Vitamin E and Lycopene combination needed for prostate cancer

Dutch researchers put mice on a regular mouse chow diet that was low in Vitamin E and they also caused the occurrence of prostate cancer in them. The mice were split into different groups - one group received an inactive placebo, the second group received Vitamin E alone, the third and fourth received natural Lycopene alone at two potencies, and the last group received a combination of Lycopene with Vitamin E. At 95 days the single supplements had little effect in fighting tumor growth compared to placebo. However, the combination of Lycopene with Vitamin E caused a beneficial 73% reduction in the size of tumor growth and this group of mice lived 40% longer than the placebo group. The study is published in the May 2006 issue of the Journal of Nutrition.

Commentary by Jerry Hickey, R.Ph.

Yesterday we reported that taking a combination of Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and ibuprofen prevented the onset of Alzheimer's disease in patients who inherited a gene from their parents that puts them at high risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.

Researchers find important way that COX-2 inhibiting arthritis drugs increase blood pressure and heart attack risk

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have found out how COX-2 inhibiting drugs like Celebrex increase blood pressure and the risk of heart attack. When the drugs powerfully inhibit the COX-2 enzyme they decrease pain and inflammation. However, this same high level of COX-2 enzyme inhibition apparently inhibits the protective lipid mediator known as Prostacyclin. At the same time it has no effect on the problematic lipid mediator known as Thromboxane. Prostacyclin is a vasodilator that relaxes blood vessels allowing a better flow of blood, and it also helps inhibit abnormal blood clotting. Thromboxane on the other hand causes vasoconstriction or tightening of the blood vessels and also increases the stickiness of platelets (blood clotting cells) increasing the risk of a blood clot. By inhibiting Prostacyclin while ignoring Thromboxane the bodies balance is thrown off resulting in the rise of blood pressure and increased risk of heart attack seen with COX-2 drug use. The study is published in the April 2006 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.