Study: Cranberries Boost Cancer Drug

(WebMD)  A simple cranberry juice extract makes platinum-based cancer drugs six times more potent against ovarian cancer.

The test-tube findings are a long way from cancer patients' bedsides. But Rutgers University natural products researchers Ajay P. Singh, PhD, and Nicholi Vorsa, PhD, are optimistic.

"This has opened up exciting possibilities for therapeutic intervention associated with platinum therapy," Singh and Vorsa say in a news release.

Platinum-based chemotherapy is the mainstay of treatment for ovarian cancer. But over time, the cancers tend to become resistant to the drugs. This means increased chemotherapy dosage—and increased toxicity to patients.

The researchers note that compounds isolated from cranberries kill human ovary, brain, and prostate cells in laboratory studies. This anticancer activity seems to come from a family of chemicals called proanthocyanidin(PACs).

These "amazing chemical entities," Singh and Vorsa suggest, are unique to cranberries and are not found in other fruits.

Exactly how the cranberry compounds work isn't known. But in their lab studies, Singh and Vorsa tested them against platinum-resistant ovarian cancer cells.

Singh and Vorsa found that in the presence of cranberry extract—which came from a commercially available, 27 percent juice cranberry drink— platinum-based chemotherapy was six times more effective against platinum resistant ovarian cancer cells.

They will soon begin animal studies to see whether this happens outside the laboratory. For the time being, however, they warn patients not to start drinking significant quantities of cranberry juice without their doctors' permission. Cranberry juice itself, they note, is not a cure for cancer.

Singh and Vorsa reported the findings in a presentation to the 234th
national meeting of the American Chemical Society.
By Daniel DeNoon
Reviewed by Louise Chang
©2007 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved

[glb1969]

Wow, harsh rhetoric from someone who provides no scientific rationale at all. Ignore the trolls like Drinuk who fail to provide a scientific rationale, when in fact it is their own personal bias at work instead.

What drinuk fails to recognize is that this research was done by a non profit institution (Rutgers) which has no direct connection to the "Big Pharma" conspiracy that Drinuk rants about. So keep an open mind and always search for the science behind such rantings. In the end, only science will help us solve the cancer pardigm.

[drinuk]

Go look a little closer at what is provided for all of us and you may not need the Platinum, there is for sure a natural alternative. Sadly and the reason we ''aint lookin'' is because it is real difficult to Patent a Gooseberry or a Bilberry or any of our living plants. That really p i s s e s off Big Pharma, why should they cure you if they can''t shaft you in doing so. This article is one of many which creep out from big pharma to tell us they are working on it...BS
There ''Aint No Cash In A Cure. the only thing they are working on is SUPRESSING natural cures along with their buddies at the FDA.
We are watching them carefully, their day is coming.