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Prostate Cancer Risk Pronounced With Selenium-protein Deficiency

Selenium, which is known for its antioxidant properties in conjunction with proteins, is also becoming popular due to its contribution in bringing down incidence of cancers, especially lung, colorectal and prostate.

"The problem is, nobody seems to know how the mechanism works, and that's not trivial," said Alan Diamond, professor of human nutrition at the University of Illinois at Chicago and principal investigator in an ongoing multidisciplinary study set up at UIC to help answer that question.

"Knowing how it works allows you to maximize-out its benefits," he said.

Diamond and his colleagues report in the May 23 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on research findings using specially bred transgenic mice that suggest it is the level of selenium-containing proteins in the body that is instrumental in preventing cancer, and that dietary selenium plays a role in stimulating the body's level of these selenoproteins.

Two genetically manipulated mice were mated. One was prone to developing selenium-containing proteins in the body. The other had lower levels of selenoproteins. Approximately 50 offspring that carried both traits were studied to see if the reduced levels of selenoproteins accelerated cancer development. As the researchers suspected, it did.

"It's a hardcore link in an animal model system of selenium-containing proteins to prostate cancer and, by extrapolation, the mechanism by which selenium prevents cancer," said Diamond.

Further research is underway to corroborate the stimulating effect of dietary selenium in enhancing levels of protective selenoproteins. Diamond added that much work remains to be done to discover exactly how selenoproteins play their protective role, and in whom.

At least 25 different selenoproteins have been found in the human body. But what role each plays is not known, nor is it known if certain persons are genetically more -- or less -- receptive to the benefits of these proteins, or to a selenium supplement, Diamond said.

The effectiveness of selenium may be due to its effects on a single selenoprotein, or combinations of several members of this class. One selenoprotein in particular, glutathione peroxidase, is of special interest to Diamond and his associates. They plan to run new tests using new mice genetically modified to reduce levels of just this one selenoprotein.

"If reductions result in accelerated prostate cancer, then we have our player," he said.

Other UIC faculty participating in the study include Veda Diwadkar-Navsariwala, post-doctoral researcher in human nutrition; Gain Prins, professor of urology; Steven Swanson, associate professor of medicinal chemistry and pharmacognosy; Lynn Birch, research specialist in urology; Vera Ray, clinical assistant professor of pathology; Sadam Hedayat, distinguished professor of statistics; and Daniel Lantvit, research specialist in pharmaceutical sciences.

source :Eureka Alert

Eat To Beat Prostate Cancer

by Dr JOHN BRIFFA, Dailly Mail

Statistics show that more and more men have been diagnosed with prostate cancer over the past 20 years. The disease is now the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK and will be the biggest by 2004.

Yet, despite the gloomy statistics, there is hope. Mounting evidence suggests the risk of prostate cancer is closely linked to what we eat.

This month, research published in the medical journal The Lancet found that men who consume plenty of oily fish enjoy a lowered risk of prostate cancer compared to those who don't. Other research points to protective effects from fruit, vegetables and soya products.

In addition, while some foods appear to reduce the risk of prostate cancer, others seem to have the opposite effect. Foods rich in animal fat, particularly dairy products, have been implicated.

Research is stacking up to suggest that with a few simple adjustments to the diet, men can reduce their risk of developing this increasingly common condition.

Oily fish such as salmon, trout, tuna, mackerel and herring are rich in healthy fats known as omega-3 fatty acids.

These are thought to have a number of important health-giving effects, including a natural anti-inflammatory action and the ability to reduce the risk of heart disease and depression.

Over the past decade, there has been increasing scientific interest in the role omega-3 fatty acids may have in the prevention of cancers. Recently, research has focused on the link with prostate cancer.

Two studies published in 1999 found that a high level of omega-3 fats in the body was associated with a reduced risk.

This association is strengthened by research which found that men eating moderate or high amounts of oily fish were up to three times less likely to develop prostate cancer compared to those who ate none.

So men might do well to consume at least two or three portions of oily fish a week. Furthermore, a 1998 study associated high consumption of dairy products with a 50pc rise in prostate cancer risk.

Another study, published last year, found that men consuming 21/2 servings of dairy products a day increased their prostate cancer risk by more than 40 per cent.

Alternatives to cow's milk-based dairy products include soya milk, soya yoghurt and soya ice cream. Soya consumption is associated with a significantly reduced risk of prostate cancer.

One study found that men consuming soya milk more than once a day had a 70 per cent reduction in risk of developing this disease.

Cancer is known to be triggered, at least in part, by damaging molecules known as 'free radicals'.

Free radical damage can be reduced through increased consumption of 'antioxidant' nutrients in the diet, such as vitamins C and E, beta-carotene and the mineral selenium.

Antioxidants are generally abundant in fruit and vegetables. Last year, a study published in the Journal Of The National Cancer Institute found that men consuming four servings of vegetables a day had a 35 per cent reduced risk of prostate cancer compared to those consuming two servings a day.

One nutrient which has received special attention is the trace mineral selenium.

A study in the Journal Of The National Cancer Institute in 1998 found that men with the highest level of selenium had one-third the risk of developing prostate cancer compared to men with the lowest selenium levels.

In 1996, a study found that men who took a daily supplement of 200 mcg of selenium had a significantly reduced risk of prostate cancer.

One of the richest natural sources of selenium is brazil nuts. However, taking a supplement is prudent for men who want to reduce their risk.

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Prostate Cancer Patients Must Avoid Selenium

A new study says that people who are already suffering from prostate cancer must avoid selenium as it worsens their condition. Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute the University of California, San Francisco, have observed a higher risk of more-aggressive prostate cancer in men with SOD2 genetic variant, found in about 75 percent of the prostate cancer patients in the study.

In such men, having a high level of selenium in the blood was linked with a two-fold greater risk of poorer outcomes than men with the lowest amounts of selenium.

On the other hand, the 25 percent of men with a different variant of the same gene, and who had high selenium levels, were at 40 percent lower risk of aggressive disease.

The variants are slightly different forms of a gene that instructs cells to make manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2)-an enzyme that protects the body against harmful oxygen compounds.

Senior author Dr. Philip Kantoff, director of Dana-Farber's Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology, says that the findings of the study suggest that for those who already have prostate cancer, it may be a bad thing to take selenium.

The unexpected results are the first to raise concern about this potentially harmful consequence of taking supplemental selenium.

Kantoff said: "These findings are interesting particularly in light of the recent negative results from the SELECT prevention study, which asked if selenium could protect against prostate cancer."

The new study reveals the strong interaction between selenium and SOD2 to influence the biology of prostate cancer-a finding that has earlier been shown.

The authors said that the current research demonstrated that variations in the make up of the SOD2 gene dramatically alter the effects of selenium on the risk of aggressive prostate cancer.

Selenium is a mineral found widely in rocks and dirt and small amounts of selenium are essential for health.

The study has been published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

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