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Vitamin A Carotenoids Anti Cancer Properties
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Vitamin A May Prevent
Prostate Cancer
Pasquali, Daniela,
et al. Abnormal level of retinoic acid in prostate cancer tissues. Journal of
Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, Vol. 81, No. 6, June 1996, pp. 2186-91
HOUSTON, TEXAS. Vitamin A (retinol) and its biologically active metabolite,
retinoic acid, are known to be useful in the prevention and treatment of certain
cancers such as acute promyelocyte leukemia. Now researchers at the Baylor
College of Medicine report that vitamin A may also play a role in the prevention
and treatment of prostate cancer. The researchers analyzed prostate tissue from
patients with stage 3+ prostate cancer, tissue from patients with benign
prostate hyperplasia (enlarged prostate), and normal tissue. They made several
interesting observations:
- All tissues
tested contained retinol and retinoic acid in various concentrations. The
retinol concentration in tissue from enlarged prostates was 2.5 times higher
than in normal tissue or tissue from cancer patients. Tissue from cancer
patients contained near normal levels of retinol, but only barely detectable
levels of retinoic acid.
- The prostate
contains enzymes which enables it to convert retinol supplied in the diet to
the biologically active retinoic acid.
The researchers
speculate that enlarged prostate tissue contains more retinol than normal and
cancerous tissue either because it is less efficient in converting it to
retinoic acid or because enlarged prostate tissue is more efficient in absorbing
retinol from the blood. They also suggest that the low level of retinoic acid in
cancer patients could be due to a more rapid degradation of retinoic acid in
cancer tissue. The researchers conclude that retinol (vitamin A) and carotenoids
may be useful both in the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer.
Pasquali, Daniela,
et al. Abnormal level of retinoic acid in prostate cancer tissues. Journal of
Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, Vol. 81, No. 6, June 1996, pp. 2186-91
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