IP₆ has antioxidant activity, as discussed in a recent article in Anticancer Research; however, its anti-cancer action is more likely related to the regulation of cellular functions (such as cell growth and differentiation), explained in an article in the journal, Life Sciences. In addition, IP₆ has been shown in research to cause malignant cells to revert back to normal, healthy cells.

While cancers of several sites have been found to benefit from IP₆, it is important to note that the research thus far has been limited to cell cultures and animal models.

7-keto, metabolite of the natural hormone DHEA (dehydroepianodrosterone) produced by the adrenal glands, has been shown in research from the University of Wisconsin Madison, located here, to enhance memory in mice. It as found to be more effective than DHEA and, unlike conventional, first generation DHEA, 7-keto is not converted into sex steroids in the body.

Another study, also conducted at the University, suggests a potential use of 7-keto for improved immune response. Primates treated with 7-keto demonstrated improvements in CD-4 cells counts, also known as T-helper cells, which help T-suppressor cells fight against viruses, parasites and other invaders. Total numbers of white blood cells and Cd-8 cells (T-suppressor cells) also increased. Another study, conducted at the University of Minnesota, found that 7-keto helped augment Interleukin2 (IL-2) production in human lymphocytes. IL-2 is a protein secreted by T-cells to fight infections.

7-keto also may exhibit the same antiplatelet effect as DHEA, which has been studied in that regard at the Medical College of Virginia. Further, 7-keto may be able to lower blood pressure, as shown in a double-blind, placebo controlled study at the Chicago Center for Clinical Research.

John L. Zenk, M.D. author of Living Longer in the Boomer Age, regards 7-keto as a dietary supplement that is capable of helping baby-boomers age "healthfully."

Since its introduction to U.S. markets in 1998, Huperzine A (HupA) has been marketed as a natural memory enhancer and concentration aid and is commonly paired with other memory-enhancing ingredients such as ginkgo, ginseng and vitamin E.

Several studies, including a 1997 review paper published in JAMA, indicate that HupA, a purified alkaloid compound isolated from Chinese club moss (uperzia serrata), inhibits the breakdown of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Studies show that acetylcholine is rapidly broken down in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and a shortage of the neurotransmitter appears to contribute to their memory loss.

Like the two FDA-approved Alzheimer's drugs, tacrine hydrochloride and donepezil, that it is often compared with, HupA works by disrupting the enzyme that breaks down acetylcholine, yet it appears to do so more effectively and with fewer side effects. Now that researchers understand HupA's structure and how it works, they are designing more potent synthetic versions that will likely be developed into drugs.

Although sold as a dietary supplement, HupA is a highly purified and powerful compound referred to as a drug in nearly all clinical trials. To date, it has demonstrated effects only in people with age-related memory disorders and Alzheimer's disease.

Calcium supplements may help prevent colon cancer by preventing colorectal polyps (benign tumors in the large intestine that can become cancerous). Research suggests that calcium supplements can slow recurrence of polyps in those who have had them removed and prevent the development of polyps in people who have never experienced them before. Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the US and accounts for about one in ten cancer deaths.

In a study published in the January issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire, studied more than 800 people whose average age was in the early 60s. These folks had each had at least one polyp removed from the large intestine. Researchers divided study participants into two groups-those taking daily calcium supplements and those taking placebo (dummy) pills.

Researchers then twice looked at their large intestines via colonoscopy (using a flexible scope) 9 months and 3 years after the study began.

For those participants with a history of polyps, the calcium supplements reduced their risk of developing any polyps at all by 17%. Overall, the calcium takers suffered 24% few polyps than the group that didn't take the calcium.

The researchers thought calcium was effective preventive medicine: no side effects and many benefits (they also help prevent osteoporosis).

How calcium appears to prevent polyps is unclear, but some scientists postulate that the mineral may alter bile acid secretions by the liver that influence polyp development.

Lycopene, a natural chemical that gives the 67 million tons of tomatoes grown each year their rich, red color, has now been clinically demonstrated to be able to actually shrink prostate tumors.

The latest research, presented at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, was conducted on 33 men who were hospitalized for prostate surgery at the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit. For a month before their operations, about half of these men were given two 15 milligram lycopene supplements daily, while the others did not receive supplements.

In the men taking lycopene, blood levels of the prostate specific antigen (PSA) dropped by an average of 20%. (PSA levels reflect harmful tumor activity). The unsupplemented men did not experience any changes in their PSA levels.

Examination of the men's prostates before their operations did not show that the cancer had spread elsewhere in the men's bodies. But after the doctors removed the diseased prostates, they found that the cancer in the menu taking lycopene was less likely to have spread right up to the edge of the prostate gland. In addition, abnormal cells that were in a precancerous state looked less ready to become full blown cancer than similar cells in the men who didn't take lycopene.

Because lycopene hides inside tomato cell walls, tomato sauce (where cell walls are broken down) provide more bioavailable lycopene than do raw, unprocessed tomatoes. The daily level of lycopene used in the prostate study represent the amount in a pound of tomatoes. This study confirms others showing tomato eaters get less cancer.

Researchers delving into the biochemical secrets of soy have discovered that a class of soy compounds, called isoflavones, is particularly potent in their healthful activities. Ipriflavone, a derivative of soy isoflavones, appears to be the most powerful yet analyzed.

A recent analysis of this novel nutrient, published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal, Alternative Medicine Review, discloses some of the most important qualities of ipriflavone. Author, Dr. KA Head, wrote, "Ipriflavone, an isoflavone synthesized from the soy isoflavone daidzein, holds great promise in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and other metabolic bone diseases. It has been widely studied in humans and found effective for inhibiting bone resorption and enhancing bone formation, the net result being an increase in bone density and a decrease in fracture rates in osteoporotic women. While ipriflavone appears to enhance estrogen's effect, it does not possess intrinsic estrogenic activity, making it an attractive adjunct or alternative to conventional hormone replacement therapy. Preliminary studies have found ipriflavone effective in preventing bone loss associated with chronic steroid use, immobility, ovariectomy, renal osteodystrophy and gonadotrophin hormone releasing hormone agonists. It also may help other metabolic diseases affecting the bones, including Paget's disease, hyperparathyroidism, and tinnitus caused by otosclerosis." (Alt Med Rev '99 Feb; 4 (1): 10-22)