Active Compounds in Green Tea and Red Wine Halt Alzheimer’s Disease Progression

Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by an unnatural accumulation of amyloid plaque aggregates around nerve synapses that block the transmission of electrical and chemical transmitters that allow the brain to retain a high level of cognitive function and to store and retain memories. Millions of middle aged and older Americans suffer from some stage of Alzheimer’s disease, as the illness continues to escalate at an epidemic rate. It is projected that the prevalence will nearly quadruple in the next 50 years, by which time approximately 1 in 45 Americans will be afflicted with the disease.

Green Tea and Red Wine Extracts Impede Amyloid Formation to Prevent Alzheimer’s Development

The past decade has uncovered a small handful of natural, bioactive compounds that easily cross the blood-brain barrier where they have been found to alter the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers from the University of Leeds in the UK have determined that natural chemicals found in green tea and red wine may disrupt a key step of the Alzheimer's disease pathway. Publishing in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, scientists have identified the process which allows harmful clumps of protein to latch on to brain cells, causing them to die.

Scientists understand that amyloid proteins in the brain clump together to form toxic, sticky balls of varying shapes. These amyloid balls latch on to the surface of nerve cells in the brain by attaching to proteins on the cell surface called prions, ultimately causing nerve cells to malfunction and die. Study co-author Dr. Jo Rushworth commented "We wanted to investigate whether the precise shape of the amyloid balls is essential for them to attach to the prion receptors, like the way a baseball fits snugly into its glove.”

Supplement Daily with EGCG and Resveratrol to Slow Disease Progression

The team wanted to determine if it was possible to prevent the amyloid balls from binding to prions by manipulating their shape and stop the cells from dying. Scientists formed amyloid balls in a test tube and then added them to human and animal brain cells. Study authors concluded "When we added the extracts from red wine and green tea, which recent research has shown to re-shape amyloid proteins, the amyloid balls no longer harmed the nerve cells.”

Researchers determined that the bioactive compounds in green tea and red wine (EGCG and resveratrol) distorted the shape of the amyloid balls, preventing them from binding with prions and disrupting cellular function. Complimentary studies have also determined that curcumin, the active compound in the curry spice turmeric, crossed the delicate blood-brain barrier to halt the advancement of dementia. Health-minded individuals should consume green tea and red wine or take standardized supplements regularly to help prevent the initial development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Deep Fried Foods Increase Aggressive Prostate Cancer Risk by One-Third

Prostate cancer will affect one in six men during the course of their lifetime, as nearly a quarter of a million new cases are diagnosed in the US each year. While many cases of the disease remain localized as a growing number of patients adopt a wait and see attitude toward the traditional slash, burn and poison treatment options, aggressive forms of prostate cancer are on the rise, threatening the lives of thousands of men annually.

Carcinogens Formed When Foods are Fried Dramatically Boost Prostate Cancer Risk

Despite ever-increasing awareness that diet and cooking methods plays a direct role in disease prevention and progression, consumption of overcooked and fried foods continues to increase at an alarming rate. A new research study conducted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, WA has found that regular consumption of deep-fried foods is associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. Publishing in The Prostate, scientists determined the effect appears to be slightly stronger with regard to more aggressive forms of the disease.

Past studies have shown that high heat cooking methods greatly increase the risk of developing not only prostate cancer, but digestive cancers as well. This is the first study to examine how eating fried foods increases the risk of prostate cancer. Study scientists analyzed data from two prior population-based case-control studies involving a total of 1,549 men diagnosed with prostate cancer and 1,492 age-matched healthy controls. Food questionnaires were used to determine consumption of foods including French fries, fried chicken, fried fish and doughnuts. Frequency of eating fried foods was also assessed as part of the overall evaluation.

Eliminate Fried Foods and Replace with Natural Vegetables and Fruits to Slash Cancer Risk

Researchers found that men who ate one or more of these foods at least weekly had an increased risk of prostate cancer that ranged from 30 to 37 percent. The lead study author, Dr. Janet Stanford commented “The link between prostate cancer and select deep-fried foods appeared to be limited to the highest level of consumption, defined in our study as more than once a week, which suggests that regular consumption of deep-fried foods confers particular risk for developing prostate cancer.”

The team determined that frying dramatically increases the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGE’s) on the surface of foods that triggers the formation of carcinogens such as acrylamides (found in carbohydrate-rich foods such as French fries), heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (chemicals formed when meat is cooked at high temperatures), aldehydes and acrolein. Complete avoidance of foods cooked at high temperatures or fried will dramatically lower the risk of developing prostate cancer and other digestive cancers as well.

Vitamin D Important Factor in Aggressive Breast Cancer Prevention and Treatment

Breast cancer strikes more than one-quarter of a million women in the US each year, taking the lives of nearly 40,000 annually. While age, lifestyle, diet and physical activity all play a significant role in development of the disease, an estimated fifteen percent of women fall victim due to genetic susceptibility. Current treatment options include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and vaccine therapy, though extensive research clearly demonstrates that natural compounds, including vitamin D may play an effective role in the prevention and even treatment of breast cancer.

Researchers from Saint Louis University have discovered a molecular pathway that contributes to triple-negative breast cancer, an often deadly and treatment resistant form of cancer that tends to strike younger women. Publishing in The Journal of Cell Biology, scientists identified vitamin D and some protease inhibitors as possible new therapies. Additionally, the study team discovered a set of three biomarkers that can help to identify patients who could benefit from the treatment.

Vitamin D alters gene expression to prevent deadly mutations and lower breast cancer risk

Scientists know that women who are born with BRCA1 gene mutation are at increased risk for developing breast and ovarian cancers within their lifetime and the tumors that arise are frequently the triple-negative type. Genetic expression has been identified as the primary pathway that allows tumor cells to grow unchecked. The study team identified how vitamin D plays a role in turning off this pathway, providing a safe and effective strategy to fight these types of tumors.

The researchers sought to identify specific genes that either express of suppress the production of proteins that ultimately protect or promote the development of cancer cells. Each cell contains an extensive array of mechanisms designed to protect DNA integrity and prevent passing potentially damaging mutations to the next generation of daughter cells. BRCA1 is a well known tumor suppressor gene, as it helps repair DNA double-strand breaks, helping to prevent the initial phase of breast cancer lines. Loss of the BRCA1 gene repair ability greatly increases the risk of developing cancer.

Supplement Daily with Vitamin D to Ensure Maximum Cellular Saturation and Protection

The study team identified a critical DNA repair factor known as 53BP1 that becomes impaired with BRCA1 gene degradation, and determined that treatment of BRCA1-deficient tumor cells with vitamin D restores high levels of 53BP1, which results in increased genomic instability and reduced proliferation. The team determined that treatment with a combination of vitamin D and PARP inhibitors could represent a novel therapeutic strategy for breast cancers with poor prognosis.

Extensive research over the past decade has clearly shown that sub-optimal levels of vitamin D greatly increase the risk of many forms of cancer, as the prohormone unlocks the necessary blueprint to accurate cellular replication and elimination of mutations. This important study is among the first to identify vitamin D as a key to prevention and even treatment in the most resistant cases of triple-negative breast cancer lines. Most women will want to ensure they maintain optimal vitamin D blood levels between 50 and 70 ng/mL (higher for those fighting the disease) for protection against this deadly form of breast cancer.