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

Saturday 21 September 2019

Healthy Food Tomatoes inhibit the Growth and Progression of Liver Cancer in Vivo

By Kyle J. Norton

Liver cancer is a chronic condition characterized by irregular cell growth in the liver tissues due to the alternation of cell DNA.

Most cases of primary liver cancer begin in the cells on the surface of the inner lining tissues of the liver.

Patients at the early stage of the liver cancer, due to the small size of the tumor, are asymptomatic. However, at the advanced, after colonizing the deeper layers of the liver, the malignant cells may travel a distance away to infect other nearby tissues, leading to secondary metastasis.

The liver is the largest internal organs with a function that filters out blood coming from the digestive tract before passing them to other parts of the body.

Furthermore, the liver also produces cholesterol that not only aid the gastrointestinal tract in digesting food and absorbing nutrient but also helps to build a strong cell wall, produce vitamin D and steroid hormones.

Also, at the advanced stage, patients with liver cancer may experience upper abdominal pain, abdominal swelling jaundice, and white, chalky stools accompanied by the general symptoms shared by other types of cancer.

According to the statistics provided by the American Cancer Society, in 2019, approximately 42,030 new cases (29,480 in men and 12,550 in women) will be diagnosed in the US.
Liver cancer will also cause the death about 31,780 Americans (21,600 men and 10,180 women) in 2019.

Although there are many risk factors associated with the onset of liver cancer, some researchers suggested that the rise of obesity-induced non-alcoholic liver disease may be a leading cause of liver cancer among Americans.

Dr. György Baffy wrote, "NAFLD is rapidly becoming the most common liver condition, it has been implicated in the worrisome trend of rising HCC incidence in a number of countries, which may offset successful measures in reducing the effect of virus-related liver cancer".

And, "Independently or in synergy with cirrhosis, NAFLD may provide a special oncogenic microenvironment through its pathogenic association with chronic nutrient excess and adipose tissue remodeling, characterized by pro-inflammatory adipokine profiles, lipotoxicity, altered hepatocellular bioenergetics, and insulin resistance".

In other words, you are obese with NAFLD, you are at an increased risk of liver cancer.

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 potential compound for the treatment of liver cancer, researchers examined the effect of lycopene from tomatoes against NAFLD and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

The study included tobacco carcinogen 4-(N-methyl-N-nitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) induces lesions in both lungs and livers of ferrets with or without lycopene intervention.

More precisely, selected male ferrets (6 groups, n = 8-10) were treated either with NNK (50 mg/kg BW, i.p., once a month for four consecutive months) or saline with or without dietary lycopene supplementation (2.2 and 6.6 mg/kg BW/day, respectively) for 26 weeks.

Before treatment of lycopene, NNK group showed a higher incidence of lung tumors, HCC, and steatohepatitis and elevations in bilirubin and AST levels.

Administration of lycopene supplementation at two doses not only prevented NNK-induced expressions of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor in the lung associated with liver injury and cells damage but also reduced the expression of a protein associated pro-inflammation, particularly, in the level of CYP2E1 involved in the metabolism of xenobiotics in the body in the liver

Furthermore, lycopene also attenuated the NNK-induced mortality and pathological lesions in the liver of ferrets.

Based on the results, researchers said, "The present study provided strong experimental evidence that the tobacco carcinogen NNK can induce both HCC and steatohepatitis in the ferrets and can be a useful model for studying tobacco carcinogen-associated NAFLD and liver cancer".

Moreover, in the examined the natural whole foods which process anti-liver cancer potential, Dr. Zhou Y, the lead scientist wrote, "..., tomatoes,... These dietary natural products and their active components could affect the development and progression of liver cancer in various ways, such as inhibiting tumor cell growth and metastasis, protecting against liver carcinogens, immunomodulating and enhancing effects of chemotherapeutic drugs".

Taken altogether, tomatoes processed abundantly bioactive compound lycopene may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of liver cancer, 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.

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) Dietary Natural Products for Prevention and Treatment of Liver Cancer by Zhou Y1, Li Y2, Zhou T3, Zheng J4, Li S5, Li HB. (PubMed)
(2) Tobacco carcinogen induces both lung cancer and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and hepatocellular carcinomas in ferrets which can be attenuated by lycopene supplementation by Aizawa K1,2, Liu C1, Tang S1, Veeramachaneni S1, Hu KQ1, Smith DE3, Wang XD. (PubMed)
(3) Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, and Prevention by György Baffy. (PMC)

Carotenoids Reduce the Risk of Pancreatic Cancer

By Kyle J. Norton

The pancreas is an oblong flattened gland in the digestive and endocrine system located in the abdomen. By secreting pancreatic juice to the small intestine, pancreas aids the digestive system to break down carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids.

Traditional Chinese medicine suggested that pancreas is a vital organ responsible for the absorption of foods' qi and nutrients before passing them to other organs to nourish our body.

Pancreatic cancer is a chronic condition of a malignant neoplasm of the pancreas. In other words, pancreatic cancer occurs when the cells DNA in the tissues of the pancreas are altered, leading to abnormal cell growth.

Most cases of pancreatic cancers start in the cells on the surface of the inner lining of the ducts (an exocrine component of the pancreas) that carry pancreatic juices originated in glandular tissue accounts for over 75 - 90% of all cases of exocrine cancers.

The causes of pancreatic cancer are not identified. However, researchers do know certain risk factors can increase the risk of the condition including

* Age

The risk of the disease increases with age. It may be caused by wear and tear or due to a diet which has stressed out of the organ.

* Gender
Men are at higher risk than women to develop pancreatic cancer due to more men are smokers and heavy drinkers

* Foods contamination with a chemical agent
As a result of contamination of food qi absorbed by the pancreas during digestion (TCM)
No one knew how cigarette carcinogens trigger pancreatic cancer but there is a link.

* Alcohol
Researchers suggested that pancreatic cancer may be a predisposed of chronic pancreatitis due to excessive alcohol drinking.

* Family history
Studies showed that 5–10% of pancreatic cancer patients have a family history of pancreatic cancer.

* The Western diet
Diet high in fat, sugar, artificial sweeteners, low veggies, and fruits are at risk to develop pancreatic cancer.

* Diabetes
The onset of diabetes is the early sign of the disease.

* Obesity
Obesity is one of the major cause of diabetes.

* Smoking
According to the American Cancer Society, smoking increases the risks of pancreatic cancer.

Believe it or not, most people with some of the aforementioned symptoms have never developed pancreatic cancer.

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 compound for the prevention and treatment of pancreatic cancer, researchers examined the protective effect of several antioxidants and other nutrients including carotenoids on pancreatic cancer risk.

The study included 446 incidences of pancreatic cancer cases matched with 446 controls by age at blood collection, study center, sex, date and time of blood collection, fasting status and hormone use.

In chemical analysis of the effect of carotenoids, researchers found that

* Plasma β-carotene showed an inverse association with pancreatic cancer risk with relative odd ratio risk of highest vs. lowest quartile of 0.52.

* The relative odds ratio risk of highest vs. lowest quartile of Zeaxanthin was 0.52.

* The relative odds ratio risk of the highest vs. lowest quartile of α-tocopherol was 0.62.

More interestingly, in geographical analysis, the serum of α- and β-carotene, lutein, the sum of carotenoids and γ-tocopherol was vary depending on the region and location of the people live.

Based on the findings, researchers said, " our results show that higher plasma concentrations of β-carotene, zeaxanthin and α-tocopherol may be inversely associated with risk of pancreatic cancer, but further studies are warranted".

These results strongly suggested that all compounds found in carotenoids work synergistically to enhance the bioactive phytochemical anti-pancreatic cancer property.

Taken altogether, carotenoids may be considered a remedy for the prevention and treatment of pancreatic cancer, 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) Plasma carotenoids, vitamin C, retinol and tocopherols levels and pancreatic cancer risk within the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition: a nested case-control study: plasma micronutrients and pancreatic cancer risk by Jeurnink SM1, Ros MM, Leenders M, van Duijnhoven FJ, Siersema PD, Jansen EH, van Gils CH, Bakker MF, Overvad K, Roswall N, Tjønneland A, Boutron-Ruault MC, Racine A, Cadeau C, Grote V, Kaaks R, Aleksandrova K, Boeing H, Trichopoulou A, Benetou V, Valanou E, Palli D, Krogh V, Vineis P, Tumino R, Mattiello A, Weiderpass E, Skeie G, Castaño JM, Duell EJ, Barricarte A, Molina-Montes E, Argüelles M, Dorronsoro M, Johansen D, Lindkvist B, Sund M, Crowe FL, Khaw KT, Jenab M, Fedirko V, Riboli E, Bueno-de-Mesquita HB. (PubMed)

Phytochemical Lycopene Anti-Oxidative stress and Anti-Inflammation Against the Complications Type 2 Diabetes in Vivo

By Kyle J. Norton

Oxidative stress is a condition caused by the imbalanced ratio of the levels of antioxidant enzymes produced by the host and free radical in the body.

Antioxidants are stable atoms that inhibit oxidation.

Oxidative stress over time has been found to induce damage of protein, lipid, and cell DNA associated with the incidences of chronic disease, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancers.

Free radicals are unstable atoms with an unpaired electron in the outermost ring. Therefore, in order for them to become stable, free radicals are ready to steal or donate an electron from or to other atoms, leading to a chain of reaction that can only be stopped if all electrons are paired.

Believe it or not, free radicals generated from cell metabolism or from the environment in a moderate amount play a critical role in the synthesis of energy and boosting the immune system.

Oxidative stress can be preventable if antioxidants in the body can pair all electrons in the outer ring of free radicals.

Inflammation is a natural response of the immune systematics reaction that protects the body against invasive foreign microorganisms.

In the acute phase of infection, the white blood cells of the first line of defense not only stimulates the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines to fend of foreign invaders.

During the acute phase of infection, depending on the individual immune system capacity, overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines may cause damage to nearby healthy cells, leading to the formation of scars in some people.

Most cases of infection are stopped at the acute phase of infection. The wound is slowly healed within a few days or weeks.

Diabetes is a medical and chronic condition caused by insufficient insulin entering the bloodstream to regulate the glucose.

Most cases of diabetes are either caused by cells in pancreas dying off or receptor sites clogged up by fat and cholesterol.

Diabetes complications are a group of diseases associated with long-term uncontrol hyperglycemia.

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.

With an aim to find a potential compound for the prevention of diabetic complications, researchers examined the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of lycopene on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) animal model.

The study consisted of rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes randomly divided into four groups, receiving a 10-week lycopene intervention, including DM, DM + low dose of lycopene (L), DM + medium dose of lycopene (M), and DM + high dose of lycopene (H) group with 0, 5, 10, and 15 mg/kg BW lycopene, respectively.

According to the results from the tested assays,
* Oxidative stress and inflammatory factors were elevated in DM rats.

* Lycopene intervention decreased the fasted blood glucose (FBG) level, in DM rats compared with the untreated control.

* Lycopene at a dose-dependent decreased the serum oxidative stress biomarkers in DM rats.

* Levels of proteins associated with Inflammatory factors in DM rats were also decreased by lycopene intervention.

* Furthermore, lycopene administration also promoted the expression of total antioxidative capacity in DM rats including CAT, SOD, and GPx against the overexpression of free radicals

The findings strongly suggested that lycopene protects against diabetic progression and prevents further complications of diabetic rats through a number of aforementioned mechanisms.

Based on the results researchers said, " lycopene intakes at experimental dosages appear to have beneficial effects on ameliorating oxidative stress and inflammation in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats, suggesting that lycopene might help to improve T2DM progression when its daily intake is up to about 0.79 mg/kg BW in humans, which approximately equals to 5 mg/kg BW in rats".

In other words, lycopene inhibits the diabetes complication involved in overexpression of oxidative stress and inflammation in type 2 diabetes.

Taken altogether, lycopene found in tomato may be considered supplements for the prevention of complications associated with oxidative stress and inflammation in type 2 diabetics, 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.

Healthy Food Turmeric Protect Our Skin Against Chronic Ultraviolet B Irradiation

By Kyle J. Norton

Ultraviolet, found in 10% of sunlight is a spectrum of wavelength between the visible light and X-rays.

Chronic ultraviolet B irradiation is a condition of long-term exposure to ultraviolet B associated with mast cell degranulation and the release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in facilitating the production of skin proinflammatory cytokines.

Chronic ultraviolet B irradiation also links to a weakened immune system and induces the protein, lipid, and cell damage caused by the exposure to ultraviolet B in the initiation of overexpression of free radicals.

The common symptoms of chronic ultraviolet B irradiation are sunburn, darkening, and thickening of the outer layer of the skin, and in some cases, it can lead to melanoma and other types of skin cancer.

Acutely, arc-eye and snow-blindness, retinal damage and sunburn and chronically, besides skin cancer, photoaging, and senile cataracts have been found in people who expose to ultraviolet radiation in the workplace.

You can prevent chronic ultraviolet B irradiation-induced skin damage in the sunny summer days by applying sunscreen, covering your skin with proper clothing and hat, wearing sunglass, limiting yourself to go out between 11Am to 3 PM and not stay in open area to the sun for a long period of time.

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.

With an aim to find a potential compound for the treatment of chronic ultraviolet B irradiation-induced skin damage, researchers examined the effects of turmeric on chronic ultraviolet B (UVB)-irradiated skin damage.

In low-dose ultraviolet B irradiation in melanin-possessing hairless mice, extract (at 300 or 1000 mg/kg, twice daily) exerted a significant skin protective activity by preventing an increase in skin thickness and a reduction in skin elasticity.

Furthermore, the extract also prevented the formation of wrinkles and melanin (at 1000 mg/kg, twice daily) and protected the skin by increasing the diameter and length of skin blood vessels.

Moreover, turmeric extract also exhibited the expression of important enzymes (matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2)) involved in skin tissue metabolism.

Based on the finding, researchers said, "Prevention of UVB-induced skin aging by turmeric may be due to the inhibition of increases in MMP-2 expression caused by chronic irradiation".

In order to reveal more information about turmeric skin protective effect, researchers examined the ability of curcumin (Cur) on human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs) against ultraviolet A (UVA)-induced photoaging.

The study included HDFs treated with 0–10 µM Cur for 2 h and subsequently exposed to various intensities of UVA irradiation.

According to the tested assays, Cur reduced the accumulation of ROS and restored the activity of antioxidant defense enzymes induced by UVB exposure.

Additionally, pretreatment of Cur. only inhibited the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, inflammation, and skin cell apoptosis associated with UVB but also regulated regulate collagen metabolism by decreasing the protein expression of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 and MMP-3 in collagen degradation.

Researchers after taking other factors into account wrote, "potential benefits of Cur for the protection of HDFs against UVA-induced photoaging and highlight the potential for the application of Cur in skin photoprotection".

Taken altogether, turmeric processed abundantly bioactive compound curcumin may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of chronic ultraviolet B irradiation-induced skin damage, 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.

Bromelain Modulates the Immune Function Against Allergic Airway Disease (AAD)

By Kyle J. Norton

Chronic allergic airways disease (AAD) is a group of the disease characterized by airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR).

Airway inflammation is the hallmark of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) associated with low-grade inflammation caused by persistent production of proinflammatory cytokines by the immune system in the airway.

On the other hand, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) is a cardinal feature of asthma associated with the response of the immune system against pathogens.

Most common symptoms of coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath in reactive airway disease (AAD) may not be due to asthma or other chronic airways conditions.

Conventionally, reactive airway inflammatory disease is treated with medication to control symptoms such as long-term use of an inhaler to relieve attacks and improved quality of life through avoidance of irritants.

If the cause of reactive airway disease is found, most cases of the condition may be cured by medication.

Dr. Jill R. Johnson, the lead scientist in the examination of Allergic Airway Disease: More than Meets the IgE? wrote, "After exposure, allergens crosslink with IgE on mast cells and induce histamine and leukotriene release (6), thereby initiating the allergic response and leading to the classic symptoms of allergy, i.e., sneezing and wheezing".

And, ". Omalizumab binds to the Ce3 domain of free IgE with high affinity (7), thereby inhibiting early- and late-phase asthmatic reactions (8) and decreasing the frequency of exacerbations in severe asthmatics (9). Omalizumab binding also prevents IgE from interacting with Fc«RI and Fc«RII1 on effector cells (mast cells, B cells, eosinophils, dendritic cells, and monocytes), thus impairing their activation and making them less sensitive to allergens, and disabling signaling cascades (10), with the end result of a reduction in symptoms".

In other words, allergic airway disease (AAD) is a result of an immune response upon exposure to the allergens, Therefore, by making the immune system less sensitive to allergens, symptoms of allergic airway disease (AAD) may be reduced.

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 potential compound for the treatment of diseases associated with chronic inflammation, researchers examined the ability of bromelain in reducing the inflammation of preexisting asthma via ovalbumin (OVA)-induced murine model of allergic airway disease (AAD).

The study included female C57BL/6J mice with intraperitoneal OVA/alum and then challenged them with OVA aerosolization for 10 consecutive days.

On day 4, phosphate buffered saline (PBS) was administrated to the control group (n = 10) and bromelain (6mg/kg) in PBS were administrated to the bromelain (intervention) group (n = 10).

According to the tested assays, bromelain treatment of AAD mice (bromelain group) showed a significant anti-inflammatory activity indicated by reduced BAL total leukocytes, eosinophils, and cellular infiltrates via lung pathology compared to the control group.

Furthermore, bromelain also significantly reduced bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) CD4+ associated and CD8+ T cells d with the T helper 2 (TH2) cells in the promotion of allergic inflammation process without affecting cell numbers in the spleen or hilar lymph node.

The efficacy bromelain in the inhibition was attributed to the decreased interleukins involved in the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

In other words, bromelain protects asthma patient against allergic airway inflammation through its strong anti-inflammatory property.

Based on the results, researchers said, "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".

In order to find more information about bromelain anti-ADD activity, researchers investigated the effect of bromelain treatment in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced murine model of allergic airway disease (AAD).

Selected mice were sensitized with intraperitoneal (i.p.) OVA/alum and challenged with daily OVA aerosols to induce ADD followed by the treatment of with either saline, 2 or 6 mg/kg bromelain, twice daily for four consecutive days.

According to the findings, bromelain showed a similar effect as the aforementioned results in reduced total BAL leukocytes, eosinophils, CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio, and IL-13.

Taken altogether, bromelain may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of allergic airway disease ADD, 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)
(3) Allergic Airway Disease: More than Meets the IgE? by Jill R. Johnson, Ph.D. and James A. Harker, Ph.D

Friday 20 September 2019

Whole Food Onion, A Natural Prevention of Pancreatic Cancer, Scientists Say

By Kyle J. Norton

The pancreas is an oblong flattened gland in the digestive and endocrine system located in the abdomen.

The gland not only plays a critical role in aiding the digestive system to break down carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids by secreting pancreatic juice to the small intestine but also regulates the production of the hormone insulin to convert glucose to energy from the bloodstream.

Pancreatic cancer is a chronic and medical condition caused by cell growth disorderly in the pancreas innermost layer.

Pancreatic cancer found in the ducts (an exocrine component of the pancreas) that carry pancreatic juices with cancer of an epithelium that originates in glandular tissue accounts for over 75 - 90% of all cases of pancreatic cancers.

At the advanced stage, cancerous cells from the primary pancreas can also travel a distance away to infect other healthy tissue and organ, leading to secondary metastasis.

According to the statistics provided by the American Cancer Society, in 2019, approximately 56,770 Americans including 29,940 men and 26,830 women will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and pancreatic cancer will also cause the death of 45,750 Americans including 23,800 men and 21,950 women.

And the average lifetime risk of pancreatic cancer is about 1 in 64.

Most common symptoms of pancreatic cancer are

* Back pain is casued tumor grows in the back of the pancreas.

* Unexplained weight loss
Any unintentional weight loss over 10% may be a symptom of cancer.

* Loss of appetite
This is a general and common symptom in all forms of cancer.

* Pain and discomfort in the stomach area is a result of an oversized tumor that presses on the nerves in the area.

* Jaundice is a result of the oversized tumor that blocks the bile duct, causing bile back up to the liver.

* Fat in stool increase is a result of reduced bile that digests fat to the digestive system.

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

The onion is a plant in the genus Allium, belonging to the family Alliaceae, a close relation of garlic. It is often called the "king of vegetables" because of its pungent taste and found in a large number of recipes and preparations spanning almost the totality of the world's cultures.

Depending on the variety, an onion can be sharp, spicy, tangy, pungent, mild or sweet.

With an aim to find a potential compound for the treatment of pancreatic cancer, researchers conducted a population-based case-control study to investigate the association between vegetables and fruits and pancreatic cancer.

According to the results of 532 cases and 1,701 age- and sex-matched controls completed direct interviews between 1995 and 1999, onion showed a related risk ratio of 0.46 compared to 0.78 for citrus fruits and juice, 0.63 for dark leafy vegetables, 0.76 for cruciferous vegetables, 0.59 for yellow vegetables, 0.56 for carrots, 0.51 for beans.

In other words, the risk of pancreatic cancer is significantly lower in onion consumption compared to other healthy vegetables and fruits.

More precisely, included onion and garlic in your diet, the risk of pancreatic cancer was 0.49 (0.36-0.68) for more than nine servings per day compared to those of less than five servings per day of total vegetables and fruits combined.

The results strongly suggested that onion and garlic have a much strong effect on pancreatic cancer compared to other fruits and vegetable.

Taken altogether, onion used alone or combined with other fruits and vegetable may be considered a remedy for the prevention and treatment of pancreatic cancer, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.

Sources
(1) Vegetable and fruit intake and pancreatic cancer in a population-based case-control study in the San Francisco bay area by Chan JM1, Wang F, Holly EA. (PubMed)

Herbal Turmeric, a Natural Prevention and Treatment of Diabetes

By Kyle J. Norton

Diabetes is a medical condition characterized by insufficient insulins in the bloodstream. or insulins in the bloodstream are not used properly to convert glucose to energy.

Epidemiologically, diabetes is caused either the beta cells in the pancreas died-off or insulin receptors with a function that use insulin to convert glucose to energy clogged-up by fat or cholesterol.

In a healthy individual, after eating, the rise of blood glucose triggers the production of insulin by the pancreas into bloodstream After you eat, your blood sugar (glucose) rises. This rise in glucose triggers your pancreas to release insulin into the bloodstream that travels through the blood to your body's cells before converting glucose into energy or store it to use later.

In other words, insulin released by the pancreas joints with the Insulin receptors on the outer part of a cell that binds insulin in the blood to convert glucose to energy.

If insulin produced by the pancreas can not bind with the insulin receptors, the levels of glucose in the blood remain high that triggers more release of more insulin by the pancreas, leading to insulin resistance, a hallmark of type 2 diabetes.

Diabetics with long-term untreated hyperglycemia may induce some serious complications

* Gangrene
Gangrene is a condition of the death of tissue in part of the body.

* Loss of sensation in limbs
According to Dr. Boulton AJ. at the universities of Manchester, neuropathy is silent in up to 50% of patients.

*Amputation
Amputation is a result of nerve damage and poor blood circulation to the foot of that can lead to poor healing of foot-ulceration.

* Diabetic retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is a condition that causes damage to the blood vessels of the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.

* Diabetic gastropathy
Diabetic gastropathy a condition of neuromuscular dysfunctions in the stomach, including abnormalities of gastric contractility, tone, and myoelectrical activity in patients with diabetes(30).

* Oral and dental complications
According to the study by Department of Medicine, MLN Medical College, Allahabad, oral manifestations in DM of which included periodontal disease in 34%, oral candidiasis in 24%, tooth loss in 24%, oral mucosal ulcers in 22%, taste impairment in 20%, xerostomia and salivary gland hypofunction in 14%, dental caries in 24%, and burning mouth sensation in 10% cases.

* Recurrent infections
Women with diabetes have an increased risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs), especially recurrences. Relapses and reinfections were reported in 7.1% and 15.9% of women with diabetes versus 2.0% and 4.1% of women without diabetes.

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 to treat flatulence, bloating, and appetite loss, ulcers, eczema, inflammations, etc.

On finding a natural compound for the treatment of diabetes with no side effects researchers investigated the anti-diabetic capacity of Curcuma longa volatile oil in terms of its ability to inhibit glucosidase activities.

According to the tested results, turmeric volatile oils are more effective in the inhibition of glucosidase enzymes compared to those of reference standard drug acarbose.

More precisely, the efficacy of turmeric volatile oils were attributed to the drying of rhizomes in enhancing α-glucosidase (IC₅₀ = 1.32-0.38 μg/ml) and α-amylase (IC₅₀ = 64.7-34.3 μg/ml) inhibitory capacities, particularly in Ar-Turmerone, the major volatile component.

In order to reveal additional information about the effect of turmeric, researchers investigated the inhibitory property of turmeric as an adjuvant to anti-diabetic therapy.

The human trial including 60 diabetic subjects on metformin therapy randomized into two groups (30 each) either treated with (group I) standard metformin treatment or standard metformin therapy with turmeric (2 g) supplements (group II) for 4 weeks.

According to the experimental results, turmeric supplementation plus metformin-treated type 2 diabetic patient significantly decreased fasting glucose, and HbA1c levels compared to group I.

Futhermore, reduction in lipid peroxidation, MDA, an oxidative stress marker and enhanced total antioxidant status were also found in group II.

Moreover, turmeric also improved the parameters associated with diabetics such as dyslipidemia LDL cholesterol, non HDL cholesterol and LDL/HDL ratio (3.01 ± 0.61, P < 0.01) and reduced inflammatory marker, hsCRP.

Dr. Maithili Karpaga Selvi N, the lead scientist said, "Turmeric supplementation as an adjuvant to T2DM on metformin treatment had a beneficial effect on blood glucose, oxidative stress and inflammation".

Taken altogether, turmeric used alone or combined with other medicine may be considered supplements for the prevention and treatment of diabetes, pending to the confirmation of the larger sample size and multicenter human study.