Curcumin and black pepper combine to stop breast cancer tumor cells

Natural chemicals found in the spices turmeric and black pepper appear to stop the growth of breast tumors, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center and published in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.

Researchers applied a solution containing both curcumin, found in turmeric, and piperine, which makes black pepper spicy, to breast cancer cells in a laboratory, using concentrations 20 times higher than those found in the human diet. They found that the solution hampered the ability of stem cells to propagate but did not affect the differentiation of normal breast cells.

"This shows that these compounds are not toxic to normal breast tissue," lead author Madhuri Kakarala said.

Cancer stem cells are the cells in tumors that allow it to keep growing without limit. Current chemotherapy treatments are unable to affect stem cells, which is part of the reason that cancers can spread and recur even in those undergoing treatment. Read more...

Immunice for Immune Support

Health benefits of gluten-free diet helped make it mainstream

A mere decade ago, most people likely had no idea what gluten even was. Today, the protein is widely known for causing digestive and other health problems in certain people that requires them to eat only gluten-free foods. And many otherwise healthy individuals are also going gluten-free because they believe it will improve their overall health.

Gluten is a glue-like composite found naturally in grains like wheat, rye and barley. It is what gives breads their fluffy texture, and is often used in other food preparations to make food thicker or more chewy. But gluten upsets the digestive function of some people, including those with Celiac disease, which is changing the consumer food market.

According to reports, less than one percent of the population actually suffers a severe immune reaction from gluten, and up to eight percent have mild-to-moderate insensitivity to it. But a far greater percentage of people are choosing to go gluten-free, a trend that has many analysts confused. Read more...

Healthy weight loss

Grapefruit compound could treat diabetes, lower cholesterol

Big Pharma has been doggedly searching for drugs that target a group of nuclear receptor proteins in the human body known by the long title of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs, for short). The reason? PPARs regulate the expression of genes that are involved in fat and carbohydrate metabolism, among other functions -- so the theory is that if drugs could control PPARs, the medications would treat diabetes, high cholesterol and even maybe obesity.

But it turns out there's already a substance that could do all this. And it's not a side effect-laden chemical. It's a compound in grapefruit.

Bottom line: there's extremely sweet breaking news about a compound hidden in the tangy flavor of grapefruits that may treat diabetes naturally and also bring some of the benefits of low carb dieting to the body, too -- without dieting. Scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), have discovered that naringenin, an antioxidant derived from the bitter flavor of grapefruits and other citrus fruits, triggers the liver to break down fat. Read more...

Toxins cleanse

Low-Carb Diets Heavy on Meat May Raise Health Risks

(HealthDay News) -- A low-carbohydrate diet that derives fats and proteins from vegetable sources rather than meats is probably healthier, new research finds.

Comparing the two types of diets over two decades, researchers found that the low-carb, vegetable-based plan resulted in reduced rates of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer, and a lower rate of all-cause death overall.

"You can have the initial Atkins-type of low-carb diet, which is loaded with sausages, bacon, steaks, and you can have healthy versions of the low-carb diet with more vegetable- or plant-based protein and fat," said Dr. Frank B. Hu, senior author of a study in the Sept. 7 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

"We looked at these two versions of low-carb diets and found that the impact of the two are drastically different," Hu said.

"Those who follow the animal-based low-carb diet have an increased risk of total mortality and cancer mortality in particular," said Hu, a professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. Read more...

Joint arthritis

Scientists say salmonella helps immune system to destroy cancer cells

Scientists from Italy and the U.S. claim to have found a new therapeutic way to assist the body in defending against and killing cancer cells -- salmonella bacteria. Based on initial tests in mice and human cancer cells, the team observed that small doses of salmonella actually trigger the immune system to better find and hunt down cancer cells in order to kill them.

"We did experiments first in mice and then in cancer cells and immune cells from human patients, and found that the salmonella was doing exactly the same job," explained Maria Rescigno from the European Institute of Oncology in Milan.

The team explained that the type of salmonella they used was a special form that does not actually cause the disease to infect the body. On the contrary, the bacterial fragments seemed only to help increase immune system levels of connexin 43, the unique protein that assists cells in communicating with each other in order to defend against foreign invaders. Read more...

AyurGold for Healthy Blood

Study shows fluoride may not help teeth at all

Fluoridation of public water supplies offers no meaningful health benefit, according to a new study comparing cavity rates in two different Ontario provinces.

"Fluoridation is no longer effective," said Hardy Limeback, head of the University of Toronto's preventive dentistry program. Considering all the dangerous effects of fluoride consumption, in fact, he concluded that fluoridation is "more harmful than beneficial."

Fluoridation, the addition of fluoride to public water supplies, has been popular in First World countries for more than six decades, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control classifies it as one of the greatest health breakthroughs of the 20th century. Fluoridation proponents claim that the mineral strengthens teeth, thereby cutting cavity rate by 20 to 40 percent. Read more...

Healthy blood