A new theory has come up: Vitamin C may block growth of tumors by destabilizing their ability to grow under oxygen-starved conditions – according to a new study from a team from The Johns Hopkins University.

The team was alerted to a new possible mechanism of antioxidant functioning when it examined cancer cells from those cancer-implanted mice that were not fed antioxidants. There was an absence of any significant DNA damage in these mice.

This led the authors to suspect some other mechanism was involved, such as a protein known to be dependent on free radicals called HIF-1 (hypoxia-induced factor).

This new finding – published and reported this week in the journal Cancer Cell – will lead in more condition-specific and therapeutic uses for Vitamin C.

Read the full report at NutraIngredients.

Post from: Blisstree

Vitamin C’s Cancer-blocking Mechanism, Proposed

• pterostilbene can help lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease
• pterostilbene is a powerful antioxidant that shows cancer-fighting properties similar to those of resveratrol

Such studies have been led by USDA/ARS Chemist Agnes Rimando.

Her recent study with colleagues at Poland’s University of Medical Science which tested pterostilbene (a derivative of resveratrol) and other resveratrols confirmed pterostilbene’s anti-cancer properties.

”…targeted an enzyme called cytochrome P450, which sets off a variety of compounds–known as “procarcinogens–that can turn substances such as cigarette smoke and pesticides into cancer-causing agents. Cytochromes are a factor in people’s varying responses to drugs and toxins entering their bodies.

While more studies are needed to explain the process, in this study, pterostilbene showed strong inhibitory activity (much more than resveratrol) against a particular form of cytochrome P450.

Source: USDA/ARS

[Photo Credit: www.cpq.net]

Post from: Blisstree

New Cancer Inhibitor in the Limelight: Pterostilbene, Move Aside Resveratrol