreover, the improvement of QOL was also confirmed by the lower American Urological Association Symptom Index.

* The cranberry liquid blend used in the study showed a good safety profile and tolerability in both pre- and postmenopausal women with a history of rUTIs.

Based on the findings, researchers said, "The secondary endpoints demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing the incidence of rUTI and increasing QOL".

Taken altogether, cranberry liquid blend, UTI-STAT with Proantinox, may be considered a remedy for the prevention and treatment of UTIs and rUTIs, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) Novel concentrated cranberry liquid blend, UTI-STAT with Proantinox, might help prevent recurrent urinary tract infections in women by Efros M1, Bromberg W, Cossu L, Nakeleski E, Katz AE. (PubMed)
(2) Can a concentrated cranberry extract prevent recurrent urinary tract infections in women? A pilot study by Bailey DT1, Dalton C, Joseph Daugherty F, Tempesta MS. (PubMed)
(3) Urinary Incontinence - The Symptoms by Kyle J. Norton

Betacyanins Inhibits Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) in Vitro

By Kyle J. Norton

Inflammation is a natural reaction of the immune system against the invasion of the foreign stimuli and pathogens with an aim to protect our body from infection.

In the acute phase of tissue damage or injury, after receiving the information from the neurotransmitters, the white blood cells that response for the first line of defense activate the production of blood platelets and the inflammatory cytokines to the site of infection to destroy the invasive agents.

However, in most cases, overproduction of inflammatory cytokines can damage the nearby cells that lead to improper healing with the formation of scars.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a class of chronic conditions associated with the inflammation of the digestive tract, can be classified into

* Ulcerative colitis is found in the innermost lining of the colon and rectum.

* Crohn's disease is a type of IBD that causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive tract, other than the colon and rectum.

Epidemiological studies suggested that patients with IBD are associated with the symptoms of severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, fatigue, and weight loss. Long-term persistent symptoms such as weight loss may be life-threatening.

If you have experienced some of the aforementioned symptoms, please make sure to check with your doctor to rule out the possibility.

The causes of IBD are unknown. The alternation of the ratio of gut microbiota may be the major culprit in facilitating the onset of IBD.

Dr. Becker C, the lead scientist wrote, "The intestinal microbiota has important metabolic and host-protective functions. Conversely, to these beneficial functions, the intestinal microbiota is thought to play a central role in the etiopathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD; Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis), chronic inflammation of the gut mucosa".

Betacyanins are phytochemicals in the class of red and yellow indole-derived pigments, belonging to the group of Betalains, found abundantly in beets, chard, etc.

On finding a natural pigment for the prevention and treatment of colonic inflammation, researchers examined the effects of beetroot (Beta vulgaris var. Rubra) products and their major component betanin found in betacyanins in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

According to the tested assays,

* Betanin at the concentration of 100 μM for 24 h increased DNA damage in IBD patients' neutrophils. In other words, betanin exhibited cytotoxic activity against the neutrophils isolated from the blood of patients with inflammatory bowel disease--ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), compared to those obtained in colon carcinoma-derived Caco-2 cells.

* Furthermore, betanin treatment in Caco-2 cells with H2O2 also caused a 4-fold increase of DNA strand breaks compared to untreated cells. More precisely, betanin elevated the expression of free radical H2O2 to cause cancer cell death.

* Moreover, pre-treatment with betanin was found to reduce DNA damage in healthy normal cells.

* Additonally, betanin also promoted the activity of procaspase and caspase pro-apoptotic activity to induce cancer cells apoptosis.

Based on the findings, Dr. the lead scientist said, "These results suggest that betanin may support mechanisms that lead to the release of ROS and apoptotic cell death. In this way, betanin may exert anti-inflammatory and potentially cancer preventive activity".

Taken altogether, betacyanins processed abundantly bioactive ingredient betanin may be considered a remedy for the prevention and treatment of liver steatosis, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of betacyanins in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Sources
(1) DNA damage and apoptosis in blood neutrophils of inflammatory bowel diseasepatients and in Caco-2 cells in vitro exposed to betanin by Zielińska-Przyjemska M1, Olejnik A2, Dobrowolska-Zachwieja A3, Łuczak M4, Baer-Dubowska W. (PubMed)
(2) The Intestinal Microbiota in Inflammatory Bowel Disease by Becker C1, Neurath MF1, Wirtz S. (PubMed)

Lycopene Inhibits Skin Cancer Cells Spreading in Vitro

By Kyle J. Norton

Skin cancer is a medical condition associated with irregular cell growth in the skin tissues.

Most cases of skin cancer start in the cells on the surface of the outermost inner lining tissue before penetrating into deeper layers.

After growing in size at the advanced stage, the cells of the tumor may travel a distance away to infect other healthy tissue and organs through blood and fluids circulation.

Most common secondary metastasis of skin cancer is breast, lung, and colon.

Believe it or not, more people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year in the U.S. than all other cancers combined. As of today, there are 58 million American are living with skin cancer.

Approximately, 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70.

If you have experienced some of the symptoms such as a sore that doesn't heal or comes back after healing, a pale white or yellow flat areas that look like scars, raised and scaly red patches, small, smooth and shiny lumps that are pearly white, pink or red, a pink growth with raised edges and indents in the center and a growth that has small blood vessels on the surface of the skin, you may be on the early stage of skin cancer, please check with your doctor immediately.

The 5-year survival of among all people with melanoma of the skin is 92% compared to 100% of the localized skin cancer.

Out of many prevalent factors that cause skin cancer, some researchers suggested exposure to UVB are one most risk associated with skin cancer onset in the US.

Dr. Calzavara-Pinton P, the lead scientist said, "BCC is much more strongly related to measures of intermittent ultraviolet exposure (particularly those of childhood or adolescence) than to measures of cumulative exposure".

And, " In contrast, SCC is more strongly related to constant or cumulative sun exposure. Photobiological studies have clarified that sunlight and UVB radiation are complete carcinogens for AK and SCC although the relationship with UVA exposure is much less known".

Lycopene is a phytochemical in the class of carotenoid, a natural pigment with no vitamin A activity found abundantly in tomatoes and other red fruits and vegetables, such as red carrots, watermelons, and papayas,

Tomatoes provide about 80% of the lycopene in the world diet. In plants, lycopene protects the host against excessive photodamage and perform various functions in photosynthesis.

In the urgency to find a natural compound for the treatment of skin cancer without side effects, researchers evaluated the effect of lycopene, a kind of carotenoid inhibitory function on skin tumor cell migration.

In the human sSCC cell line COLO-16 selected to the study, administration of lycopene inhibited the cell proliferation and migration of COLO-16 cells without affecting the normal keratinocytes.

Furthermore, the inhibitory activity was found by exhibiting Zonula occludens (ZO)-1, inhibition of ZO-1 expression and its failure to accumulate at cell junctions (ZO-1 and claudin-1) have been found to induce cancer progression.

In other words, lycopene inhibited the SCC cell line COLO-16 proliferation by enhancing the expression of the tight junction complexes that regulate the permeability of epithelial against cancer cells.

Additionally, cell cycle division proteins (JNK and ERK ) in the induction of mitogen associated with the decreasing levels of ZO-1 and claudin-1 were also inhibited by the injection of lycopene.

More precisely, lycopene inhibited the progression of human sSCC cell line COLO-16 by reducing the proteins involved in promoting cell cycle division and increasing cancer cell permeability and autophagy,

Based on the findings researchers said, "This study indicates that lycopene might be a useful chemopreventive agent against cSCC".

Taken altogether, lycopene may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of skin cancer, pending on the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Intake of lycopene in the form of supplement should be taken with extreme care to prevent overdose acute liver toxicity.

Natural Medicine for Fatty Liver And Obesity Reversal - The Revolutionary Findings To Achieve Optimal Health And Lose Weight

How To Get Rid Of Eye Floaters
Contrary To Professionals Prediction, Floaters Can Be Cured Naturally

Ovarian Cysts And PCOS Elimination
Holistic System In Existence That Will Show You How To
Permanently Eliminate All Types of Ovarian Cysts Within 2 Months

Back to Kyle J. Norton Homepage http://kylejnorton.blogspot.ca

Author Biography
Kyle J. Norton (Scholar, Master of Nutrition, All right reserved)
Health article writer and researcher; Over 10.000 articles and research papers have been written and published online, including worldwide health, ezine articles, article base, health blogs, self-growth, best before it's news, the karate GB daily, etc.,.
Named TOP 50 MEDICAL ESSAYS FOR ARTISTS & AUTHORS TO READ by Disilgold.com Named 50 of the best health Tweeters Canada - Huffington Post
Nominated for shorty award over last 4 years
Some articles have been used as references in medical research, such as international journal Pharma and Bioscience, ISSN 0975-6299.

Sources
(1) Lycopene upregulates ZO-1 and downregulates claudin-1 through autophagy inhibition in the human cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma cell line COLO-16 by Bi S1,2, Li L1, Gu H1, Li M1, Xu S1, Bu W1, Zhang M1, Zhou Z2, Chen X. (PubMed)
(2) Suppressive effects of lycopene and β-carotene on the viability of the human esophageal squamous carcinoma cell line EC109 by Ngoc NB1,2, Lv P1,3, Zhao WE1. (PubMed)