Re: Study: Statins Lower Advanced Prostate Cancer Risk


Jim Chinnis wrote:
> "Juhana Harju" <shantigiri@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in part:
>
> >listener wrote:
> >:: "Juhana Harju" <shantigiri@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in
> >:: news:3cl274F6imrpjU1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx:
> >::
> >::: listener wrote:
> >::::: LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Cholesterol-lowering drugs known as
> >::::: statins may slash a man's risk of advanced prostate cancer,
> >::::: according to research presented Monday.
> >:::::
> >::::: A study that followed more than 34,000 men over 10 years found
> >::::: that men who used statins had half the risk of advanced
prostate
> >::::: cancer and one- third the risk of fatal prostate cancer,
compared
> >::::: with men who did not use the drugs.
> >:::::
> >::::: Statins -- which include Pfizer Inc.'s $10 billion-a-year
Lipitor,
> >::::: [...]
> >:::
> >::: There are definitely healthier and cheaper means to reduce
prostate
> >::: cancer risk than the use of statins.
> >:::
> >:: OK. Please show us some studies using something other than a
statin
> >:: that show tens of thousands of men over a multi-year period
halving
> >:: their risk of advanced prostate cancer and lowering by one-third
> >:: their risk of *fatal* prostate cancer. I would be curious to read
> >:: any legitimate studies you can offer. Really.
> >
> >There is perhaps no singular way to reduce prostate cancer risk as
much. But
> >it is possible to reduce the risk at least as much by combing some
dietary
> >means: reducing animal protein intake, taking care of adequate
vitamin D
> >intake, by drinking red wine, using certain spices, fish oils etc.
>
> I don't see the kinds of evidence of the kinds of benefits
> listener asked about. A nice dietary preventive would be terrific,
> but the evidence remains unclear. Besides, I get my veggies
> already, including tomatoes (lycopene) and nuts (selenium).
> Despite that, I figure my absolute PCa risk is quite a bit higher
> than my absolute risk of an MI or stroke. So I'd be quite happy to
> learn that statins reduce mortality from the primary lethal cancer
> in non-smoking men such as myself by one-third!
> --
> Jim Chinnis Warrenton, Virginia, USA

I think statins serve a medicinal purpose. I think its up to each of us
to avoid the need for drugs as best we can by making the best choices
possible. As more information becomes available, we can adjust our
habits accordingly - always applying a healthy skepticism and provided
adequate research. ;-)

Here's another study that shows the benefits of green tea in reducing
prostate cancer risk,

Green Tea May Curb Prostate Cancer in Men at Risk
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=571&e=13&u=/nm/cancer_greentea_dc

Tue Apr 19, 4:13 PM ET

By Megan Rauscher

ANAHEIM, California (Reuters Health) - Compounds found in green tea may
prevent the development of prostate cancer in men with a pre-cancerous
condition called high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN),
researchers have shown.


"The sad truth is that close to 30,000 men will die from prostate
cancer in the United States every year and, at present, prevention is
the best way to fight it, Dr. Saverio Bettuzzi from the University of
Parma in Italy told Reuters Health.


High-grade PIN progresses to invasive prostate cancer within a year in
about 30 percent of men and no treatment is given to these men with
high-grade PIN until prostate cancer is diagnosed.


Green tea catechins (GTCs) may be the answer, Bettuzzi said at the
gathering of the American Association for Cancer Research here.


The investigator performed a trial involving men with high-grade PIN,
who were given an inactive placebo preparation or one containing 600
milligrams of GTCs daily, "equivalent to 12-15 cups of green tea
infusion, that is about two times the average intake in Asian
countries."


Bettuzzi reported that, after a year, only 1 man among 32 in the GTC
group developed prostate cancer, a rate of only 3 percent. In contrast,
9 out of 30 men treated with placebo developed prostate cancer, for the
expected rate of 30 percent.


"To our knowledge, this is the first study showing that GTCs have
potent in vivo chemoprevention activity for human prostate cancer,"
Bettuzzi noted.


"The interest in GTCs and other polyphenols -- antioxidants found in
many plants -- derives from traditional Chinese medicine, but the
Mediterranean diet is very rich in vegetables, thus providing high
levels of polyphenols, and lower rates of prostate cancer are found in
that region as well," he pointed out.


"There are other studies strongly suggesting that similar results could
be obtained for prevention of other types of cancer. As a matter of
fact, breast and colon cancer are possible targets. In the near future,
we are supposed to start a collaborative trial involving both Italy and
USA on this matter," Bettuzzi concluded.

.

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