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Submitted by Greg Arnold, March 3, 2004, Abstracted from "In the Clover"
in the March 2004 issued of Taste For Life Magazine
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For men over 50, one of the biggest concerns is benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer, and with good reason. In 1997, approximately 209,900 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed that resulted in 41,800 deaths (1). Early detection is critical, since chemotherapy and immunotherapy cannot currently cure prostate cancer once it has spread beyond the gland (2). Benign prostatic hyperplasia is another condition that can cause urinary problems and is seen in 80 percent of all men over 80 (3).
Whenever supplemental treatment for prostate problems is discussed, saw palmetto always comes to mind because of its comparable results with finasteride, a prescription drug for prostate problems, in lowering dihydrotestosterone levels, which increase prostate size (4). Now, a new supplement may help saw palmetto: red clover.
In a recent study out of Australia, thirty-eight patients were recruited to the study upon diagnosis of prostate cancer. Before surgery, 20 men consumed 160 mg/day of red clover-derived dietary isoflavones. Surgery was then performed on both groups, and the rate of apoptosis (cell death) was compared between the groups taking red clover and the control group. The researchers found apoptosis in the red clover group to be "significantly higher" than the control group, specifically in regions with low to moderate-grade cancer. What's more, no adverse events related to the treatment were recorded.
These results led the researchers to conclude "dietary isoflavones may halt the progression of prostate cancer by inducing apoptosis in low to moderate-grade tumors, potentially contributing to the lower incidence of clinically significant disease." (5)
Reference:
1. Naitoh J. Diagnosis and Treatment of Prostate Cancer. American Family Physician 1998; 57(7): 1531-9
2. Von Eschenbach A, Ho R, Murphy GP, Cunningham M, Lins N. American Cancer Society guideline for the early detection of prostate cancer: update 1997. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians 1997; 47: 261-4
3. Dull P. Managing Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. American Family Physician 2002; 66: 77-84
4. Marks LS. Tissue effects of saw palmetto and finasteride: use of biopsy cores for in situ quantification of prostatic androgens. Urology 2001; 57(5): 999-1005
5. Jarred RA. Induction of apoptosis in low to moderate-grade human prostate carcinoma by red clover-derived dietary isoflavones. Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention 2002; 11(12): 1689-96
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