Botanicals Not The Only Growth Category

The year ahead also looks bright for a number of supplements that are not derived from plants.

5-HTP has benefited greatly from consumers' desire to elevate their moods. Our "Prozac nation" has, in the past year, turned its attention to natural mood enhancers such as 5-HTP as well as St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) and kava kava (Piper methysticum). 5-HTP is derived from the seed pods of Griffonia simplicifolia, a West African plant. Like Prozac^®, when 5-HTP reaches the brain, it is converted into serotonin, thus acting as a serotonin modulator.¹ Neurotransmitters such as serotonin produce an inhibitory effect on the nervous system that soothes, calms and gives rise to feelings of contentment.

IP-6, also known as inositol hexaphosphate or phytic acid, is an antioxidant abundant in cereal grains and legumes. It fights cancer by inhibiting accelerated cell division both in vitro and in vivo.²

National advertising helped launch a patented IP-6 formula, manufactured in Green Bay, Wis. The manufacturer was a cosponsor of a four-part documentary hosted by Walter Cronkite called Cancer: Increasing Your Odds for Survival, which appeared on public television last September. The series of one-hour segments aired in more than 70 markets and reached more than 5 million viewers nationwide. Being marketed to the generally well-educated, upscale PBS audience—roughly the same demographic as core natural products shoppers—should help IP-6 gain greater appeal in the year ahead.

Colostrum is the milk secreted for a few days after birth and is characterized by high protein and antibody content, which is passed to the newborn. Such growth and immune-enhancing factors may benefit bovine colostrum supplement users.

An important growth component found in colostrum is insulinlike growth factor (IGF-1). In the intestines, IGF-1 stimulates the growth and repair of epithelial cells damaged by toxins or infections.³ Colostrum also contains antibodies that help control pathogens such as cryptosporidia, common in AIDS patients and in cancer patients receiving irradiation therapy.⁴

Tocotrienols are a subsection of the vitamin E family known as tocopherols. Tocotrienols are emerging in their own right because recent research shows they have additional functions and health benefits, especially in regard to cardiovascular health.

A comparison can be made with the carotenoids. A few years ago, beta-carotene received all the attention until it was found that other carotenoids are more important in performing certain functions. For example, research showed that lycopene is a better single oxygen quencher and that zeaxanthin and lutein have greater affinity for the macula.^5,6

In similar fashion, research is showing that the unique chemical structure of tocotrienols, most notably gamma-tocotrienol, may fight arteriosclerosis, a cause of heart attacks and strokes, better than the tocopherols.⁷ In a three-year, double-blind clinical trial, tocotrienol was shown to regress arteriosclerosis in humans. In the group that received tocotrienols, 92 percent of the patients stabilized or improved, whereas in the control group, 48 percent deteriorated and none improved. The hypothesis for this effect is that tocotrienols (as part of HDL cholesterol) neutralize oxidized LDL cholesterol and help move it out of the arterial plaque before it gets firmly fixed, thereby improving arterial blood flow. This is similar to the protective antioxidant effect of tocopherol, but researchers say it is the tocotrienols that have increased mobility in cell membranes and the therapeutic ability to dislodge plaque.

Another area of promise for tocotrienols that may bring them greater acclaim is in breast cancer research. Although research into tocotrienols' influence on cancer is still in its infancy, cell-culture studies suggest that the addition of a tocopherol/tocotrienol blend to the culture media reduces cell growth and may inhibit the spread of cancer cells. Vitamin E alone did not have any effect on the cells.^8,9

—K.B.

References

1. Braverman E, Pfeiffer C. The healing nutritions within. New Canaan (CT): Keats; 1987.p 59

2. Shamsuddin A, et al. IP-6: a novel anticancer agent. Life Sciences 1997;61(4):343-54.

3. Francis G. Insulin-like growth factors I, II in bovine colostrum. Biochem J 1988;251:95-103.

4. Acosta-Altamirano G. Anti-amoebic properties of human colostrum. Adv Exp Med Biol 1987;216B:1346-52.

5. Miller NJ, et al. Antioxidant activities of carotenes and xanthophylls. FEBS Letters 1996;384:240-2.

6. Seddon JM, et al. Dietary carotenoids, vitamins A, C, and E, and advanced age-related macular degeneration. JAMA 1994;272:1413-20.

7. Kooyenga DK. Antioxidant-induced regression of carotid stenosis over three years. Proceedings of the 16th International Congress of Nutrition; 1997 Jul 29; Montreal.

8. Nesarctnam K, et al. Effect of tocotrienols on the growth of a human breast cancer cell line in culture. Lipids 1995;30:1139-43.

9. Guthrie N, et al. Inhibition of proliferation of estrogen receptor-negative MDA MB-435 and positive MCF-7 human breast cancer cells by palm oil tocotrienols and Tamoxifen, alone and in combination. J Nutr 1997;127:544S-48S.