|
Zinc
Zinc is vital for the metabolism of Vitamin A and has important roles
in many of the body's systems, including its immune functions, maintaining
the integrity of sense organs, reproduction, mental function and wound
healing. People with cancer may have an increased need for zinc, and anorexics
may not receive adequate dietary sources of zinc. Zinc supplementation
may reduce copper absorption, while various foods interfere with zinc
absorption, including soya, cow's milk, iron supplements, wholewheat bread
and bran. A dosage of 15-30 mg elemental zinc is totally safe for people
with cancer. Zinc should be taken separately from other supplements and
not with food.2
Prevention and Treatment of Cancer: Zinc
Despite the fact that zinc in certain circumstances can be a tumour promoter,
the following studies indicate that zinc may play an important role in
prevention, treatment and adjuvant (in combination with chemo- or radiotherapy)
cancer treatment, and that zinc deficiency may be contributory factor
to cancer development.
* Brooks, in an editorial states that whereas many physicians have overlooked
the value of adding zinc chloride tissue fixation prior to micrographic
surgery, due to a lack of randomized clinical trials, that nevertheless,
historic control data indicate a survival benefit in the treatment of
cutaneous melanoma. Three possible mechanisms are:
1) prevention of release of viable cells into circulation during surgery,
2) avoidance of disruption of clinically invisible satellite deposits,
and
3) stimulation of a local inflammatory reaction and possible immune response.9
* Doz and colleagues, University of California, San Francisco investigated
zinc's ability to decrease the toxicity of carboplatin (a cytotoxic drug)
without impairing its activity against brain tumors. The high-zinc diet
enabled a 50% increase in the carboplatin dose without increasing toxicity
but did not alter the efficacy of carboplatin against this brain tumor.10
* Mei and colleagues, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China, studied
the influence of zinc and selenium-zinc upon the immune function (T-cells,
granulocytes and NK cells) of cancer patients. The results showed that
immune response was strengthened, suggesting that zinc or selenium-zinc
may be instrumental in restoring failing immunocompetence of cancer patient.11
* Waalkes and colleagues, National Cancer Institute, Maryland assessed
the effect of dietary zinc deficiency on the carcinogenic potential of
cadmium in rats. Zinc-deficient diets markedly increased the number of
tumours generated by cadmium exposure while significantly reducing the
number of preneoplastic lesions. Zinc deficiency appears to cause a generalized
increase in the chronic toxic effects of cadmium.12
* Lekili and colleagues, University of Hacettepe, Ankara, Turkey, determined
that there were significant differences in serum zinc levels in prostatic
cancer patients compared with patients with benign prostatic conditions.
Distinct differences were found in zinc plasma content prostate cancer
patients before and after therapy. Therefore, zinc concentration in serum
may be a valuable index for the differential diagnosis and therapy of
prostatic carcinoma.13
* Floersheim and Bieri, Kantonsspital, Basel, Switzerland determined that
the organic zinc salts aspartate, histidine, orotate and acetate reduced
the fall of the haematocrit, thrombocytes, erythrocytes and leucocytes
in irradiated mice, zinc aspartate being the most effective. The synergism
of zinc aspartate with radioprotector WR 2721 may make it possible in
clinical cancer radiotherapy to obtain selective radioprotection at a
lower toxicity and to inhibit lymphoid tumours.14,15
The above studies illustrate that zinc may play a role in:
* survival in the treatment of cutaneous melanoma;
* the diagnosis of prostate cancer;
* protection against the carcinogenic effects of toxic metals such as
cadmium;
* restoring immune function in cancer patients;
* adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy for lympoid and brain tumours.
Optizinc Zinc Monomthn 30mg 60T SN0847 $NZ11.37
Secure
order form
Other
Payment Options |
