Indole-3 Carbinol fights breast cancer and cervical cancer by raising the activity of an important tumor suppressing gene

PTEN is a gene that suppresses the growth of tumors. If this gene is damaged it can not do its job and there is an increased risk of developing cancer and cancer incidence of the colon, breast and thyroid are then thought to increase. Indole-3 Carbinol (I3C) is a phytochemical derived from cabbage vegetables; it has proven anticancer efficacy including reducing cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (a bad result on a Pap smear) and reducing its progression to cervical cancer. In breast cancer cell lines I3C inhibits the adhesion of cancer cells to other tissues, inhibits the spreading and the invasion of the breast cancer cells. It does this at least in part, by increasing the activity of the PTEN tumor suppressing gene. In this study the researchers have found that when cervical cells progress from a low grade dysplasia to a higher grade of dysplasia (increasing the likelyhood of cervical cancer) there is a drop in the level of PTEN activity. The implication is that loss of PTEN activity is required for this dangerous transformation. The same scenario was observed in a mouse model for cervical cancer. Giving I3C to the mice increased PTEN activity and this suggests that PTEN activity is one of the ways that I3C fights the development of cervical and other cancers. The research was performed at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset and is published in the March 22nd, 2006 issue of Molecular Medicine.

Studies show it is not the caffeine which helps decrease the risk of developing diabetes but probably the polyphenols.

More evidence that Resveratrol helps prevent kidney damage

Rhabdomyolysis is a painful destruction of muscle fibers causing the release of muscle content into the circulation. Levels of Creatine kinase (or CCK - an enzyme that creates energy in the muscle) and myoglobin (the oxygen carrying protein in muscle that functions like hemoglobin) increase in the blood. These patients generally feel muscle tenderness and muscle aching.The urine can become dark or cola colored. Rhabdomyolysis leads to kidney damage, kidney failure, and death. Rhabdomyolysis accounts for 10% to 40% of all cases of sudden kidney failure (acute renal failure). Statin drugs that reduce cholesterol have caused rhabdomyolysis and then death in some patients. In this study a large amount of a chemical was injected into rats to cause acute renal failure due to rhabdomyolysis. Injury to the kidney was assessed by measuring the level of plasma creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and blood creatinine (not the supplement creatine) in the plasma and by urea clearance by the kidneys.Giving Resveratrol supplementation 60 minutes before injecting the chemical markedly decreased damage to kidney tissue, a drop in kidney function, and production of inflammatory free radicals, while improving antioxidant enzyme levels in the kidneys (protective levels of glutathione, glutathione reductase, catalase, and superoxide dismutase). The study is published in the current issue of the journal Renal Failure (2006;28[2]).