A recent study has demonstrated the protective effects of a tropical fruit native to Southeast Asia against breast cancer. Scientists at the College of Life Sciences at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS) have discovered that the pericarp of the mangosteen fruit, which is widely grown in Malaysia and Thailand, has a special compound that causes breast cancer cells to undergo apoptosis, or cell death.
This most recent study examined the effects of a particular mangosteen xanthone on real human breast cancer cells as a follow-up to a previous investigation on the benefits of mangosteen in vitro. The UCAS team investigated the effects of alpha-mangostin on fatty acid synthase, or FAS, a multienzyme protein that catalyzes the conversion of different compounds into long-chain fatty acids. Additionally, overexpression of FAS is frequently seen in correlation with the development of breast cancer.
Using a battery of tests, the researchers found that alpha-mangostin exhibits an inhibitory effect on the expression of FAS, in turn resulting in a decrease of intracellular fatty acid accumulation. Additionally, alpha-mangostin noticeably triggers apoptosis in human breast cancer cells, regulating the expression of other key proteins involved in apoptosis.
“Alpha-mangostin could effectively suppress FAS expression and inhibit intracellular FAS activity, and result in decrease of intracellular fatty acid accumulation,” wrote the authors, as published in the journal Molecular Cancer. “[Alpha-mangostin] could also reduce cell viability, induce apoptosis in human breast cancer cells, increase in the levels of the PARP cleavage product, and attenuate the balance between anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic proteins of the Bcl-2 family.”
BE CAREFUL TO CHOOSE MANGOSTEEN PRODUCTS THAT ARE FREE OF TOXIC HEAVY METALS
Based on these successful findings, UCAS scientists say mangosteen xanthones could eventually become a viable treatment agent in breast cancer therapy. And since it is relatively easy to source, mangosteen extract could also be used as a preventive food for avoiding breast cancer development.
Our readers need to be aware, however, that not all mangosteen products are equal. As we reported back in April, at least one major supplier of dried mangosteen powder to the U.S. is delivering a product that is exceptionally high in the brain-damaging metal lead. This same powder, which is commonly repackaged for various retail supply chains, was also found to contain aluminum, arsenic, cadmium and some mercury.
FRESH MANGOSTEEN OR VERIFIED POWDERS ARE AN EXCELLENT ‘SUPERFOOD’
However, awareness about the presence of heavy metals in food is growing, which means the availability of safer alternatives will only increase. All in all, sourcing fresh mangosteen or verified mangosteen powder is still a great way to take advantage of this powerful anticancer superfood.
To learn more about the science behind mangosteen as a health-promoting superfood, visit:
SCIENCE.NaturalNews.com.
Sources for this article include:
http://science.naturalnews.com