12 Sep Tangerine Peel & Cancer

In todays edition of Reuters out of London, a team of researchers reported that tangerine peel might be helpful in the fight against cancer.
The researchers stated that human cancer cells contain an enzyme called P450 CYP1B1, and that these enzymes were destroyed when a compound labeled Salvestrol Q40 was in contact with the enzymes. This Salvestrol Q40 is found in the peels of tangerines.
These findings are helpful in potentially finding another cure for cancer. One of the researchers goes on to say that it is nice to see that there might be compunds in foods that occur naturally that may aide in the battle against cancer. It may help to promote healthy eating habits in more people.
 Dr. Hoon L. Tan said, “Salvestrols may offer a new mechanism of dietary anti-cancer action. Indeed, the depletion of salvestrols in the modern diet is due to the fact that many people no longer eat the skin of fruits. This may be a major contributory factor to the increasing incidence of some cancers in the human population.”
The breakthrough is being presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference held in Macnshester.
Just as a word of caution, this in no way means that everyone should run out and purchase a life’s worth of tangerines and eat the peels. This study is promising, but the continued research and actual mechanisms of how and why Salvestrols destroy this particular cancer mechanism is still years away.
Many additional tests and research will need to be conducted before it can even reach a clinical trial stage. From that point, it will take several additional years for the clinical trials to go through phase one, two, and the final third phase before it can be released to the market. All of that additional research can take another additional 5 to 7 years.
It is good to see that there is yet another promise in the fight against cancer. Yet, there is a lot that goes into the testing before we actually see if there are any real world benefits to being used in humans for treatments and cure.
If you have any other questions or concerns, please contact me at the following: CANCERGEEK@GMAIL.COM
 ~CancerGeek