ELIXIR > prostate

Foxglove drug may cut prostate cancer risk for men

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Editor

Baltimore: A drug made from foxgloves could help prevent prostate cancer, US researchers have found.

Called digoxin is already used to treat congestive heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms. But scientists from the John Hopkins University in Baltimore have found that it lowered the risk of prostate cancer by 24 per cent by stopping the growth of the disease.

The team looked at the medical reports of 47,000 men, aged 40 to 75 who were monitored from 1986 to 2006. Men who regularly took the drug – 2% – reduced their risk by 24%. But the scientists emphasised that there was no proof that it prevents the disease, they said in the Cancer Discovery Journal.

Giving it to healthy people as a preventative measure would not be an option since it does have serious side-effects including nausea, headaches and male breast enlargement.

Scientists began by screening more than 3,000 compounds already approved for medical use to see if any inhibited the growth of prostate cancer cells.

A team of epidemiologists then looked for evidence of the drug combating prostate cancer in the patient health study. Among the group, around 5,000 new cases of prostate cancer were reported.

Using digoxin for more than 10 years cut the risk of prostate cancer by half. Work will continue to discover the mechanism of digoxin’s effect and see whether the drug or others like it should be tested as prostate cancer treatments.

Digoxin alters biological pathways for sodium and potassium in heart cells. Scientists believe it may act on similar pathways in prostate cancer cells

Raise money for men’s health charity – banish the grey!

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Editor

London: Banish grey for a day and raise money for the UK men’s health campaigners, The Prostate Cancer Charity.

The old adage ‘you’re only as old as you feel’ might be a nice thought, but unfortunately our looks often let us down. With life sometimes becoming grey, dull and mundane, an injection of colour is just what’s needed to stop the tedium setting in. Offering just such a solution is Grey-Away Day.

Whereas women are very vocal about ‘refreshing’ their looks, men tend to shy away from physical self-improvement (or at least they are more bashful about it!). But all that is set to change thanks to Grey-Away Day, an initiative just for men, that will encourage men across the country to banish their grey and lead a more colourful life.

The campaign will give men a better reason than ever to colour their hair. In the run up to Grey-Away Day (September 24th) men will be encouraged to seek sponsorship from their friends, family and work colleagues to return their hair to its natural colour, and in the process 20p from all boxes of Just For Men sold during September will be donated to The Prostate Cancer Charity, the UK’s leading charity working with people affected by the disease.

With over 25 million men in the UK and 28% sporting significant grey hair, it is about time men took on the challenge to look as young as they feel. With 2 million boxes of Just For Men hair colourant sold in the UK, there is already a large following, and this campaign hopes to encourage men to reach for the bottle to embrace a fresher look and reveal the person they feel they are.

To find out more about the campaign just for men, or to sponsor a friend or loved one, please visit <a href=”www.greyawayday.co.ukhttp://www.greyawayday.co.uk”>www.greyawayday.co.uk</a> or join us on Twitter <a href=”www.twitter.com/GreyAwayDayhttp://www.twitter.com/GreyAwayDay”>www.twitter.com/GreyAwayDay</a> and Facebook <a href=”www.facebook.com/grey-awaydayhttp://www.facebook.com/grey-awayday”>www.facebook.com/grey-awayday</a>

<b>About The Prostate Cancer Charity</b>
The Charity is fighting prostate cancer on every front – through research, support, information and campaigning.

Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK.

36,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year and one man dies of prostate cancer every hour in the UK.

The Charity provides the UK’s only nurse led prostate cancer helpline, helping men and their families to access support and information through its confidential helpline, 0800 074 8383.

Video – Celebrity chef Brian Turner on macho men’s cancer risk

Posted on June 28, 2009 by Editor

London: Celebrity chef Brian Turner, pictured, is teaming with Prostate UK and the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS) in Glasgow to highlight how up to 10,000 thousand male lives in the UK could be saved every year if men only overcame their male pride, booked themselves a simple medical check up and made some important changes in their diet to prevent the on-set of prostate cancer.

The new report revealed at the BAUS annual conference shows that despite the fact that 9 out of 10 men know where their prostate gland is, 4 our of 10 men (39%) are still unwilling to have a medical check-up because they dont think they are at risk of developing any disease. A quarter of men live in fear of the medical examination believing that the check-up is too intrusive, 10% of men believe the check-up is too embarrassing and 1 in 25 feel that a prostate check is an invasion of their masculinity.

Each year 221,000 men die of prostate cancer and 678,000 men live with the condition. If caught early it’s a treatable disease but it seems that embarrassment, ignorance and macho attitudes are preventing men from getting it checked out.

The conference aims to communicate a holistic approach to treating prostate cancer – in effect, a new approach to treating the disease. As well as discussing progress in hormone therapy, topics for debate at the conference will also touch on diet, exercise and sexuality. Attending delegates are made up of urological surgeons and specialists from the UK and around the world. Celebrity chef Brian Turner will be cooking prostate cancer friendly recipes on the stand, and there will also be exercise bikes with men demonstrating exercises that are beneficial for men with prostate cancer.

Watch the video here:

Learn more about this disease www.prostateuk.org

Beer raises prostate cancer risk

Posted on March 14, 2009 by Editor

Sydney: Just one pint of beer daily raises prostate cancer risk, according to Australian researchers.

They found two or more drinks a day increased the likelihood of developing the disease by 20 per cent – well below most healthy drinking guidelines.

Scientists at Curtin University in Australia say their review of 35 studies looking at the relationship between drinking levels and the risk of prostate cancer, was large enough to confirm a link.

At the same time moderate drinking in older men is thought to offer protection from heart disease.

The review, published in the journal of Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, included all studies published in or before 2006.

It reveals that heavier drinkers, which is judged at 14 or more drinks weekly, are about 20 per cent more likely to develop prostate cancer.

Scientists in prostate cancer breakthrough

Posted on July 22, 2008 by Editor

London: British scientists have created a new drug that can shrink prostate tumours in 80 per cent of cases, it was revealed today.

The drug, called abiraterone, was discovered by doctors at London’s Royal Marsden Hospita.

Prostate cancer,is a disease that is more prevelant over the age of 50,and as people live longer, the incidence is expected to increase.

There are two types of prostate cancer: aggressive and non-aggressive. In the latter, which accounts for about a third of all prostate cases, the disease is usually fatal within 18 months.

The disease can be treated using hormone therapy which blocks testosterone but in many cases the cancer becomes resistant and the only other alternative is chemotherapy which has many unpleasant side effects.These include nausea, pain and hairloss.

Royal Marsden lead researcher Dr Johann de Bono said the new drug required the patient to take just four pills a day.

It is hoped that the drug will be on sale for general use by 2011.

Scientists believe the technique could also be effective on other tumours, such as breast and bowel cancers.

Abiraterone works by blocking a key enzyme in the body which help in the production of the male hormones.

Patient trials at the Royal Marsden, home to Britain’s Institute of Cancer Research and Europe’s largest cancer research centre, which eventually came up with abiraterone revealed that it shrank the tumour in three quarters of patients.

Abiraterone is now being used in a 1,200-patient international study, including at ten sites across the UK. If it is licensed as expected in 2011.

Low fat diet helps prevent prostate cancer in mice

Posted on May 17, 2008 by Editor

Los Angeles: Us scientists have found that have demonstrated that lowering intake of the type of fat common in a Western diet helps prevent prostate cancer in mice.

UCLA’s Jonsson Cancer Center and the Department of Urology carried out the study, which is published in the April editon of the journal Cancer Research.

Scientists excamined the effects of fat from corn oil, which is made up primarily of omega-6 fatty acids, or the polyunsaturated fat commonly found in the Western diet. Omega-6 fats are found in high levels in baked and fried goods, said William Aronson, a Jonsson Cancer Center researcher and the study’s senior author.

Researchers fed one group of mice a diet with about 40 percent of calories coming from fat, a percentage typical in men eating a Western diet. The other group received 12 percent of their calories from fat, a figure considered to be a very low fat diet.

The low-fat group had a 27 percent reduced incidence of prostate cancer. They also studied cells in the prostate that were precancerous, or would soon become cancer, and found that the cells in the mice eating the low-fat diet were growing much more slowly than those in the high-fat group.

Previous studies in Mr Aronson’s lab showed that a low-fat diet slowed the growth of aggressive human prostate cancers in mice and helped the mice live longer. However, whether such a diet could prevent prostate cancer was unknown.

“We didn’t know what to expect in terms of the role of reducing dietary fat in preventing prostate cancer,” said Aronson, a professor of urology. “We think this is an important finding and we are presently performing further studies in animal models and conducting clinical trials in men.”

Using a novel mouse model that develops cancer within the prostate over a period of six to nine months, Mr Aronson and his team were able to study cancer incidence and cell growth. The mice were assigned to a dietary fat group at three weeks of age, when they first started ingesting food. The prostates and prostate cells were studied at seven months.

During the growth phase when the precancerous lesions develop, called PIN or prostate intraepithelial neoplasia, Aronson found that mice on the low-fat diet had higher levels of a protein in their bloodstreams that binds to insulin like growth factor, which spurs prostate cancer growth. Aronson believes that lowering dietary fat and increasing levels of the binding protein slows prostate cancer development by cutting off the growth factor that allows prostate cancer to thrive.

“A low-fat, high-fiber diet combined with weight loss and exercise is well known to be healthy in terms of heart disease and is known to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes, so that would be a healthy choice to make,” Aronson said. “Whether or not it will prevent prostate cancer in humans remains to be seen.”

Mr Aronson is now conducting a short term study in men who are randomly assigned to a Western diet higher in polyunsaturated fat or a low-fat diet with fish oil supplements. The next step is to see how these diets affect malignant and benign human prostate tissue, Aronson said.

“We’re looking at specific markers and growth factors in human tissue known to be important for development and progression of prostate cancer,” he said. “It’s this work we hope will lead to longer term prevention strategies incorporating dietary changes.”

Healthy diet, including moderate alcohol intake cuts prostate disease risk

Posted on February 13, 2008 by Editor

Seattle: A heart-healthy diet, and even moderate alcohol intake, may help decrease the risk of prostate problems, new US research has found.

The study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, found a high-fat diet increased the risk of benign enlargement of the prostate or symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia, known as BPH, by 31 percent and daily consumption of red meat increased the risk of BPH by 38 percent.

Study author Alan Kristal of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle said: “We don’t really know how it’s working but it’s pretty clear that eating a high amount of fat and it doesn’t appear to matter what kind fat, increases the risk of BPH.”

As well as consuming low-fat foods, risk was also reduced 32 percent by eating four or more servings of vegetables daily and 15 percent by making 20 percent of the daily calorie intake lean protein.

The study assessed diets, supplement use and alcohol consumption of 4,770 BPH symptom-free men for seven years during which time 876 developed BPH symptoms. The study also found moderate alcohol intake reduced the risk of BPH by 38 percent.

Scientists discover new prostate cancer biomarkers

Posted on February 11, 2008 by Editor

London: Uk scientists have identified seven pieces of “rogue DNA” which could put men at increased risk of prostate cancer.

Theese genetic flaws are so common that it is thought every man has at least one.

Currently men are screened for higher than normal levels of a protein known as Prostate Specific Androgen (PSA) but the results are not always accurate.

The British researchers, whose work was funded by Cancer Research UK, are developing a genetic test , which will look for 12 flaws, but it may be more than three years before it is publically available. Lead researcher Dr Ros Eeles, of the Institute of Cancer Research in London,said the team’s discovery of the seven pieces of rogue DNA – the most prostate cancer ‘hotspots’ identified in a single study – could lead to the development of new drugs.

‘These exciting results will help us to more accurately calculate the of developing prostate cancer and may lead to the development of better targeted screening and treatment,’ she said.

Support Prostate Cancer Awareness Week

Posted on December 30, 2007 by Editor

Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer diagnosed in men in the UK every hour at least one man dies from this disease.

It is a cause that has suffered from years of neglect, so plan NOW for Prostate Cancer Awareness Week, 10-16 March 2008 – it’s your chance to make a difference.

Prostate Cancer Awareness Week 2008 aims to raise the profile of prostate cancer among the public and in the media. Hundreds of individuals and groups across the UK will join forces to help raise awareness of prostate cancer and raise vital funds to improve research, information and support services for men and their families who are affected by this disease

An early diagnosis of prostate cancer could improve a man’s chances of finding a successful treatment, yet 90% of adults in the UK do not know what the prostate gland does and the crucial role it plays in a man’s sexual function.

About Prostate Cancer Awareness Week

Prostate Cancer Awareness Week is an annual health awareness campaign organised by The Prostate Cancer Charity.

Every year nearly 35,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United Kingdom and 10,000 men die from it.

African Caribbean men are three times more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than their white counterparts.

The Prostate Cancer Charity is striving for a world where lives are no longer limited by prostate cancer. The Charity is fighting prostate cancer on every front – through research, support, information and campaigning.

If you have any queries about prostate cancer call The Prostate Cancer Charity’s confidential helpline 0800 074 8383 which is staffed by specialist nurses and open from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday and Wednesdays from 7 – 9pm.

If you want to make a donation to The Prostate Cancer Charity call 0208 222 7622 or visit www.prostate-cancer.org.uk

For further information contact: Lilas Allen or Nikki Nagler on 020 8222 7653/7670. Out of hours contact: 0798 432 5001. Email: or Email Nicola.Nagler@prostate-cancer.org.uk

Low carbohydrate diet may slow prostate cancer

Posted on November 14, 2007 by Editor

New York: A low-carbohydrate diet may help slow the growth of prostate tumours, according to researchers at Duke University.

They have discovered that a diet low in carbohydrates facilitates a reduction in insulin production which stalls prostate tumour growth, according to a report in Science Daily.

Lead researcher and urologist, Dr Stephen Freedland of the Duke University Medical Centre said: “This study showed that cutting carbohydrates may slow tumour growth.”

The research, on rodents, compared prostate tumour growth in 75 animals that were eating either a low-carbohydrate diet, a low-fat but high-carbohydrate diet, or a Western diet which is high in fat and carbohydrates.

They found that those ate a low-carbohydrate diet had the longest survival and smallest tumour size — the findings have been published in the ‘Prostate’ journal.

According to Dr Freedland, “Low-fat mice had shorter survival and larger tumours while mice on the Western diet had the worst survival and biggest tumours.

“In addition, though both the low-carb and low-fat mice had lower levels of insulin, only the low-carb mice had lower levels of the form of insulin-like growth factor capable of stimulating tumour growth.

“The low-carbohydrate diet definitely had the most significant effect on tumour growth and survival.”

Dr Freedland and his fellow researchers are now planning to test the findings of this study in humans. “If this is ultimately confirmed in human clinical trials, it has huge implications for prostate cancer therapy through something that all of us can control, our diets.”

Impotency drug helps prostate cancer sufferers

Posted on October 31, 2006 by Editor

Rotterdam: Rotterdam: The impotence drug Tadalafil is being studied by doctors in Holland to treat prostate cancer patients.

Prostate cancer which can be cured by surgery and radiotherapy often leaves sufferers with nerve damage leaving them impotent.

But the study, carried out at the Erasmus MC-Daniel den Hoed Cancer Center in Rotterdam, published in the International Journal Of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics says that successful sexual relationswere reported in 48 per cent of the survivors who took Tadalafil versus 9 per cent of the men who were given placebo. Sixty-seven per cent of patients reported their erectile function improved versus 20 per cent of the placebo group.

Free special report on prostate cancer – detection and treatment

Posted on October 11, 2006 by Editor

Johns Hopkins Health Alerts, the consumer health information website published by University Health Publishing in conjunction with Johns Hopkins Medicine, today released an important new Special Report on treating and preventing prostate cancer.

The special report stresses that early detection and treatment are keys to defeat prostate cancer, and also outlines strategies for prostate cancer prevention, and dealing with prostate cancer’s most common side effects, including erectile dysfunction.

Who is at risk for prostate cancer? Every man. The risk increases with age. Men over 50, African-American men, and men with family medical histories of prostate cancer face the greatest threat. Regular testing is crucial.

Even if a person does not fall into any of these risk categories, education is their best weapon. The special arms people with clear, practical advice on what they can do to prevent prostate cancer.

The free special report 7 Keys to Treating Prostate Cancer explains the process of screening and detection, and discusses the treatment options available should the diagnosis prove to be prostate cancer.

The seven keys include:

1-Understand Your Prostate Biopsy

2-Get a Second (and Third or Fourth) Opinion

3-Choose the Right Treatment

4-Dealing with Erectile Dysfunction

5-Seek Extra Help-If Needed

6-Understand the Role of Diet

7-Consider Complementary Techniques

The author, Dr. Jacek L. Mostwin, is one of the leading surgeons at Johns Hopkins’ James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, ranked #1 in America for 16 consecutive years.

Dr. Mostwin clearly guides the reader through the diagnostic tools and innovative treatments for prostate cancer so that anyone concerned about it or suffering from it can make the best decisions about their medical care, to try to insure the best outcome.

The progress Dr. Mostwin and his fellow specialists have made in the battle against prostate cancer is remarkable, yet much more can be done to prevent this disease.

Anyone wishing to receive this free information can download this invaluable special report for free at www.hopkinsreports.com/prostate

The Johns Hopkins Special Reports website is produced by University Health Publishing, which has been publishing health-related information for people over 50 since 1988 through the monthly newsletter *Johns Hopkins Medical Letter: /Health After 50/* and the Johns Hopkins White Papers.

Prostate Cancer Now

Posted on October 5, 2006 by Editor

Prostate Cancer Now is a web site offering the lastest information and advice on humane therapies – www.prostatecancernow.org

Ultra sound trial on prostate cancer

Posted on August 23, 2006 by Editor

London: Doctors at University College Hospital in London are trialling a new soundwave device that zaps cancer tissue, avoding the need for surgery.

The device, by Misonix and Focus Surgery, works by heating the tissue up and because it be used accurately it only kills the area of localised cancer rather than the whole gland.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men – roughly one in thirteen develop the disease which usually affects older men. Current treatments such as radical surgery and chemotherapy have unpleasant side effects including impotence, incontinence and severe pain. It is hoped that treatment with ultrasoundwaves will avoid these.

The high-energy ultrasound waves can be focused with extraordinary precision on the location, and delivery of so much energy to such a small area results in a big increase in temperature — up to 90c.

That temperature, sustained for one to four seconds, is enough to kill the cancer tissue. Unlike radiation therapy, ultrasound has no adverse effect on the tissue it passes through to get at the cancer. The treatment takes around three hours, with the patients usually discharged the same or next day.

Omega 3 may slow prostate cancer

Posted on August 3, 2006 by Editor

Los Angeles: Increasing the amount of omega-3 fatty acids and reducing omega 6 fatty acides could slow the progression of prostate cancer, according to a new study by the UCLA School of Medicine.

In the study, published in Clinical Cancer Research, mice were implanted with human prostate cancer cells and then divided into two group. One group, fed on a typical Western diet with an omega 6 to omega 3 ratio of 15 to 1, while the intervention group was fed the fatty acids in ratio of 1 to 1.

The cancer cells in the intervention group grew 22 per cent slow than the others. In addition the rate of growth in tumours, the final size and PSA levels were all lower

Senior author, Dr Willian J Aronson said that the study showed that altering the fatty acid ratio found in the typical Western diet to include more omega-3 fatty acids and decreasing the amount of omega-6 fatty acids reduced prostate cancer tumor growth rates and PSA levels in mice. He said more research was needed before any clinical recommendations could be made for human.

Elixir mushroom boosts effect of cancer drug

Posted on August 2, 2006 by Editor

Boston: An Oriental medicinal mushroom, the Phellinus linteus, has been found to boost the potency of a drug used in the treatment of prostate cancer.

The mushroom, used in Oriental medicine is called “Song gen” in China, “Sang-hwang” in Korea and “Mesimakobu” in Japan was studied by researchers at the University of Boston School of Medicine.

They discovered that combined with the chemotherapy treatment drug doxorubicin, it increased the number of cancer cells killed.

The findings, published in the British Journal of Cancer, mean that the effectiveness of treatment could be boosted at the same time as using lower drug doses.

The mushroom has previously been proven to have anti carcinogenic effects by boosting the human immune system. In previous clinical tests it has been shown to be effective in the treatment and preventive treatment of liver cancer, stomach cancer, lung cancer, and other cancers, as well as AIDS, diabetes, high blood pressure and loss of energy.

Phytonutrient therapy in the treatment of hormone-refactory prostate cancer – Dr Ben Pfeifer speaks at Anti-Ageing Conference London

Posted on July 23, 2006 by Editor

London, July 2006: Every year in Britain, 32,000 men are disagnosed with prostate cancer, and 10,000 die of the disease. Although surgery and radiotherapy can be successful if it is diagnosed early, for one man in five, the disease has already spread by the time it is detected.

Conventional treatment involves hormone therapy: injections of a pituitary down-regulator (which halts production of the male hormone testosterone that stimulates the cancer cells), such as Zoladex, or anti-androgen tablets (which block testosterone reaching the cancer cells), such as Casodex. But in more than 50 per cent of patients, the body stops responding to the drugs after a few years; this is known as hormone-refractory prostate cancer.

Professor Ben Pfeifer, director of clinical research at the renowned Aeskulap Clinic in Switzerland, specialises in combining conventional and complementary cancer therapies. His success in treating prostate patients with a phytotherapy (the medicinal use of plants) protocol of four supplements, taken in specifically designed cocktails every day was recently featured in The Daily Telegraph.

These were Prostasol, which contains a range of herbs and dietary supplements with proven efficacy in supporting the prostate; Imupros, containing vitamins, trace elements, ginseng, lycopene, and green-tea extract to aid prostate function; Curcumin Complex, an extract of turmeric, which is a potent antioxidant – to mop up cancer-causing free radicals – and an anti-inflammatory; and Biobran, made from Japanese rice bran, which boosts the immune system.

At Anti-Ageing Conference London, Professor Pfeifer will speak on “Phytonutrient-Therapy and Immune System Support for Patients with Hormone-Refractory Prostate Cancer”

*************************************

This year Anti-Ageing Conference London has the largest gathering of the worlds pre-eminent medical speakers on the subject of anti-ageing health and regenerative medicine ever to be assembled in London.

The 3rd Anti-Ageing Conference (AACL), will be held at the Royal Society of Medicine in London from the 15-17 September 2006. This event offers a unique opportunity to learn from scientists and physicians about the latest medical advances from what some may consider controversial, to the proven and new treatments for the diseases of ageing.

This event is of importance to all medical professionals who wish to be cognisant on the latest medical and scientific developments in anti-ageing and rejuvenatory medicine from around globe. It is of particular importance to scientists, nutritionists, gerontologists, chiropractors, pharmacists, pharmaceutical chemists and research specialists, nursing practitioners, naturopathic doctors, dentists, bariatricians and weight management specialists.

Among the speakers are world-renowned experts who have driven the global debate on anti-ageing medicine including Dr Robert Goldman, Chairman, American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and Dr Ronald Klatz, Founding President, American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine; Professor Imre Zs-Nagy, Professor John Ionescu, Dr Michael Klentze. Our keynote speaker on Sunday is Dr Deepak Chopra, endocrinologist and author and a practitioner in the use of conventional and Eastern medicine, as well as mind and body health.

As well as the opportunity to hear from these world experts and put questions to our speaker panel, this event provides a unique networking opportunity for healthcare professionals. All delegates receive a high-quality bound conference manual including speaker presentations and biographical materials. The fee also includes a buffet lunch, on all three days, refreshments and an invitation to the conference cocktail reception. In addition the latest anti-ageing products from around the world will be on show in the exhibition hall.

This prestigious scientific event will be introduced by Heather Bird-Tchenguiz MBA, Chairperson, AACL; Founder and President of HB Health; Director of the World Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine; Board Member, European Society of Anti-Aging Medicine and Director, British Society of Anti-Ageing Medicine.

Heather Bird-Tchenguiz comments: In most societies around the globe people are living longer so the importance of healthy ageing has never been greater. It is possible for older people to live full and healthy lives well into the latter part of their years but in most cases this does not happen because they and the medical professional are not always aware of the new opportunities that are available to them through anti-ageing medicine. That is what this conference is all about and why this knowledge is so vital.

The speaker programme for Anti-Ageing London 2006 is as follows:

Friday, 15 September Regenerative and Preventative Medicine
Heather Bird-Tchenguiz MBA – Welcome
Prof Larry Benowitz – Prospectives on stem cell differentiation in neuro surgery
Prof Geoffrey Raisman: Clinical application of olfactory cells in spinal cord injury
Prof David Naor PhD: Involvement of CD 44 in stem cell differentiation
Prof Stephen Minger – Stem Cells: Future Perspectives
Prof Stefan Krauss PhD: Forbrain development and neural stem cells
Dr Dasa Ciscova PhD: The efficacy of stem cell therapy in animal models of autoimmune diseases
Prof Tomas Ekstrom: Epigentics principles
Dr Tony Pellet: Umbilical Cord stem cells
Dr Miomir Knecevic – Commercialisation of stem cell research
Dr Ralf R Tonjes PhD: Stem Cell signatures as a tool for quality control of Innovative medicinal products
Andreas Junge MBA: Knowledge Management
Dr Octavi Quintana Trias: EU politics
Dr Marco Traub PhD: Symposium Overview

Saturday, 16 September
Heather Bird-Tchenguiz MBA – Welcome
Professor Dr Imre Zs-Nazy: The Theories of Ageing
Dr Ben Pfeifer MD Ph.D: Phytonutrient-Therapy and Immune System Support for Patients with Hormone-Refractory Prostate Cancer
Dr Mark A Babizayev PhD : Human Cataracts the role of Lipid Peroxidation and the efficacy of N-acetylcarnosine as a treatment
Phil Micans PharmB: Biological Age Measurement Practicalities and Issues
Dr Jennifer Krup MD ABAAM: HRT in Women : Questions. answers and more questions
Dr Brian Halvosen BDS LDS, RCS. FRSH: Holistic Dentistry with emphasis on Chelation and Preventative Health.
Dr Robert Goldman MD PhD FAASP DO FAOASM: (TBA)
Prof Dr Alfred Wolf: Chronic stress,burn-out and CFS, A new insight and preventive options
Sarah Noble Lic.Ac, MBAcC, MIMgt, MInstD: The Art & science of Spa Success – How to open a holistic Spa; Integrating spa services into your clinic for profitability
Patrick Holford BSc DipION FBant- Nutrition and Ageing

Sunday, 17 September
Dr Deepak Chopra
Dr Julian Kenyon MD :Photodynamic and Sonodynamic Therapy – An Important adjunct to Anti-Ageing Strategies
Dr John G Ionescu PhD: New Strategies to Slow Down the Photoaging of Human Skin
Dr Paul Clayton: Alzheimers Disease: Pharmaco-nutritional strategies to maintain the ageing brain
Dr Bill Cham PhD :Advances in the eradication of skin cancer
Dr Michael Klentze MD PhD ABAAM: New approaches for safe male hormone therapy.
Dr Eric Braverman, MD: Subclinical Hyperparathyroidism: A precursor of Osteoporosis and Dementia
Dr Ron Klatz MD: Closing remarks including New horizons for the clinical specialty of Anti-Aging Medicine: The Future with Biomedical Technologies.

The programme may be subject to change

Full details of the speaker programme and speaker biographies can be viewed at www.antiageingconference.com
There are various categories of registration for this event:
Full registration £350;
Day 1 Only £200;
Day 2 only £200;
Day 3 £200.

Book on-line on the registration page at www.antiageingconference.com Membership of certain medical societies may qualify for a discount. Further information may also be requested from conference@antiageingconference.com
Telephone: +44 (0) 2075816962

The events sponsors and supporters include HB Health, the British Society of Anti-Ageing Medicine; the European Society of Anti-Aging Medicine; the World Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine and The Trans European Stem Cell Therapy Consortium.

Diet rich in soy cuts prostate cancer risk

Posted on June 23, 2006 by Editor

Honolulu: Research carried out by the Cancer Center of Hawaii has found that just two daily servings of soy reduced levels of the prostate cancer marker PSA in men by 14 percent.

Doctors test PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels in men to screen for prostate cancer. The Hawaii indings support previous studies which suggest that soy may reduce the risk of prostate cancer development and progression.They also show that levels of the male hormone testosterone were unaffected. The results of the new randomized, crossover clinical trial, are published on-line in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition

The isoflavones of soy are phytoestrogens and exert mild estrogen-like action.

The researchers at the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, recruited 23 men with an average age of 58.7 and randomized them to receive either a high soy diet of two servings of soy per day or a low soy diet normal diet for three months. The the first test period, was followed by a one-month break and then the men crossed over to eat the other diet for a further three months.

The research adds to a growing number of studies linking soy-containing diets to lower incidences of prostate cancer. But longer and larger trials are needed to confirm or challenge these findings.

There are over half a million news cases of prostate cancer that are diagnosed every year world wide, and the cancer is the direct cause of over 200,000 deaths. The incidence of the disease is also increasing with a rise of 1.7 per cent over 15 years.

The lowest incidences of the cancer are found in China, Japan and India, with experts linking this to a high dietary intake of soy products. A recent meta-analysis from the International Journal of Cancer reported that men who regularly consumed soy-containing products had a 30 per cent lower risk of the cancer.

Men with high cholesterol levels increase risk of prostate cancer

Posted on April 14, 2006 by Editor

Milan: Italian researchers have discovered that men with high levels of cholesterial have a 50 per cent higher risk of developing prostate cancer.

High levels of bad cholesterial (LDL) are already linked to other diseases particularly cardiovascular disease.

The new study is published in the Annals of Oncology on-line and says the present study found a direct association between high cholesterol levels and prostate cancer.

Each year more than half a million men develop prostate cancer with nearly half dying of the disease. Over half a million men worldwide are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year, with over 200,000 deaths from the disease. The lowest incidence of the cancer is in Asia and the Far East, in particular India, Japan and China.

Led by Francesca Bravi from the Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri in Milan, the study investigated cholesterol levels of 1294 men with clinically diagnosed prostate cancer, and 1451 controls with no prostate cancer.

After taking into account lifestyle, the researchers found that high cholesterol was associated with a 50 per cent increase in the risk of prostate cancer.

The risk is even higher for men over 65, with high cholesterol levels, who increase their risk of the cancer by 80 per cent, whereas younger men had a 32 per cent increased risk.

The increase risk is thought to be linked to higher levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA), a protein that is used as a marker for the disease, in men with high cholesterol levels. Raised levels of PSA are indicative of prostate cancer risk, although two-thirds of men with high PSA levels will not have prostate cancer.

Some experts argue against the cholesterol-PSA link, saying that the metabolic products of cholesterol are carcinogenic and that this may be the mechanism responsible.

Oily fish may prevent spread of prostate cancer

Posted on March 22, 2006 by Editor

Manchester: Including oily fish, containing Omega 3 fatty acids may prevent the spread of prostate cancer to other parts of the border, according to research by the Paterson Institute for Cancer Research at the Christie Hospital.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men and is particularly dangerous if it infects areas such as bone marrow.

Omega 3 fats, found in mackerel, fresh tuna, salmon and sardines, have already been found to cut the risk of contracting the cancer. And this research suggests they might prevent a more aggressive form of the disease developing particularly when Omega 3 is combined with Omega 6 oils.

The experts looked at prostate cells in the laboratory and examined the extent to which they spread to bone marrow.

Both types of oils are essential for good health, but a balance could be required as omega 6 was found to help cancer to spread.

Dr Mick Brown, chief scientist in the research group, said that Omega 6 fats, found in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds, increased the spread of tumour cells into bone marrow. And this was blocked by Omega 3, so a balance was required.

The findings, published in the British Journal of Cancer, may also help in the development of drugs to stop other cancers, such as breast cancer, from spreading in the body.

Other research shows that a daily dose of fish oils could help keep Alzheimer’s disease at bay.

A team from St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London looked at the effect of omega 3 supplements on the number of glutamate receptors in the brains of aging rats. These are known to be essential to memory and alertness.

After 12 weeks, the researchers found that the concentration of glutamate receptors in the brains of rats who ate unsupplemented food had decreased. But the animals whose food had been enriched had as many as much younger rats, the journal Neurobiology of Aging reports.

The researchers believe the same could hold true for humans and say that omega 3 could hold promise as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

Omega 6 promotes cancer cell growth in prostate

Posted on February 13, 2006 by Editor

San Francisco: Omega-6 fatty acids, found in foods such as corn oil, resulted in the faster growth of human prostate tumors in cell culture , according to a study conducted at the San Francisco VA Medical Center.

The study which is published in January’s Cancer Research discovered that an omega-6 fatty acid known as arachidonic acid turns on a gene signaling pathway that leads directly to tumor growth.

Lead researcher Millie Hughes-Fulford, PhD, director of the Laboratory of Cell Growth at SFVAMC and professor of medicine at the University of California said it had been observed that the additin of omega 6 to the growth medium, the tumours grew twice as fast as those without it.

She said: “Investigating the reasons for this rapid growth, we discovered that the omega-6 was turning on a dozen inflammatory genes that are known to be important in cancer. We then asked what was turning on those genes, and found that omega-6 fatty acids actually turn on a signal pathway called PI3-kinase that is known to be a key player in cancer.”

Hughes-Fulford says the results are significant because of the high level of omega-6 fatty acids in the modern American diet, mostly in the form of vegetable seed oils such as corn oil – over 25 times the level of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in canola oil, fish, and green vegetables. She notes that over the last 60 years, the rate of prostate cancer in the U.S. has increased steadily along with intake of omega-6, suggesting a possible link between diet and prostate cancer.

The study results build on earlier work in which Fulford and her research team found that arachidonic acid stimulated the production of an enzyme known as cPLA-2, which in turn caused a chain of biochemical reactions that led to tumor growth. In the current paper, the researchers have “followed that biochemical cascade upstream to its source,” Hughes-Fulford says. “These fatty acids are initiating the signal pathway that begins the whole cascade.”

Hughes-Fulford and her fellow researchers also found that if they added a non-steroidal antiflammatory or a PI3K inhibitor to the growth media, interrupting the signal pathway, the genes did not get turned on and increased tumor cell growth did not take place.

Currently, Hughes-Fulford is conducting a study in which research animals are fed diets with different levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, “to see how the tumors grow in animals.”

Hughes-Fulford says that her study results have directly influenced her own diet. “I’m not a physician, and do not tell people how to eat, but I can tell you what I do in my own home,” she says. “I use only canola oil and olive oil. We do not eat deep-fried foods.”

Prostate Cancer

Posted on September 4, 2005 by Editor

This is the second most common male cancer and has a survival rate of 50%. It mostly affects men aged over 60 – half the sufferers are over 75. Risk factors include family history and a diet low in vegetables and high in animal fats. Treatment includes surgery or radiation. Hormone therapy may be used but side-effects include risk of impotence.

Symptoms include frequent trips to the toilet (especially at night), difficulty in urinating and blood in the urine. However, some men may not show any symptoms of prostate cancer and so the cancer can be found only through routine tests. A test which shows whether there is an elevated level of the protein PSA (prostate specific antigen) in the blood is recommended. Normal PSA concentration in blood is between 0.1-2.6ng/ml. PSA levels of 4 ng/ml or greater should prompt a further consultation with a urologist as they may be a indication of prostate cancer. This test can be carried out by a GP. Although there are home proper diagnosis can only be made through biopsy, which would be carried out by a urologist and usually involve a TRUS (transrectal ultra sound) biopsy and/or a CT scan, MRI scan or a bone scan.

ELIXIR

THE WORLD'S NUMBER 1 HEALTHY AGEING MAGAZINE

Tag Archives: prostate