Some supplements may decrease cancer risks

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http://www.charleston.net/pub/news/state/her0302.htm

Some supplements may decrease cancer risks

Saturday, March 2, 2002

Some popular dietary supplements may contain anti-inflammatory compounds

that ease swelling and pain and also decrease a person's chances for

developing colon and breast cancer, according to a Columbia researcher who

is studying the herbs and supplements.

Gingko, grape-seed extract, rosemary, turmeric and milk thistle are high on

the list as nature's aspirins, according to Dr. Wargovich, a

University of South Carolina School of Medicine cancer researcher, who just

received a grant of nearly $165,000 to study the supplements.

Wargovich will try to determine whether they can help reduce a person's

chances for developing colon cancer.

Research has shown that taking aspirin or other pain relievers that reduce

inflammation - such as ibuprofen, Vioxx and Celebrex - can cut the risk for

colon cancer by 50 percent and the risk for breast cancer by 25 percent,

said the director of basic science research for the S.C. Cancer Center.

But those medicines can produce side effects such as bleeding and ulcers, he

noted.