Herbal Preparations May Reduce Risk of Breast Cancer
The details of this study appeared in the August issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.[1]
Herbs are plants that have been used for hundreds of hears as medicines. Their historical use as medicine and as culinary seasonings arises from their aromatic properties. As defined here, herbal/plant therapies include therapies using the whole plant or the parts of a plant valued for medicinal purposes. It also involves therapies that have maximized the optimal ratios of a whole product (for example, the most effective ratio of the main constituents within an herb or plant). In contrast, isolated components of herbs or plants that are used alone are categorized under biologic/orthomolecular therapies. Herbal/plant therapies may be consumed for internal use, applied externally, or used as aromatherapy.
Herbal preparations in this study contained phytoestrogens and black cohosh that were taken to alleviate menopausal symptoms. Phytoestrogens are plant-derived non-steroidal compounds found in soy products, unrefined grain products, carrots, spinach, broccoli, and other fruits and vegetables. Phytoestrogens have a weak estrogen-like effect and are protective against various cancers. The best documentation appears to be for the prevention of breast and prostate cancer, which are hormone-dependent cancers. Researchers from the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have reported that diets rich in phytoestrogens are associated with a lower incidence of lung cancer than in diets low in phytoestrogens.
Black cohosh (known as both Actaea racemosa and Cimicifuga racemosa) is a member of the buttercup family. Medicinal preparations are made from the root and taken for a variety of reasons, including the relief of menopausal symptoms. Randomized trials have given conflicting results about the effects of black cohosh in relieving menopausal symptoms.
The current study looked at the incidence of breast cancer in over 10,000 postmenopausal women with (N=3,464) and without breast cancer (n=6,637). Approximately 10% of these women had used herbal preparations for relief of menopausal symptoms. Ever use of herbal preparations was associated with a 26% reduction in the risk of breast cancer. The effect appeared to be dose-dependent with a 4% reduction in risk for every year of herbal preparation use. The effect appeared to be present across a spectrum of herbal preparations. Risk reduction was observed for invasive ductal and combined lobular/mixed/tubular tumors but not for in situ carcinomas. Interestingly, there was a reduction in risk of both estrogen-positive and estrogen-negative breast cancers. These authors concluded: “Our findings support the hypothesis that [herbal preparation] use protects from invasive breast cancer in postmenopausal women. Among conceivable modes of action, those independent of estrogen receptor-mediated pathways seem to be involved (i.e., cytotoxicity, apoptosis).”
These are interesting findings. At the very least they show that herbal preparation use for the treatment of menopausal symptoms are not harmful. Again its an example of science validating the traditional use of herbal medicines
In Health
Gabriel
Reference:
[1] Obi N, Chang-Claud J, Berger J, et al. The use of herbal preparations to alleviate climacteric disorders and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer in a German case-control study. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. 2009;18: 2202-2206
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