Evening Primrose Oil Fights Breast Cancer
Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA),the essential omega-6 fat that is
found in evening primrose, black currant seed,and borage oil,
can inhibit the action of the cancer gene Her-2/neu. This gene
is responsible for almost 30 percent of all breast cancers.
40-Fold Increase in Effectiveness
When cancer cells that overexpress the Her-2/neu gene are
treated with GLA, it not only helps suppress the cancer-causing
gene, but also causes up to a 40-fold increase in response to
the drug Herceptin (trastuzumab), which is used as part of
breast cancer treatment. GLA also selectively affects cancer
cells without damaging normal cells.
Good News for Those With an Aggressive Form of Cancer
This is especially good news because patients who possess the
Her-2/neu gene also typically have an aggressive form of the
disease and a poor prognosis.
GLA is one of two essential fatty acids, which are necessary for
the normal functioning and growth of cells, nerves, muscles and
organs. GLA is present in evening primrose oil, borage oil, and
black current seed oil, among other sources.
Journal of the National Cancer Institute November 2, 2005;
97(21): 1611-1615EurekAlert November 1, 2005Northwestern
University November 2, 2005
Dr. Mercola's Comment:GLA is a powerful nutritional tool that
is commonly used to treat:- Inflammation
- Arthritic
pain
- Eczema (atopic dermatitis)
Although GLA is an omega-6 fat, it is one of the only ones that
many people seem to benefit from by takingit insupplement form.
It is frequently the "secret" weapon in resolving eczema and
many mystery rashes.
It is important to use GLA with a balanced amount of a
high-quality omega-3 fish oil or, at this time of year, cod
liver oil. They act synergistically to provide a potent
anti-inflammatory combination.
If taken as a supplement, I personally prefer the ones made from
evening primrose oil, but borage oil hasa higher concentration
of GLA, which means you need fewer capsules, and it tends to be
less expensive.
However, it has been my experience that many experts insist on
using evening primrose oil, even though it is more expensive, as
it seems to provide better overall results. This may be related
to the fact that these oils are not pure GLA but also have other
oils. Nervonic acid is present in borage oil and may
contributeto its lack of benefit relative to evening primrose
oil.
Since cancer, not heart disease, is now the leading cause of
death for most of us, this is an important issue.If you are
interested in radically reducing yourrisk of developing cancerI
would recommend the following:
1. Control your insulin levels: Make certain that you
limit your intake of processed foods and sugars as much as
possible. When your insulin levels are increased you will
inhibit the action of an enzyme (delta-6 desaturase) that
actually allows your body to produce GLA.
2. Get appropriate amounts of animal-based omega-3
fats and make sure you use cod liver oil if you don't have
regular access to sun exposure.
3. Get appropriate exercise. One of the primary
reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels
down. Controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful
ways to reduce your cancer risks.
4. Normalize your vitamin D levels with safe amounts
of sun exposure. This works primarily by optimizing your vitamin
D level. If you have regular access to sun exposure then you
should use fish oil, not cod liver oil, as your primary source
of omega-3 fats. Ideally, it would be best to monitor your
vitamin D levels.
5. Eat according to your metabolic type. The potent
anti-cancer effects of this principle are very much
underappreciated. When we treat cancer patients in our clinic
this is one of the most powerful anti-cancer strategies we
have.
6. Have a tool to permanently erase the neurological
short-circuiting that can activate cancer genes. Even the CDC
states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is
likely that this factor may be more important than all the other
physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed.
Energy psychology seems to be one of the best approaches and my
particular favorite tool, as you may know, is the Emotional
Freedom Technique.
7. Only 25 percent of people eat enough vegetables, so
by all means eat as many vegetables as you are comfortable with.
Ideally, they should be fresh and organic. However, please
understand that, frequently, fresh conventionally grown
vegetables are healthier than organic ones that are older and
wilted in the grocery store. They are certainly better than no
vegetables at all, so don't use that as an excuse. If you are a
carb metabolic type you may need up to 300 percent more
vegetables than a protein metabolic type.
8. Make sure you are not in the two-thirds of the
population who are overweight, and maintain an ideal body
weight.
9. Get enough high-quality sleep.
10. Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like
pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air
fresheners and air pollution.
11. Boil, poach or steam your foods, rather than
frying or charbroiling them.