A study led by Deyong Jia at the University of Ottawa found cardamonin, a compound in many plants, killed breast cancer stem-like cells enriched by chemotherapy in cell cultures and in mice, where it slowed tumor growth alongside doxorubicin.
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Phytochemicals
Plant compounds such as flavonoids, carotenoids and polyphenols, and what they do.
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Phytochemicals
Flavonoids help prevent erectile dysfunction
Among 25,096 men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, 36 percent reported erectile dysfunction over 10 years. Higher intakes of flavones, flavanones and anthocyanins were linked to 9 to 11 percent lower risk, and high fruit intake to 14 percent lower risk in men under 70.
Phytochemicals
Apigenin may be effective in treating many types of cancer
Studies reported over the past decades suggest apigenin, a flavonoid concentrated in parsley, celery, chamomile, red grapes and herbs such as rosemary and thyme, may work against cancers including pancreatic, lung, breast, prostate and skin cancer, as well as leukemia.
Phytochemicals
Lycopene, beta-carotene fight breast cancer?
A short citation-led note on a 2014 Anticancer Research paper reporting that lycopene and beta-carotene induced cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in human breast cancer cell lines, with background on the foods that contain the two pigments.
Phytochemicals
Curcumin helps lung cancer
Mice fed a diet with 0.6% curcumin before receiving human lung cancer cells developed tumors 36% smaller than controls and were more likely to survive, Tel-Aviv University scientists found. Curcumin lowered inflammation markers and promoted apoptosis in cancer cells.
Phytochemicals
Anthocyanin helps prevent prostate cancer
Testing the dietary anthocyanin cyanidin-3-O-glucoside in two prostate cancer cell lines, researchers at the University of Catania found it slowed proliferation, increased DNA fragmentation and raised levels of the tumor suppressor P75NGFR. They suggest it may help prevent the disease.
Phytochemicals
L-citrilline supplements help erectile dysfunction
In a small Italian trial, 50 percent of men with mild erectile dysfunction who took 1.5 grams of L-citrulline daily for a month improved erection hardness from score 3 to 4, against 8 percent on placebo. None reported side effects, but it worked less well than PDE-5 inhibitors.
Phytochemicals
Turmeric/curcumin help skin diseases
A systematic review of 18 clinical studies found ten reporting significant improvement in skin conditions, among them acne, alopecia, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and vitiligo, with oral or topical turmeric or curcumin. The reviewers call this early evidence and want more studies.
Phytochemicals
Resveratrol may help diabetes mellitus
A review found resveratrol supplements improved systolic blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c and creatinine in people with diabetes and appeared safe, but showed no effect on fasting glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, triglycerides or cholesterol. The reviewers say it cannot be a first-line treatment.
Phytochemicals
High Total Antioxidant Capacity Reduces Risk of Breast Cancer
Among 3,209 Dutch women followed a median 17 years, high dietary ferric reducing antioxidant potential scores tracked with 32% lower breast cancer risk, though no single antioxidant did. Among smokers, low alpha- and beta-carotene intake went with sharply higher risk.
Phytochemicals
Polyphenols help inflammatory bowel disease
A review finds that dietary polyphenols from apples, bilberries, turmeric, green tea, grapefruit, olive oil, pomegranate and red grapes may help in inflammatory bowel disease by damping inflammatory cytokines and enzymes and strengthening antioxidant defenses.
Phytochemicals
Resveratrol helps type 2 diabetes mellitus
A meta-analysis covering 196 people with type 2 diabetes found resveratrol supplements significantly improved systolic blood pressure, HbA1c and creatinine, but not fasting glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, diastolic pressure, blood fats or cholesterol. Side effects matched placebo.
Phytochemicals
Dietary fiber fights inflammation in overweight/obese adults
A meta-analysis of 14 randomized trials found high dietary fiber intake lowered circulating C-reactive protein by 0.37 mg/L in overweight and obese adults. A sub-analysis found the reduction only among those taking 8 grams of fiber a day or more.
Phytochemicals
Red wine compound helps type 2 diabetes mellitus
A Molecular Nutrition & Food Research review covering 196 patients found resveratrol added to drug treatment for type 2 diabetes significantly lowered systolic blood pressure, HbA1c and creatinine, but not fasting glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR or blood lipids. No major adverse effects were reported.
Phytochemicals
Resveratrol supplements may prevent osteoporosis
In an Aarhus University Hospital trial, 74 obese middle-aged men with metabolic syndrome took 1,000 mg or 150 mg of resveratrol or placebo for 16 weeks. Spine bone mineral density and bone alkaline phosphatase rose with the dose, but hip bone density did not change.
Phytochemicals
Dietary fiber reduces risk of premature death
A meta-analysis drawing on 908,135 participants found each extra 10 grams of daily fiber associated with 11 percent lower risk of premature death, and high intakes with up to 23 percent lower risk. Cereal fiber and, less strongly, vegetable fiber tracked with lower mortality; fruit fiber did not.
Phytochemicals
Dietary fiber: What you need to know
A question-and-answer piece defining dietary fiber as food polymers that resist digestive enzymes, listing soluble and insoluble types, and citing effects on glucose and lipid metabolism and protection against conditions from constipation and colon cancer to diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Phytochemicals
Apple pectin prevents heart attack
Rats fed apple pectin at 10, 40, 100 and 400 mg/kg a day showed smaller infarcts only at the two highest doses. The Korean authors say the fiber also blocked myocardial apoptosis, suggesting it protects against ischemic injury and not only against arterial occlusion.
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